Diane Young

Cikmiqs
Lydia
Robert

Cikmiqs are little animals you find in the garden. They can be different sizes, from the size of a penny to the size of a quarter. They look somewhat like beads (akllut), Some are colorful and others are white and round. They have an opening in them, too. That's how they were explained to me. I've seen Moms when she had a garden.

They move very fast. You have to be real fast to catch them and if you do, you have good luck. They are real fast, right through the garden!

The first time I ever heard about Cikmiqs was from Jeff Leer in 1973 or 1974, when he first stared up the Bilingual Port Graham. He was telling us about Cikmiqs and I thought he meant to shut your eyes real tight and I started laughing. He was talking about Cikmiqs!

My mom never told me so, but I saw them in the cupboard. We would look in the cupboard and ask, “Mom, What are they?” Should we say, leave them alone. Go on.” She kept them in the jar. Maybe that kills them off.

Cikmiqs love gardens. You see them along the aklluqs. Maybe they are I the garden because they like to eat off the potatoes, lettuce, or cabbage. That's where we found them.

I remember as a little girl, momma was fixing her garden. We had to help her and we found these aklluqs. We kept them and then we found three Cikmiqs. She kept them for good luck, like a rabbit's foot.

The are round, just like a rock with shell and living substance In the middle (which is called its “person “ (sug’a). It is soft in side. They are unusual creatures. Maybe there is some multiplying here an we don't even know it!

Some people probably say that's an old legend, you know. Maybe that's not true, but they talk about Cikmiqs.

I've seen a red one with black trimming. It was beautiful. The center is probably a creamy color. We could call it “running live pearl” in English.

Volume 2