Sacred Texts Native American Northwest Index Previous Next
A very long time ago there were two villages (one) on each side of the great Nass River. One village was on the east side, and one village was on the west side. Both were very wealthy, and in both were many people; and (in) both were very brave warriors, and they fought much against their fellow-tribe. That was where a wealthy chieftainess lived. Her name was
Gauô'. She had four sons and one daughter. The boys were very good hunters.One day they went to hunt marmots, for the marmot was very useful in those days. The four brothers staid away for two months, and only three had good luck with the animals. Only the eldest one was unlucky; and one day they went to where beavers were, and they reached the beaver-dam. Then they began to break the dam to dry [the water of] the lake. As soon as they began to break the dam, the great one broke down, and it fell on the eldest one, and he was dead. Then he lay under the broken dam.
Then the three who were left over were very sad. They searched in the mud and among the broken wood. While they were searching, the youngest one went down, going right down to the house to see what the wife of his brother who was dead was doing.
When the day went down, he went out of the woods
to the place behind the house. Then he staid in the woods, waiting for the night to come. When it was night and it was dark, he went slowly down to a place near the house. When he came to the rear of the house, he heard in his ear secret talking at the place where the wife of his brother lay, and they laughed and whispered. Then the young man knew that a person lay with his sister-in-law. He waited until they slept. When it was midnight, they slept. Then he entered very slowly. He went to his mother. Then he wakened his mother, and the man asked his mother, "Does not a man lie near the wife of my brother?" Then his mother replied, "I don't know."
Then the young man told his mother all that had happened. He said to his mother, "Don't cry! I shall kill the man who lies with my sister-in-law." Then the chieftainess cried very much. She cried aloud alg*a'lg*alg*al. Then her daughter-in-law asked her why she was crying and she said that she had dreamed that her son was dead. Then he stopped his mother.
He lighted a torch of pitch-wood and slowly went towards the place where his sister-in-law lay. Then he took a large knife in his right hand and the torch in his left. He came to the place where his sister-in-law lay. When he came near, he saw the arm of the woman as a pillow of the youth who lay with her. Then the young man put down the torch. He took the man by the forehead and cut off his neck with his knife. Then he went out with the head,--the head which was covered with abalone ear-ornaments and killer-whale teeth, very expensive ones. That man whose head he had cut off was the son of the master of the other village.
Then the woman took the body of the young man who
had been with her, and buried it under the place where she had lain. He had also wounded her hand which had been a pillow of the young man who had been with her.
The next day the hunters returned carrying what they had hunted. Then they told their people that their brother was dead under the beaver-dam; and the people cried because the man who had gone under the beaver-dam was dead.
Then the head with the abalone-shells was put up on the beam over the door of the house, but the chief missed his son. Then his heart was heavy because he did not know what had happened: therefore the father said that his tribe should be without fire, and that they should wail while darkness was on them (?).
Then all the people in the two towns obeyed. Only the people of one house, that of the brothers, were those who did not obey. Every morning they kindled a fire. Then the chief sent a slave across to get fire from the house of the brothers who had killed the prince who had come to the young woman.
Then the slave entered, carrying that with which he was to get fire. Then he placed the end of that with which he was to get fire in the great fire of the murderers. Then he looked about in the house, but he did not see anything; but when that with which he got fire was burning, the slave took that with which he got fire and went out. When he was about to open the door, blood suddenly dripped on his instep, therefore he looked down. Behold, there was blood on his instep: therefore he suddenly shoved that with which he took fire into the snow and extinguished it. Then he entered again. Then he lighted again that with which he got fire.
Then the murderer asked, "What is the matter"--"Nothing, chief. I really fell down on the ice. Therefore
that with which I carried fire has been extinguished." Then he took again that with which he carried fire, and he went out slowly. Then he looked up above the doorway, and he suddenly saw the head of his master. Then he ran across.
Then he threw away that with which he had taken fire, and he told his master about everything. Therefore the chief called together the great town, and they dressed in their war garments and (took) their weapons. Then they went across over the ice. Then they asked why they had done so to the young man, and the brothers said because he had done badly to their brother's wife.
Then the chief asked them if they wanted to fight. The brothers agreed. They called together their own town, and the warriors met. Then there was a great battle. It lasted a very long time, and after some time the murderers were defeated. The great town of the chief won. Then they burned the town.
Nothing was left except one chieftainess and her daughter, who had hidden in a cave. The name of the chieftainess was Gauô'. When everything in the town was burned up, then the chieftainess and her daughter went out from where she had hidden. Then she went inland among the trees, way in the interior. She walked about, crying and wailing on account of her people and the four youths who had perished in the war.
Then she cried going about, and said, "Who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" Then a little bird flew suddenly towards her. "I am the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'," said the little Wren. Then the chieftainess asked him, "What can you do, son-in-law?" Then the
[paragraph continues] Wren said, "When the hunter gets near an animal, I fly around." Then she said, "Let me see what you say!" Then the little Wren flew about; and the chieftainess said, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the little Wren went away slowly.
Then Gauô' said again what she had said before: "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" Then the Humming-Bird came. "What can you do, son-in-law?" Then the Humming-Bird said, "I pick the hair of people off their heads." Then Gauô' said, "Let me see!" Then the Humming-Bird went to Gauô' and picked off her hair. Then Gauô' said, "Finish what you are doing, son-in-law! Go!" Then the Humming-Bird went away slowly.
Then Gauô' shouted again, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" Then the Sparrow came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then Gauô' asked him, "What can you do, son-in-law?" Then the little Sparrow said, "When the dawn comes, I sing and waken the sleepers." Then Gauô' said, "let me see!" Then the little Sparrow sang. His voice was beautiful. Then Gauô' said, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the little Sparrow went away slowly.
Gauô' shouted again, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" Then the Robin came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then Gauô' said, "What can you do, son-in-law?" The Robin said, "When I just begin to sing, the people know that it is summer." Then Gauô' said to the Robin, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the little Robin went away slowly.
Then Gauô' shouted again, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'? Then the Mocking-Bird came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then Gauô' said, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" Then the Mocking-Bird said, "I sing when the weather is bad." Then Gauô' said, "Let me hear your song!" Then the Mocking-Bird sang; and Gauô' said to the Mocking-Bird, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the Mocking-Bird went away slowly.
She shouted again, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" and the Bluejay came. He said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'" and Gauô' asked him again, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" and the Bluejay said, "I foretell good luck to the people when they go picking berries."
Then Gauô' said to the Bluejay, "Let me see!" Then the Bluejay showed what he could accomplish. Then she said, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" and the Bluejay went away slowly.
And she continued to go about crying, and all the different kinds of birds came; last of all came the Eagle. He said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then Gauô' asked him, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" and the Eagle said, "I pick out the eyes of my enemies." And Gauô' said, "Let me see!" Then the Eagle stretched out his talons, caught an animal, and pulled out its eyes before Gauô'. Then she said to the Eagle, "Stop what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the Eagle went away slowly.
Now all the different kinds of birds had come; and first
[paragraph continues] Gauô' would ask them what they could do, and all answered in a similar way. Then she cried again, and said, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" Then the quadrupeds came. The Squirrel came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then Gauô' asked him, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" and the Squirrel said, "I go up a tree, and I scatter pine-nuts. Then the people are afraid when they see it." Then Gauô' said, "Let me see!" The little Squirrel ran up a tree and scattered about pine-nuts. Then Gauô' said to the little Squirrel, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the little Squirrel went away slowly.
Then she shouted again, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" Then the little Rabbit came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then Gauô' asked him, "What can you, on your part, do, Son-in-law?" and the little Rabbit said, "I just open my eyes, and the people are afraid." Then the chieftainess said, "Let me see!" Then the Rabbit opened his eves, standing on his hind-legs. Then Gauô' said to the Rabbit, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the little Rabbit went away slowly.
Then she cried again, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" The Porcupine came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then Gauô' asked him, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" and the Porcupine said, "I strike my enemy with my, tail, and his whole body is full of my quills, and he dies." Then Gauô' said, "Let me see!" Then the Porcupine struck about everywhere with his tail; and Gauô' said, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the Porcupine went away slowly.
Then Gauô' cried again, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" Then the Marmot came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then the chieftainess asked him, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" and the Marmot said, "I look into the sun when I wish to know what weather it will be the next winter." Then she said also to the Marmot, "Let me see what you are talking about!" Then the little Marmot jumped suddenly right up on a stone and looked into the [inside of the] sun. Then Gauô' said, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the Marmot went away slowly.
Then Gauô' cried again, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" Then the Land-Otter came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then she asked him, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" and the Otter said, "I dive with my enemy until he is drowned." Then the chieftainess said, "Let me see what you are talking about!" Then the Otter took a marten and dived with it in the water. It was not long before the marten was drowned. Then Gauô' said, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the Otter went away slowly.
Then she went about again crying, and said, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" Then the Beaver came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Thus said Beaver. Then the chieftainess asked him, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" and Beaver said, "I know how to cut trees with my teeth over my enemy." Then Gauô' said, "Let me see what you are talking about!" Then Beaver cut across trees with his teeth; and the chieftainess said, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then Beaver went away slowly.
Then Gauô' cried again, "Who is the one who will marry the daughter of Gauô'?" Then Wolf came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then Gauô' asked him, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" Wolf said, "I use my teeth to kill all my enemies." Then Gauô' said, "Let me see what you are talking about!" and Wolf bit everything. Then Gauô' said, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then Wolf went away slowly.
Then she continued to do so, and all kinds of animals came, who wanted to marry the daughter of Gauô'. Then she questioned them, and all answered in a similar way what they could do.
Then the great Grizzly Bear came, and said, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." And the chieftainess asked him, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" and the great Grizzly Bear answered, and said, "I do not spare my enemies with my great claws, and I eat them up, and I tear their heads and their bodies." Then Gauô' said, "Let me see what you are talking about." Then the great Grizzly Bear suddenly got angry, and pawed the ground, and tore up the roots in the ground. Then the chieftainess became afraid, and (Grizzly Bear) threw (the roots) upward. Then she did not make any noise; but after some time she said again, "Finish what you are talking about, son-in-law! Go!" Then the Great Grizzly Bear went away slowly.
Then nobody came and answered. All the birds and all the animals were finished. Then she shouted again, and again no answer came. Then she shouted again a third time, and again no answer came. Then she shouted again a fourth time. Then suddenly lightning flashed. She shouted again, "Who is the one who will marry the
daughter of Gauô'?" Again it suddenly flashed right across her face. She shouted a fifth time. Then lightning flashed just for a moment, and suddenly a young man stood near her. His garments were like tongues of fire.
Then he said to the chieftainess, "I am the one who will marry your daughter, Gauô'." Then she was very much afraid. But she asked the young man also, "What can you, on your part, do, son-in-law?" Then the young man said, "When I meet warriors on the battle-field, I go near, turn over my hand, and the earth turns over." Then Gauô' said, "Let me see!" Then he stretched out his hand and turned it over suddenly. Then the earth turned over, and all the trees turned upside down their roots. Then Gauô' said, "It is good if you marry my child." Then the young man married her.
He took first his mother-in-law and put her under one arm, and then he took also his wife and put her under his other arm. "When I fly up, don't look out!" (This young man had come down from the sky.) Then he flew up towards the sky, but the chieftainess suddenly looked out. Then the youth dropped down again to the ground.
Then he advised them strongly that they should not look out. She disobeyed a fourth time, therefore the young man became angry. Then he went up to the top of a tree, pulled out a branch, and that was where he put the woman in. Then the young man said, "Travellers shall always listen to you." 1
Then he flew up to the sky, and he arrived up above
at the place where he had come from. Then he remained married to the daughter of Gauô' in the house of his father. After they had been married some time, the young woman gave birth to children,--four boys and two girls. The name of the eldest boy was Gumxmalad (?), and the next one A'aiyâ'wuxk (?), and the next one was named Gumdasû'mada (?), and the next one again Ligi-yû'0n (?); and the name of the first girl was Hamhâ'm-Woman, and the youngest one was named G*ilaxwilô'gôn-Woman.
And their grandfather built four houses. For the eldest one he made the carving of the moon; for the next one, the carving of the stars; for the next one, the rainbow; and for the youngest one, the Lax-ôm in the form of a man.
Of the enemies of the town that had been destroyed, one of them who had done it always played outside. Almost every night he played outside in the moonlight.
One night they began to play again. Then a heavy fog lay over the whole town. Suddenly they heard a loud noise where the old village had been destroyed, like thunder from the sky. Four times they heard the noise. Four times it did so. Then suddenly one of the young men said, "Hurrah! There is just a noise in the village of the silly people, of the brave people without minds, in the old town." 1 Then the old people forbade the young people to say so, lest something strange might happen. Much fog always remained.
When it began to be morning, the people went out again and looked across to the old town. Behold! suddenly
they saw four houses standing there,--that of the eldest with the carving of the moon, the next one with the carving of the stars, the next one with the carving of the rainbow, and again the next one with the carving of the Lax-ôm like a man. These houses had come down during the night, when they had heard in the fog the great noise like thunder from the sky. The chief in the sky was the one who had made the houses of his grand-children. They had come down during the night to their former dwelling place to take revenge on those who had destroyed their grand-parents. And thus also (came) the two little girls who should cure them in the battle. And their grandfather had also given them a little box, which was called "ts!uwa'n;" and their grandfather had strongly advised them, "When you come to the meeting of the warriors and your heart gets discouraged, then open it again. Then the earth will suddenly turn over, and your enemies will be under it."
This was the beginning of the clan G*ispawutwa'da. They came from the sky, and the various clans,--the G*ispawutwa'da and the Eagles and the Ganha'da and the Wolves.
And the people of the town who had won the victory in olden times saw them, and wished to see them very much: therefore they went across on a visit. And the young men were very kind to those who had destroyed their grandfathers. So one day the people went across to the town to gamble with the four newly-arrived young men. Then they agreed. Therefore the young men who had just arrived went across to gamble.
When they started to gamble, the youngest one, Ligi-yû'0n, staked against the great chief. Then the youngest one took out his little club which his grandfather had
given to him when they had come down. Then the chief said to the boy, "You cannot even kill little birds with what you have;" and then he smiled and he made fun of him and laughed at him. Therefore the boy took his little club, because the chief had made him ashamed. "Suppose I should hit you, you would be dead!" and the chief said at once, "Go ahead!" Then the boy struck him over the head, and the brains of the great chief dropped out, and he was dead.
Then they fought again. The whole town fought together against the four youths; and the two women were the ones who at once cured their brothers; and when the four men lost courage, they took the little box and opened it, and suddenly the earth turned over, and their enemies were lost. Thus they gained the victory over the great town.
Then they went about among all the villages to make the clans in every village. If the people of a village refused, they made war again. Then they went from one village to another, and they tried again to make the clans among them. When they agreed, they went to them. Then they did not fight.
Then they went to the Tlingit everywhere and came back. Then they went southward along the coast to force all the villages of the Tsimshian to make the clans. Thus began the four clans: first the G*ispawutwa'da, then they are together like one company,--Bear, Killer-Whale, Moon, Star, Rainbow, and many others; and next there are the Eagles, and they are also like one company,--
[paragraph continues] Eagle, Beaver, Halibut, and also others. Raven and Frog and Sea-Lion and Starfish and others are the crests of the Ganha'da; Wolf and Crane and others are the crests of the Wolves.
These young men were expert warriors, and fought in all the villages, and they won victories almost everywhere. Therefore they consented together to form the clans, and therefore every clan has its own crests, and all the towns have their crests in the four companies, and they have the customs regarding their relationships. They must not marry among their own relatives, although their languages are different in different villages. And they made all the living beings that are in the water, and in the woods, and that fly, signs of the clans, as tattooing on the chest and on the hand, to be their own crests. The name is also a sign of the clan. Therefore the other tribes know that it is very shameful when they marry in their own clan. Then they finished giving clans to all the tribes.
Then they made a great potlatch. After it was finished, they had still another war. Again they vanquished their enemies. Then their grandfather in heaven became uneasy, and took them up again to himself after they had finished making the clans in all the villages on our side. Therefore the law of relationship is very sacred, because the chief in heaven has given it to us; and if we stop acting accordingly and if we break the law, we are afraid that the chief will be angry with mankind. Therefore the former people observed the law rigidly.
And there are also expert singers. They have their
own songs for victory in battle when they know the victors of all of those who met in battle; and they have certain songs for canoes, and songs for the potlatch, and songs of longing for friends; and they have mourning songs for the dead; and they have songs after the hunter has killed an animal, and lullabies for new-born children; and they have songs for gambling, and they have songs for dances, and they have songs for taking a name, and for ridiculing clan fellows; and they have songs for young people playing, and songs for trout-fishing and for everything. The songs have tunes only, and even long songs contain only two or three words.
And they have wooden drums like large boxes, and they beat the drum with the hand. One expert singer leads the song; and however the song-leader swings his rod, the singers follow. And only women are useful in songs; they do not use men much, only in the canoe and at the end of wars. In the house the women sing, and outside the men. Only when there is a great chief's dance, they make a platform in the rear of a large house. Then all the women of the town of the chief sit in rows on the platform, and move like crests of waves on the platform, and sing almost the whole length of the night, until all the mysteries of the chief are at an end.
And every clan has its own songs. Another clan does not use their songs. If they do so, they fight again, and there are battles again, with the foreign clan which uses their songs. If they do not fight, they scatter their wealth to get back their song.
And if one clan uses their crest, they fight, or then also they scatter their goods to get back their crest; and also when a foreign clan uses their name. Each clan has its names. A foreign clan cannot use the names of another family. My 2 child is not named from the names of my relatives. Its name is (that of) one of the relatives of its mother, and so are the other names.
And another thing: every person has three names until he grows up. That is their own custom. When a child is born, if it is a boy, it is named G*inâ's; if it is a girl, it is called Ga'0wus; and a relative of a man gives the child the name of a relative of its mother.
And when it grows up, it is named with another name; and when it is really full-grown, then it names itself with a great name. They make a potlatch in the house when they take the names; and first they give away cloth, and then the person takes his name.
This custom has come down from generation to generation since the world began, before the Deluge, and comes down until now.
There are nine tribes, and each has its master. When a people increases, a chief takes charge of it. These are the tribes: G*îspaxlâ'0ts, G*ît!andâ', G*inax'ang*î'0k, G*it-lâ'n, G*idzaxlâ'0l, G*it-dzî'0s, G*it-wulg*a'0ts, G*iludzâ'r, G*inadâ'îxs. These are the nine towns.
And there are only four clans, and they are all relatives. In the middle is the Tsimshian town Metlakahtla. There they live in winter; and when it is summer, they go to their hunting-grounds. In spring they go to Nass River.
And all the villages around the Tsimshian towns sometimes
meet,--G*it-xâ'la, G*it-q!â'0ta, G*it-ts!Elâ'sEr, Nîsqa'0, G*it-ksa'n. The G*idEsdzû are half Tsimshian, half Wik*!ê'na; and all these towns have nearly the same language and also these towns have these customs.
This is the end of the story of Gauô' and part of the customs of the Tsimshian.
211:1 This is the reason why the branches of trees creak.
213:1 This sentence is evidently wrong. The word doilgisl (Tate, doilthgishlth) and the end of the sentence are quite obscure, and the syntactic form does not seem to give good sense.
223:2 It will be remembered that this text was written by a man.