Tradition of the Koskimo.
(Recorded by George Hunt.)
The ancestors of the Koskimo lived at Cut-Beach, and they had for their chief Leader, and Leader had for his wife Sitting-in-Canoe, the princess of Going-Straight-on, the chief of the ancestors of the North people. Leader was always happy while he was hollowing out canoes. He was making a canoe, and he had not finished working on it when he went home. In vain his wife tried to feed him. He said that he was not hungry. He just lay down on his face. In the morning, when daylight came, he remained in the house in the same way. Then Sitting-in-Canoe tried to give him some breakfast, but he only said that he was not hungry. For four days he staid thus in the house. Then the tribe began to talk about what he was doing in the house.
Therefore his tribe called every one to go into his house. They tried to discover why their chief was sitting in the house in this way, but Leader never noticed those who had him for their chief. Therefore those who had him for their chief guessed that he did not feel right. Then one among the wise men spoke, and said, "O chief!
Immediately Leader answered him, and said, "O tribe! that is what I wished for, that you should talk about, for I wish that you go and woo the princesses of the chiefs on both sides of this our tribe, that we may add to our crests." Thus he said. Immediately many of the Koskimo who are now dead got ready. They lifted their canoes from the beach, and burned the bottoms; and as soon as the bottoms of the canoes were burned, they launched them. Then they went towards Wind Island. There Leader wooed Copper-Box-Woman, the princess of Property, chief of the Tribe-staying-in-the-Right-Place. As soon as they arrived at Wind Island, the wise men sang the wooing-songs; and after they had done so, they paddled, and stopped in front of the village. There they sang some more songs, and then Leader married Copper-Box-Woman. Then he obtained a (new) name, and also masks. Then they started again. They came to the south side of Crossing-Point, and arrived at Red-Sand-Beach. That was the village of the ancestors of the Ocean people, and their chief was Getting-Rich; and Leader said that he did not wish to go ashore at that place. The sand on the beach of the village of Getting-Rich called Leader ashore to go and woo the princess of Getting-Rich; but Leader did not wish to go ashore at Red-Sand-Beach. Leader went past, and went Immediately Leader picked out some of the best men among his tribe, although they were chiefs of the ancestors of the Koskimo, to lift Warrior-Woman from the floor of the house. Then she had the name Rising-Woman. As soon as the chiefs of the Koskimo had gone to lift her, Rising-Woman was carried out of the house of her father, sitting on a board. She was taken aboard the canoe of
303:1 See F. Boas, Social Organization and Secret Societies of the Kwakiutl Indians. Annual Report of the U. S. National Museum for 18951 p. 361.
