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16. Blue-Jay and Iô'i

There were Blue-Jay and his elder sister Iô'i. "Let us go visiting, Iô'i," he said to his sister. "Let us visit the Magpie [?]." Early the next morning they went. They came near his house and saw him on the roof. They landed and went up to the house. Then they saw Magpie on his house. After a little while he swept his house and found one salmon egg. He put it into his topknot [made a fire], and heated some stones. When they were hot he took a kettle, poured water into it, and threw the dry salmon egg into the kettle; then he boiled it. The kettle came to be full of salmon eggs. He placed it before Blue-Jay and his sister and they ate. When they had half emptied the kettle they were satiated. They carried away what was left and started to go home. Iô'i said to her brother: "Let us go to

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the beach; you go down first." Blue-Jay said: "You go first down to the beach." His sister went down. Then Blue-Jay said [to Magpie]: "Come to-morrow and fetch your kettle." Magpie said: "I shall go." Then Blue-Jay and his sister went home. Early in the morning Blue-Jay made a fire and went up to the roof of his house, where he staid. After awhile he said to his elder sister: "A canoe is coming." She replied: "It comes because you told him to come." Now Magpie landed and went up to the house. Blue-Jay arose and swept his house. He found a salmon egg. He put it into his top-knot. He finished sweeping his house and he heated stones. When they were hot he took his kettle and poured water into it. He took that salmon egg and threw it into the water. Then he threw the hot stones into the kettle and the water began to boil. Then he covered it. He imitated all Magpie had done. After awhile he uncovered it, but nothing was in the kettle. "Blue-Jay can do only one thing," said Magpie. He took the stones and threw them out of the kettle. He threw one dry salmon egg and hot stones into the kettle. When the water began to boil he covered it and when he uncovered it the kettle was quite full of salmon eggs. Then Magpie left them and went home.

After several days Blue-Jay and his sister became hungry. "Let us go and visit the Ducks," said Blue-Jay. "To-morrow we will go," said Iô'i. The latter had five children. On the following morning they started and went visiting. After awhile they landed at the beach of the Duck. They came up to the house. The Duck said to her five children: "Go and wash yourselves." They went to the water and washed themselves. They dived. [Soon they emerged again] each carrying a trout. Ten times they dived and their mat became full of trout. They went up to the house, made a fire and roasted them. Then they gave Blue-Jay and his sister to eat. Now the fish which they were roasting were done. They fed Blue-Jay, and he and his sister ate. They ate part and were satiated. Iô'i said to her brother: "You go down first, else you will talk ever so much." He replied to his sister: "Ah, you would always like to stay here, you go down first." His sister went down first [and as soon as she had left he said to the Duck]: "Come to my house tomorrow and get your mat." Now Blue-Jay went down to the beach. The Duck said: "We sit all go to-morrow." Then they went home. They arrived at home. Early the next morning Blue-Jay arose and went up to the roof of the house. He said to his sister: "A canoe is coming." She remarked: "It comes because you invited them." Then the Duck landed [with her five children]and went up to the house. After awhile Blue-Jay said to his sister's children: "Go and wash yourselves." Then Blue-Jay and his sister's children went down to the beach. They tried to dive, but their backs remained over water. Ten times they dived and were almost dead with cold. They came up to the house empty-handed. "Blue-jay does one thing only" [said the Duck]. She told her children: "Go and wash yourselves.

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[paragraph continues] We will give them food." The Duck's children went down to the beach and washed themselves. They dived ten times and their mat was full. They went up to the house. "That trout is thrown at your feet." Now the Ducks went home. After a number of days Blue-Jay and his sister became again hungry. "Let us go and visit the Black Bear," he said. The next morning they went. They arrived at the Bear's house. The Bear heated stones. Blue-Jay said to his sister: "What may he give us to eat, Iô'i?" When the stones were hot the Bear sharpened his knife and cut his feet here [all around the sole] and cut his thigh. Then he rubbed over the wounds, and they were heated. Then he cut [the flesh which he had cut front his feet and from his body] into small pieces and boiled it. When it was done, he placed it before them, and after a little while they were satiated. Iô'i said to her brother: You go down first, else you will talk ever so much." Blue-Jay said: "You go down first." His sister went, and then. Blue-Jay said: "Come to-morrow and fetch your mat." Then he went home with his sister. They came home. Early the next morning Blue-Jay arose and made a fire. He went up to the roof of his house. He said to his sister: "A canoe is coming." [And she replied:] "It comes because you invited him." Then the bear landed and came up to the house. Blue-Jay heated stones, and when they were hot he sharpened his knife and cut his feet. He fainted right away. They blew on him until he recovered. The Bear said: "You can do only one thing, Blue-Jay." The Bear took his foot and slowly cut it. He cut his thigh. Then he cut the flesh into small pieces. He boiled it. When he had finished cooking and it was done he threw it before them and went home. Blue-Jay's feet were sore.

After several days they again got hungry. Then Blue-Jay said to his elder sister: "To-morrow we will go and visit the Beaver." Early in the morning they started to visit him, and they arrived at the Beaver's house. The Beaver was in his house. After a little while he went out and carried willows into the house which he placed before them. He took a dish and went out. Then he carried it back filled with mud. Blue-Jay and his sister could not eat it and started to go home. As they set out homeward his elder sister said to him: "You go down first else you will talk ever so much." Blue-Jay said to his elder sister: "You go down first." She went to the beach first. Then Blue-Jay said: "Come to my house to-morrow to fetch your dish." The Beaver replied: "I will come to-morrow." Early the next morning Blue-Jay made a fire and went up to the roof of his house. He said to his sister: "A canoe is coming." "It comes because you told him to come." The Beaver landed and entered the house. Blue-Jay went out and when he had been away a little while he brought that many willows. He threw them before the Beaver, who began to gnaw and ate them all. Then Blue-Jay ran to the beach. He went to get some mud, which he put before the Beaver. He ate it all and went home.

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Blue-Jay said again to his sister: "To-morrow we will go and visit the Seal." On the next morning they started and arrived at the house of the Seal, who had five children. The Seal said to her young ones: "Go to the beach and lie down there." They went and lay down at the edge of the water. The Seal took a stick and went down. When she reached her children she struck the youngest one upon its head. The others dived and when they came up again they were again five. Then she pulled up to the house the one which she had killed. She singed it. When she had finished singeing it she cut it. Its blubber was three fingers thick. She boiled it and when it was done she gave it to Blue-Jay and his sister. Soon they had enough. Then Iô'i said to her brother: "You go down first." He replied: "You go down first, else you will always want to stay where they give its food." He said: "Go to the beach." His elder sister went to the beach. Then Blue-Jay said to the Seal: "Come to-morrow and fetch your kettle." "I shall come," replied the Seal. [They went home.] Early next morning Blue-Jay made a fire and went up to the roof of his house. He said to his elder sister: "A canoe is coming." She replied: "It comes because you invited him." The canoe came ashore. The Seal and her children landed and they came up to the house. Then Blue-Jay said to Iô'i's children: "Go to the beach and lie down there." Then Iô'i's children went and lay down at the edge of the water. Blue-Jay took a stick. He went down and struck the youngest one; he struck it twice and it lay there dead. Then he said to the other children: "Quick, dive!" They dived, and when they came up again one was missing. Five times they dived, but the one [which was struck] remained dead. Then Iô'i and her children cried: "Ä" The Seal said: "Blue-Jay knows to do one thing only." She struck one of her daughters and said: "Quick; dive!" And when they came up again all five of them were there. She singed her daughter. When she had finished singeing her she cut her and threw her down before Blue-Jay and his sister, saying: "You may eat this." Then they tied up and buried the dead child of Iô'i, and the Seal went home.

After awhile they got hungry again. "Let us go and visit the shadows." "To-morrow we will go." Early next morning they started and arrived at the house of the shadows. They went up to the house. The house was full of provisions, and on the bed there were large dentalia. There were coats, blankets of deer skin, of mountain goat, and of ground-hog. Blue-Jay said: "Where may these people be?" His elder sister replied: "Here they are, but you can not see them." Blue-Jay took up one of the large dentalia. "Ahahaha, my ear, Blue-Jay," cried a person. They heard many people tittering. He took up a ground-hog blanket and pulled at it. "Ahahaha, my ground-hog blanket, Blue-Jay." He searched under the bed [for the person who had spoken] and again the people tittered. He took up a coat of mountain-goat wool. The person cried, "Why do you lift my

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coat, Blue-Jay?" He took a nose ornament and the person cried: "Ahahaha, my nose-ornament, Blue-Jay." Then a basket fell down from above. He took it and put it back. Then a salmon roe fell down. He put it back, and again he searched under the bed for persons. Then, again, the people tittered and laughed at him. His sister said to him: "Stay here quietly. Why should they be called shadows if they would not act as they do?" They looked around. There was salmon roe [put up in a bag for winter use] and they ate it. Blue-Jay said again: "Where may these people be?" His elder sister replied: "Here they are, here they are; but you do not see them." When it got dark Blue-Jay said: "We will sleep here." Now they slept during the night. Blue Jay awoke and went out. He tried to urinate standing. It ran down his legs. Blue-Jay's elder sister went out. She sat down on the ground and urinated. There stood her urine. Blue-Jay spread his legs: "Look here, Iô'i, what became of me!" He pulled his groins and his sister cried much. "Ahaha, that hurts me, Squint-eye!" "Is it Iô'i's body, and it hurts her?" After some time she took revenge upon him. She pulled the penis; "Anah," cried Blue-Jay, "it hurts me Iô'i." "Is it his body, and he feels sick?" Then they went to sleep again. Blue-Jay awoke early. Then he was a man again as before. His elder sister awoke. Now she was again a woman as before. She was well again. Thus they took revenge on Blue-Jay, because he had teased the people. "Let us go, else they will tease us again," said Blue-Jay. His sister replied: "You did not believe me and they teased us." Then Blue-Jay went home. He arrived at home. His sister said: "Now we have gone visiting enough."


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