Sacred Texts Native American Northwest Index Previous Next
Txä'msEm visits a chief who owns fresh water. He pretends that the chief soiled his bed, and by threatening to tell on him he gets permission to take a drink of water. He takes all the water and flies away. The water runs out of his blanket and forms rivers. He meets the ghosts and turns back, therefore the waters of Nass river turn back. He makes a gull vomit olachen, then he rubs its spawn over his canoe and goes to a chief who owns the olachen. He pretends to have caught many olachen, showing the spawn in his canoe. The chief is annoyed and releases the olachen from his house. Txä'msEm catches olachen and roasts them. Gulls steal them. He throws the gulls into a fire and the tips of their wings become black. He assumes the shape
of a deer, ties pitchwood to his tail, and steals fire. He strikes the butts of the trees with his burning tail, and therefore the wood burns. Txä'msEm then marries a salmon woman and thus obtains salmon. She makes his hair grow long. He scolds her, and all the salmon and his long hair disappear.