Sacred Texts Native American Northwest Index Previous Next
A chief's son, instead of catching salmon, feeds eagles and pulls out their feathers for his arrows. In winter, when provisions run short, the boy, his grandmother, and a slave are deserted. The boy's mother hides some fish in a clam shell. Every morning the eagles bring them food; first a trout, then bullheads, salmon, halibut, seals, porpoises, sealions, and whales. The boy puts on a gull skin and flies to look at his people, whom he finds starving. He drops a piece of seal meat into a canoe. The chief sends a man and several slaves to see if his son is dead. They find him alive and he feeds them, but forbids them to take food along. One slave hides some seal meat under his shirt. At home he gives the meat to his child. The child bolts it and is almost suffocated. The chief's wife pulls out the seal meat, and thus they learn that the prince has plenty of provisions. The people
move back, and one of the prince's uncles gives him his daughter in marriage. The prince sells provisions for elk skins and slaves, gives a potlatch, and becomes a chief.