Tlingit Indians of Southeastern Alaska

1) the reading level is high
2) these are adult stories, not children's stories, and children might not understand some of the emotions involved.

Raven in the Whale: T'ak deintaan story (from pp. 91-92)

The Woodworm: A Gaanax.adee (or Gaanaxtedi) Story (from 151-2)

The Beaver of Killisnoo: A Deisheetaan Story (from p. 227)

One day Raven saw a whale far out at sea and sat down on the beach to study how he should bring it ashore. Then he got some pitchwood and rocks of the kind that was formerly used in making fire, flew out to the place where he thought the whale would come up, and went into its open mouth. He made a fire inside of the whale and cooked everthing there. Only he would not touch the heart. When the whale took in many fish he ate them. Finally he did cut the whale's heart out and killed it, after which it began drifting about from place to place. Then he sang: "Let the one who wants to be high-born like me cut the whale open and let me out, and he will be as high as I am." He also sang: "Let the whale go ashore. Let the whale go ashore on a long sandy beach.." Finally he heard waves breaking on a sandy beach, and he said again: "Let the one who wants to be high-born like me cut the whale open and let me out, and he will be as high as I am." Suddenly he heard the voices of children. These children heard his voice, went home and informed their parents. Then the people all came there and cut the whale open, and Raven flew off into the woods crying "Q!one', q!one', q!one'."

Raven stayed up in the woods a long time in order to get the grease and smell off of his feathers, and, when he came down again, he saw boxes and boxes of whale grease. Then he made believe he was surprised and asked the people where they got all of it. They said: "We found a whale that had come right in here where we could get it easily. So we are making oil out of it." Said he: "Did you hear anything inside when it first came ashore." "Yes! there was some strange sound in there, and something flew out calling itself q!one'." Then Raven answered. "Years ago just such a thing as this happened, and all of the people of that town that heard the noise died. It brings bad luck to hear such a noise in a whale. You people must leave this right away. Don't eat any of it. Leave it here." Then all of the people believed him and left their oil there. It became his.*

* The writer's informant added, "In our days when a person is making a living dishonestly by lying and stealing he is not told directly, but this story is brought up to him and everyone knows what it means."

Later on a chief's daughter at the place named Q!AqA'x-duu' obtained a wood worm (L!uq !u'x) as a pet and fed it on different kinds of oil. It grew very fast until it reached the length of a fathom. Then she composed a cradle song for it: "It has a face already. Sit right here. Sit right here (K!esi-ya'k! A'sgi. Tc!ay'k! A'nu)." She sang again, "It has a mouth already. Sit right here. Sit right here." They would hear her singing these words day after day, and she would come out from her room only to eat. Then her mother said to her? "Stay out here once in a while. Do not sit back there always." They wondered what was wrong with her that she always stayed inside, and at last her mother thought that she would spy upon her daughter. She looked inside, therefore, and saw something very large between the boxes. She thought it an awful monster, but left it alone, because her daughter was fond of it.

Meanwhile the people of the town had been missing oil from their boxes for some time, for this worm was stealing it. The mother kept saying to her daughter. "Why don't you have something else for a pet? That is a horrible thing to have for a pet." But her daughter only cried.

Now, the people got ready to kill this thing, and they tried in every way to induce the girl to come away from her house. Her mother told her that her uncle's wife wanted her help, but, although she was very fond of her, that was not sufficient to get her out. Next morning she said to the big worm, "Son, I have had a very bad dream." After they had-begged her to come out day after day she finally came. "Mother," she said, "get me my new marten robe." Then she tied a rope around her waist as a belt and came out singing a song she had been composing ever since they first began to beg her: "I have come out at last. You have begged me to come out. I have come out at last, you have begged me so hard, but it is just like begging me to die. My coming out from my pet is going to cause death." As she sang she cried, and the song made the people feel very badly. Then she heard a great uproar and said to her uncle's wife, "They are killing my son at last." "No," said her uncle's wife, "it is a dog fight." "No, they are killing him." They had quite a time killing the worm, and when she heard that it was dead she sang, "They got me away from you, my son. It isn't my fault. I had to leave you. They have killed you at last. They have killed you. But you will be heard of all over the world. Although I am blamed for bringing you up, you will be claimed by a great clan and be looked up to as something great." And to this day, when that clan is feasting, they start her four songs. This clan is the GanAxte'di. Then she went to her father and said; "Let that pet of mine be burned like the body of a human being. Let the whole town cut wood for it." So they did, and it burned just like coal oil.

Another of this woman's songs was, "You will be a story for the time coming. You will be told of." This is where the GanAxte'di come from. No one outside of them can use this worm. What causes so many wars is the fact that there are very many people having nothing who claim something. The GanAxte'di also own Black-skin. They represent him on poles with the sea-lions' intestines around his head.

The girl's father felt very badly that she should care for so ugly a creature, but to please her and make her feel better, he gave a feast along with tobacco and said. "If my daughter had had anything else for a pet, I would have taken good care of it, too, but I feared that it would injure the village later on, so I had to have it killed."

THE BEAVER OF KILLISNOO

Some people belonging to the De'citan family captured a small beaver, and, as it was cunning and very clean, they kept it as a pet. By and by, however, although it was well cared for, it took offense at something and began to compose songs. Afterward one of the beaver's masters went through the woods to a certain salmon creek and found two salmon-spear handles, beautifully worked, standing at the foot of a big tree. He carried these home, and, as soon as they were brought into the house, the beaver said, "That is my make." Then something was said that offended it again. Upon this the beaver began to sing just like a human being and surprised the people very much. While it was doing this it seized a spear and threw it straight through its master's chest, killing him instantly. Then it threw its tail down upon the ground and the earth on which that house stood dropped in. They found out afterward that the beaver had been digging out the earth under the camp so as to make a great hollow. It is from this story that the De'citan claim the beaver and have the beaver hat. They also have songs composed by the beaver.

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