 Tlingit Indians of Southeastern Alaska
How the Salmon Started Up The Rivers
English adaptation by Henry A. Davis, Kake,
from the Tlingit version. "The Salmon Box"
as told by Robert Zuboff, Angoon.
To the Tlingit Indians of Southeast Alaska, salmon was more
than just a major food item. It also played an important part in their beliefs,
customs, artwork, and legends. Tlingit clans and house groups felt they had
special ownership rights to the fish that came to their particular stream. And
while they had no way of knowing that the salmon came back to the exact place
where they were spawned, they marveled at this regular return. Here is one of
their legends about how the salmon runs began:
After the earth's creation, Raven stole water from his best friend
on the Hazy Islands. As he flew away with a mouthful of water, his friend gave
chase. Wherever Raven dropped a big drop of water, it became a big river, or
a large lake. The smaller drops became smaller lakes, creeks and streams. But
alas, there were no salmon in the inlets, rivers, or creeks.
The salmon and other fishes were kept in a house in the middle
of the Pacific Ocean. These salmon were able to spawn right in the ocean, so
they never came into the bays and inlets. Only the rich chiefs were able to
go our to the ocean in their big canoes to get some of the salmon for food.
The poorer people were not able to go out, so they just watched the rich eating
the fine salmon.
Raven soon heard of this and he gave a lot of thought to just how he could
get the salmon and other fish to the bays and inlets. Then he heard, of another
being, Xanaxgatwaayaa, who possessed an octopus tentacle staff with supernatural
powers. Raven thought, "With such powers in a staff, I could latch it to
the salmon's house and I pull it shoreward."
By means of trickery, Raven got Xanaxgatwaayaa to trade his staff for Raven's
bow and arrow. With the staff, Raven, and his nephew, Crow, made their way towards
the Alsek River near Yakutat. At the entrance of the river, he latched his staff
to the salmon house. Raven struggled with all his might, pulling and tugging,
without success.
Then Crow urged Raven to sing a song about Xanaxgatwaayaa, and when he started
to sing he easily pulled all of the salmon into the bays and inlets so they
could go up the rivers to spawn. To this day, the tracks of the Raven are at
the entrance of Alsek River where he struggled to pull in all the salmon.
(Look at a map of the northern portion of Southeast Alaska and find where the
Alsek River empties into Dry Bay. Can you make out Raven's tracks?)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MATERIALS LIST & GOALS
SECTION 1: Tlingit
Country
SECTION 2:
Clans
SECTION 3: Summer
Camp
SECTION 4: Tlingit
Economy: Surplus
SECTION 5: Wrap
Up
APPENDIX A: Brief
Description of Tlingit Culture
APPENDIX B: A Sample
Winter Clan House
APPENDIX C: Northwest
Coast Materials in ASD AVS Center
APPENDIX D: Juvenile
Literature on Northwest Coast Cultures
APPENDIX E: Art
Bibliography
APPENDIX F: Northwest
Coast Cultures Bibliography
APPENDIX G: Schools
Which Own Northwest Coast Study Prints
APPENDIX H: Raven
Stories (reprints)
APPENDIX I: Recorded
Versions of Clan Crest Stories
APPENDIX J: Some
Northwest Coast Art Activities
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