91. The Shaman Who Went Into The Fire, and the Heron's Son

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91. THE SHAMAN WHO WENT INTO THE FIRE, AND THE HERON'S SON ^a

A little boy's friends were all gone. His uncle was a great hunter, and the little boy was always going around far up in the woods with bow and arrows. He was growing bigger. He also went out with his uncle. His uncle went about everywhere to kill things. He always brought plenty of game down from the mountains.

One time he again went hunting. At that time the inside of the house was full of the sides of mountain sheep, on racks. His uncle's wife bated her husband's little nephew very much. When she went outside for a moment, he broke off a little piece of fat from the sides of mountain sheep hanging on the rack, to put inside of his cheek. Although there was so much he broke off only so much. Then his uncle's wife looked all around. The end piece was not there. "Is it you that has done this?" she said to her husband's little nephew. He

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cried and said, "No." Then she put her hand inside of his cheek. "Why don't you go up on the mountain?" [she said.] She scratched the inside of his cheek. Blood ran out of his mouth. While crying he pulled his uncle's box toward him. He took his uncle's whetstone out of it. Meanwhile his uncle was far away.

Then he started off into the woods, carrying the whetstone, and came out to a creek. He came out on a sandy bank, pounded (or scooped) it out like a salmon, and made a nest beside the water. He stayed upon it overnight. His dream was like this. He was told, "Let it swim down into the water." It was his spirit that told him to do this.

When his uncle came down he missed him. He asked his wife, "Where is my nephew?" She answered. "He went up that way with his bow and arrows."

When [the boy] got up farther he made another nest. This man was named "For-little-slave." He made eight nests. Now his spirit helper began to come to him on the last. At that time he took his whetstone

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down into the creek, and it swam up in it. Then he lost his senses and went right up against the cliff. He stayed up there against the cliff. Everything came to bear him there-sea gulls, eagles, etc. When his spirits left him they would always be destroyed--the eagles, sea gulls, all of them.

Now, his uncle hunted for him. After he had been out for eight days he discovered the nest his nephew had made by the creek. He saw all the nests his nephew had camped in. His uncle looked into the creek. The salmon was swimming there, and be camped under the nest. Afterward he listened. In the morning he heard the beating made by shamans' sticks. He heard it just in the middle of the cliff. Then he came up underneath it. Before he thought that [his nephew] had seen him, his nephew spoke to him: "You came under me, the wrong way, uncle." The uncle pitied his nephew very much. "Come up by this corner," said his nephew. Ever afterward he was named, "For-little-slave." then his uncle asked him, "What caused you to do this?" He did not say that his uncle's wife had

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scratched the inside of his cheek. Instead be said to his Uncle: "Cave spirits told me to come here." This was a big cave, bigger than a house.

Then his spirits came to him while his uncle was with him. They went inside, and his uncle beat time for him. Then be told his uncle to remember this: "When the spirit Nixâ' runs into the fire with me, do not let me burn up. While I am getting small throw me into a basket." That was the way he did with him. It ran into the fire with him, and he threw him into the basket. Then he always came to life inside of the basket. He became a big man again.

That same evening he sent out his uncle to call, "This way those that can sing." Then the cliff could hardly be seen for the mountain sheep that came down to look into the cave. When they were seated there, he whirled about his bow and arrows and all the mountain sheep were destroyed. The inside of the cave was full of them. Now, he said to his uncle: "Take off the hides." He was singing for great

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[paragraph continues] Nixâ'. When the spirit came out of him he reminded his uncle, "When it runs into the fire with me, don't forget to take me out and put me into the basket."

After all of the sheeps' sides were covered up be sent him for his wife. He came up with his wife into the cave. Then he said to his uncle:. Take the half-basket in which we cook. "Mash up the inside fat for your wife." His spirits took out the woman's bottom part from her. For this reason the woman never got full eating the mountain-sheep fat. She could not taste the fat. He put her in this condition because she had scratched the inside of his cheek.

By and by be said to his uncle: "Make your mind courageous when Nixâ' comes in." In the evening he told his uncle to go out and call. The cliffs could hardly be seen. Grizzly bears came in front of the house to the door of the cave. They extended far up in lines. Then his uncle started the song for the spirit. They kept coming

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inside. Suddenly a grizzly bear came in. It was as if eagle down were tied around its ears. At that [the uncle's] wife became scared and broke in two. He did this to her because she had scratched on the inside of his cheek on account of the fat. His spirit also ran into the fire with him. While his uncle stood in fear of the grizzly bear, For-little-slave burned up in the fire.

At that the cave creaked, and every animal ran into its skin. The things they were drying did so. They did so because the shaman had burned up. So the shaman and his uncle also were finally burned up.

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Footnotes

267:a For another version of the first part of this story, see Emmons, The Chilkat Blanket, in Memoirs of American Museum of Natural History, III, 333-334.