Kwakiutl Tales: Ô'?meäl (Chief-of-the-Ancients)

(Recorded by George Hunt.)

Chief-of-the-Ancients lived at a pretty place named Dzê'gEm, at one end of Dancing-Place-Beach, with his younger brothers, all the myth people; that is, the birds and plants. Then Chief-of-the-Ancients called his younger brothers,--Canoe-Calking, Staying-in-Canoe, and Going-from-One-End-of-the-World-to-the-Other, and also Raccoon; and also his younger sisters,--Spoon-bringing-Woman, Winter-Dance-Woman, the Crow.

As soon as all the tribes were in his house, Chief-of-the-Ancients spoke, and said, "Oh, younger brothers! listen to what I am going to say to you. I wish that my younger brothers have a dance in the house one of these days. Now, you all shall paint yourselves, and you shall wear masks." Thus he said. As soon as Chief-of-the-Ancients had finished speaking, his younger brother Canoe-Calking also spoke, and said, "O brothers! let us begin at one end and call our tribes of this world that they come in and be painted by our elder brother, Chief-of-the-Ancients." Thus he said. Immediately those who had been seated went out. They all put on their belts, and they all took poles as canes, for indeed all the myth people in the village were winter dancers. As soon as those who were going to call all the myth people had gone out, Chief-of-the-Ancients also went out of his house, and went down to the beach, to the place where his Folding-Canoe was. Then he took a drift-log and put it down on the beach on one side of the bow of his Folding-Canoe. Then he took another drift-log and put it down

Chief-of-the-Ancients just sat down in his house, and

He came to this place here, Tê'guxstê. There he lived for a long time. He was just seen by G*â'malag*î?lak^u paddling to and fro in his self-paddling canoe. He was