Tradition of the ?nE'mgês.
(Dictated by ?nEmô'gwis, 1900.)
When Thunder-Bird came down, he sat on a rock on the beach of the house at Thunder-Bird-Place. What are you doing here?" was said to him. "I merely desired to come."--"It would be well if you became a man, that I may be your brother," was said to him. "What is it? I am a man," he said, and opened his Thunder-Bird
mask. "Welcome! Let us go to your house on the ground at this empty space." Then he built a house. Gradually they became more and more, and they came to be many. The name of his clan was The-First-Ones. There are now four clans. Then he went back to the place he had come from, and he just left his children when they were chiefs. He just told his children again at the last, "I shall only make a noise sometimes when [it happens wrongly to] one of you (dies); and there will also be that kind of noise when one of those dies who will take the place of those who are now born." Then those who took his place became men, and they were full-grown men. Thus Chief-Host came to be a chief. He was a chief after him (Kunô'sila). Then he who took his place just went about visiting northward to the Bella Bella. He went to get married. Then he obtained at once (the copper) Causing-Destitution; and he came to have the names of the Bella Bella, NEqa'mx*a and Qê'wilEmga; and he obtained the large copper at the same time. Then he sold his copper. He came and sold it to those living at Flat-Place. He came and offered it for sale to the Kwakiutl. Then the owner of the copper was killed. The man who owned the copper was named Wâ'xwid. Then he was killed on account of his copper.
He was poled after by the Kwakiutl, and was reached at XudzExLâ'laba?las. He took refuge there, carrying along his copper, Causing-Destitution. It was a fathom and a half in size. Then he pushed it into the ground, for he was unwilling that the Kwakiutl should obtain it. Therefore he just hid it in the ground. Then Wâ'xwid was speared. He was speared with a lance with a ---- point, and he was dead. He fell down, and his companions were struck dead. Then they were gone. The width of the chest of the dead chief Wâ'xwid was four
fathoms. His copper was highly prized. Its price was ten slaves and ten canoes and ten lynx blankets.
Then he was mourned by his tribe. They came and lived at Foundation. It came to be summer, and his tribe were catching salmon,--sockeye salmon. The orphans had no canoe, and they just walked wherever they went. They walked twice, going to the salmon-trap. They were of his family who took the place of the dead Wâ'xwid. Then his child received the name Wâ'xwid, and Wâ'xwid married the aunt of the orphans. From time to time Wâ'xwid lent his canoe to the orphans to use it. They felt grateful for it. The orphans were grateful to Wâ'xwid when they used his canoe. He would give deer for blankets to the orphans, and the orphans were made to go out hunting in a canoe by Wâ'xwid.
"Take care," the orphans were told by Wâ'xwid, "I was told sometimes by my dead father of the copper hidden in the ground at XudzExLâ'laba?las, this your place where you shall go to." Then they went. They just took hold at the end of the little harpoon-handles which they used in spearing at the salmon-weir. They just carried what they caught in their hands. Then the orphans went again, and they struck with the butt-ends of their harpoon-handles against the ground. What kind of noise should there be? It sounded like metal. "Come, slave," said the younger brother, "come, let us look at this, (and see) if it is the thing to which our stepfather refers.'
Then they dug, and behold, it was Causing-Destitution. A fathom and a half was the size of the copper. Then they stood it on its edge on the ground; and it stood up large, what they had found. Then they broke off cranberry-bushes to measure with them the size of the
copper. They just made a model of it. They did not take it, because they could not carry it. Then the orphans spoke strongly to each other. "Where shall it go?" said the older one. "Shall it not go to him, our uncle, Ô'xsEm?"--"What do you mean?" said the younger one. I do not wish it to go to him."--"How do you feel towards him?" said he on his part. "Let it go to Wâ'xwid," said the younger one. "He is the only one who from time to time lends us his little canoe. He is the only one who gives us (things) to wear on our backs, and our aunt is also the only one who gives us to eat." Thus said the younger one. "Our uncle is bad. Let us go towards the sea and home," said the older one.
Then they carried between them the model, and the orphans arrived at the house. Wâ'xwid was lying on his back. There were only two persons in the house, he and his wife. He suspected them already, because were very happy, and they looked pleasant, and they were laughing; while before their faces looked downcast whenever before that they came (home). Then the orphans went into the room. Their aunt tried to give them to eat, that they might eat after having been away; but they did not eat, for they were proud of their find. Then they called their aunt into the room. "Come," they said to her, "that we may talk to you about what your husband told us. We come from finding it. Evidently this is it," they said. "We are not willing that it should go to another one than your husband, on account of our feeling."--"Indeed, children," she said on her part, "indeed, that which I refer to is there."--"Let your husband come in."--"Come, slave," she said to her husband, "and listen to our masters."
Then he went in, and the younger brother jumped out and took his model. He came and brought the model
of the large measured copper. "This will go to you," was said to Wâ'xwid by the orphans. "I obtained by luck the copper of your dead father of which you spoke. This copper will be carried on the back in the house by this Means-of-trying-to-obtain-Copper-Woman. She is of the family of Taking-Care-of-Coppers." Taking-Care-of-Coppers was the name of the older brother.
Then Wâ'xwid sang his sacred song. He went on the roof of his house and sang his sacred song. The people asked each other the reason why he should sing his sacred song. It had been found. The orphans had found Causing-Destitution. Thus said the tribe. Then their uncle Ô'xsEm felt badly, because it did not go to him. Then canoes, lynx blankets, marmot blankets, blankets sewed together, sea-otters, and mink blankets were given to the orphans. Then the orphans became chiefs. The name of one of them was Taking-Care-of-Coppers. Their stepmother, who was their aunt, was called Means-of-trying-to-obtain-Copper.
Then he was given a canoe. He did not just walk; he travelled by canoe. Then he poled, going to his house at Flat-Place. Then Wâ'xwid and Ô'xsEm hit each other with (sharp) words, on account of the copper. Then they vied with each other for the chief's place; and Wâ'xwid climbed (a tree) on the opposite side from his house, and sat down on top of it. Then Wâ'xwid spoke from the top of the tree. "Who is our chief, Plants?", Thus he asked the trees. Then he was answered, "You are the chief." Thus was said to Wâ'xwid. "Not a chief, however, is the one in the next house." Thus was said to Wâ'xwid.
When Ô'xsEm was ashamed, because he was not a chief. Then Wâ'xwid invited (people) in, and he gave a potlatch, and he sold his copper Found. Causing-Destitution
was named "Found," and then the copper had two names. It was called Causing-Destitution because there was nothing that was not paid for it. It made the houses empty. Twenty canoes was its price; and twenty slaves was its price; and also ten coppers tied to the end was its price; and twenty lynx-skins, and twenty marmot-skins, and twenty sewed blankets, was its price; and twenty mink blankets was its price., and one hundred boards was its price, and forty wide planks was its price. and twenty boxes of dried berries added to it, and twenty boxes of clover, and also ten boxes of hemlock-bark, was its price; and forty boxes of grease was its price; and one hundred painted boxes was its price; and two hundred mats was its price; and dried salmon not to be counted was its price; and two hundred cedar blankets was its price, and two hundred dishes was its price. That was the amount of its price. And that was given away by Wâ'xwid to the tribes. Then Wâ'xwid was chief.
Those were the children who followed Kunô'sila. Then the child of Wâ'xwid had a son, and he also was a chief. Then, on account of the jealousy [brought down] against him, the ?nEmgês planned against him that he should die, because they were ashamed of his child; and so the ?nEmgês sat down (and deliberated) who should strike him first. Then his house was attacked by the ?nEmgês. He was killed, and he was dead. He was robbed of his goods, which were the reason of the deed; of his slaves, his canoes, his salmon-traps, his boxes, his box-covers,--of whatever he valued,--and of the woman's property, of bracelets, of copper bells and small coppers, and of dentalium bracelets. Then they got possession of his Copper.
It went to Ô'?maLEmê?, the chief, who now had the copper. It was obtained by killing. They obtained the
salmon-weir and the salmon-trap, and the place of tying up canoes, and the names. This was obtained by killing Chief-Host. A little child, however, a boy (his son), was alive. An old man tried to hide the copper,--the younger brother of the one who was killed and who had owned the copper. He pushed it under his blanket, down his back. Then the copper was searched for. It was not found. Then the old man was taken hold of. "Tell about the copper, else you will die," he was told. They were about to strike him. "I do not know about it," he said on his part. "Don't deny it," he was told, and he was threatened with a stone dagger, "else you will die." Thus he was told. "Go on, die," was said to him. Thus he was threatened. "You are a bother," he said. He broke his belt and threw down lengthwise the copper. "Take this," he said.
Then the ?nEmgês left and went home to their village. They had obtained the copper. The past chief lay there dead. Then the ?nEmgês mourned for their chief, and they felt regret for the loss of their chief. Then the dead chief was put away (buried). For two days he had been long dead on the rocks. Then the dead chief disappeared.
The child was not able to go about. He was just trying, to walk, and he was hidden after the killing. Then the child, the one who had been a little child, grew up. He built a house. He put up a pole on which Kunô'sila, the one who was his ancestor, was sitting. He held a whale by its tail in his talons. Then he gave a potlatch to the tribes, and he came to be a chief. Then he was treated as a chief by the ?nEmgês. Then they repented for what they had done, because they had killed his father. He gave property to all the tribes, and the tribes went home.