Tradition of the Lê'LEgêd, a clan of the ?wâlas Kwâ'g*ûl.
(Dictated by Yâ'gôLas, 1900)
The people lived at Xukwê'k*în. They staid at the salmon-weir. Then they went up river to see whether salmon were jumping. Then one jumped. Wî'wag*êsawê? started and went up the river to look at his salmon-weir. The fish went right into his salmon-weir. It was a sockeye. Then he went on up the river to look for jumping salmon. Then he saw two jumping. He walked up the river to look at his salmon-weir. Then two were in his trap. He took them and roasted them. Day came again. He went on up the river to look for jumping salmon. Then
three were jumping. He went up the river and looked at his salmon-weir, and three were in it. He took them and roasted them. And day came again. He went up the river. Then he discovered a pretty woman on the trail. He went right up to her. "I will have you for wife," he said. "Yes, I will have you for husband," said the woman. Then Wî'wag*êsawê? sat down on the ground and put his arms around the neck of the woman. He waited to cohabit with her. Then they cohabited.
Then Wî'wag*êsawê? arose. "Come, and let us go home."--"Go on," said the woman. Then Wî'wag*êsawê? started and turned his head back, and there was a big frog sitting on four coppers; and he went home and sat down in the house. Then his stomach was sick. Night came, and he had a swollen belly. His belly sounded. Frogs whistled in the belly of Wî'wag*êsawê?. Then he was brought to Land-Slide, the frogs being in his belly. He continued to groan on account of the sickness of his belly. Then (a whale) was heard blowing, and the noise arrived the beach. A man who had a cape on went up from the beach. "What is the matter with you!"--"Has it not unfortunately gone wrong with me? I tried in vain to get supernatural power. Behold! it was she who is named Copper-Noise-Woman. I tried to get her for my supernatural treasure." Then the man said, on his part, "Put me on your body. Do you recognize me?" said the man. "I am Property-Noise. I am Whale." A whale was the man. He had only come and struck the beach and landed. Then he treated Wî'wag*êsawê? with medicine, and squeezed out the belly of Wî'wag*êsawê?. There were a great many frogs. Then he did away with them all. "Now you are alive," he was told by the Whale. "Have you no x*ûlê?" said the Whale. "What is called x*ûlê?" said, on his part, Wî'wag*êsawê?. "This, that belongs to the
salmon."--"Oh! this is salmon-roe," said, on his part, to the Whale. "Now I am going," said the Whale. "Now your name shall be Property-Body. Now your name shall be Reef. These shall be your names. Go to the place where you came from."
Then Wî'wag*êsawê? went up the river to his place, K*!â'lk*!ämEndzês. There was no salmon. Then he went up the river, walking along the rocks. Then he discovered people at the salmon-weir. He shouted to them, "What are you doing at my river?"--"Is that your river?" said the men. "Is it yours?" said Wî'wag*êsawê?. "It is ours," said the men. "But what is the name of your river?"--"You are foolish that you want me to say this, that I should give the names of my salmon-weirs. Isn't this G*îp!ä'? Isn't that Dâ'yuxwîwê?? Is not that on the other Tsê'sk*as? These are my salmon-weirs. To what tribe do you belong--you funny fellows?"--"Are we not Ravens?"--"Oh, wonder! really the river is yours. Now I will go up to my traps." Then he followed the Ravens to his river at Xukwê'k*in.
Then he went down the river, and built a house at the lower side. He made a house site and dug up the ground, and he made an embankment of soil; and the house site of the Ravens was called K*!î'msê?las.