Chinook Indian Talk

Re: Any stories or legendsof the Chinook People?

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Date: 2/7/2003
Time: 4:14:00 AM
Remote Name: 137.53.105.80

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How Beaver brought Fire from the lodge of the Southwest Wind Brothers

In the first age the Elip Tillicum [First People] living upon the earth had no fire. They led cold and hungry lives. At night they could see fires burning in the lodges of the sky people. Blue Jay told the people they must bring down the sky. For five days he told them this. Finally the chief of those people relented. The people began to chant and dance. The sky began to tip until one edge of it touched the mountains. Those people took strong cords and secured the sky to the tops of the mountains and then they journeyed up into the land of the sky people. Skate [a fish resembling a flounder] went with them. Blue Jay told Skate that he must stay behind for he was too broad and would surely be struck by the arrows of the Sky People. Skate challenged Blue Jay to a battle. Each took an arrow and shot at the other. Blue Jay shot his arrow first, but Skate turned sideways and Blue Jay's arrow missed. Skate then shot at Blue Jay and struck him in the foot. They traveled on to the lodge of the five Southwest Wind brothers. Mouse, Robin, and Beaver were sent to steal the fire. Mouse went in and chewed through all the bowstrings and all the straps of the leather cloaks [armor]. Robin, upon seeing the warm fire, hid himself nearby and began warming himself. Beaver attempted to enter by crossing the water in front of the lodge but he was discovered and he was hit upon the head with a war club and taken inside. The sky people began to singe Beaver’s hair upon the fire. Only the hair of his tail was singed away. He awoke and ran from the lodge taking the fire with him. The sky people saw the people of the earth and they ran to string their bows but their bowstrings were cut. They went to put on their heavy leather cloaks but the straps were cut. Eagle fought with the oldest Southwest Wind brother. Owl fought with the second oldest. Golden Eagle fought with the third oldest. Turkey Buzzard fought with the fourth oldest. And Chicken Hawk fought with the youngest. All but the youngest of the brothers were killed. The sky people then chased the people of the earth. They ran to where the sky was tied to the mountains. Blue Jay was frightened so he cut the cords holding the sky, although some of the people of the earth had not yet descended. Woodpecker, Fisher, Skate, Elk, and Deer were all left behind in the sky world and they became constellations in the night sky. Beaver took the fire and hid it in the roots of trees. Nowadays, Blue Jay hops about, for his foot still hurts him where he was struck by Skate's arrow. Beaver still has no hair upon his tail. Robin's breast is red because he warmed himself too long by the fire.

James Swan recorded the following myth in the 1850's.

"Ages ago, an old man named Toolux (or the South Wind), while traveling to the north, met an old woman, named Quoots-hooi, who was an ogress and a giantess. He asked her for food, when she gave him a net, telling him that she had nothing to eat, and he must go and try to catch some fish. He accordingly dragged the net, and succeeded in catching a grampus, or, as the Indians called it, "a little whale." This he was about to cut with his knife, when the old woman cried out to him to take a sharp shell, and not to cut the fish crossways, but split it down the back. He, without giving heed to what she said, cut the fish across the side, and was about to take off a piece of blubber, but the fish immediately changed into an immense bird, that when flying completely obscured the sun, and the noise made by its wings shook the earth. This bird, which they called Hahness, then flew away to the north, and lit on the top of the Saddleback Mountain, near the Columbia River. Toolux and the old woman then journeyed north is search of Hahness, and one day, while Quoots-hooi was engaged in picking berries on the side of the mountain, she found the nest of the thunder-bird, full of eggs, which she commenced breaking and eating, and from these mankind were produced. The thunder-bird came back, and, finding its nest destroyed, returned to Toolux for redress; but neither of them ever after could find the ogress, although they regularly returned to the north every year."

This following myth, which was told in 1812 by Comcomly's son to Gabriel Franchere, seems to continue where Swan's story leaves off. Perhaps being born prematurely, or perhaps through mischief or misfortune, humans found themselves in a deplorable state.

"Men were created by a divinity whom they call Etalapass, but they were imperfectly made. They had mouths that were not slit to open; eyes that were closed; hands and feet that could not move. They were more like fleshly statues than true men. A second divinity, whom they call Ecannum, less powerful but more benign than the first, seeing men in their imperfect state, took a sharp stone and opened both mouths and eyes and gave motion to their hands and feet. This compassionate divinity was not content with these first benefits. He taught men how to make canoes, paddles, nets, and all the tools which they use. He did even more. He threw rocks into the river to obstruct the fish and make them gather together so that men could catch as many as they needed."

Last changed: February 07, 2003