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Toad's breathing-hole (or nostril). Raven said, "Now I have killed one of you. All of you have now lost your power of killing people.”

(30) RAVEN AND Rabbit-ManN.1 — KExtsā'za2 was a rabbit or hare man who appeared in the form of a small, tame-looking rabbit. By pretending that he could be caught or that he could not run much, he lured people off to the ice of a lake (or river). When the people got to the middle of the ice, he caused a fierce cold wind to come and blow the snow off the surface of the ice, which then became so smooth, that the people could not walk, and fell down and froze to death.

A number of boys went hunting rabbits in the winter-time, and saw a small, feeble-looking rabbit, which they chased. The rabbit kept just a little ahead of them, and led them to a large sheet of ice. A strong, cold wind began to blow, and made the surface so smooth that they could not return, and all froze to death.

The people told Raven of the death of the boys, and that Rabbit had killed them. Raven said, "I will go and see him. I can easily beat him." The people said that they did not think he could beat him. Raven went and met Rabbit. He asked him, "Can you swim?" and Rabbit answered, "Yes." Raven said, "I don't believe it. I can swim, but you cannot." Rabbit asked Raven if he could walk on ice; and Raven answered, "Yes." Rabbit then said, "Let us go on the ice!" Raven said, "Oh, no! not yet. You said you could swim. We shall try swimming first, that I may believe you, and then you will see me walk on the ice." Raven made a narrow strip of water for Rabbit to swim in. Rabbit was afraid to swim, and made ready to jump it. Raven saw what he was going to do, and, just as he jumped, made the water very much wider. Rabbit jumped, and fell into the water. He could not swim much, and soon was tired. He was about to drown, when Raven said, "Hold up your feet, and I will help you." Rabbit held up his feet, and Raven pulled off his sharp claws; for rabbits formerly had sharp claws or spurs on their feet, enabling them to run easily on the smoothest ice. Raven now put pads on Rabbit's feet, like the soft pads rabbits now have, and said, "Henceforth you will be able to run on ice just a little, and you will have no power of killing people."

(31) RAVEN AND CROW.3-Crow was a gossip and a tell-tale. He always told people what Raven said, thus forewarning them and foiling Raven. The latter determined to punish him. He disguised himself, got a large canoe, and sat in the middle of it like a big chief. 1 See Kaska (JAFL 30: 467).

KExtsa za or kaxtsa'Eza, the mythological name of Rabbit-Man. The word has some connection with the Tahltan word for "rabbit."

This story is said to be told by the Tlingit, and probably came from them to the Tahltan. J. A. TEIT. See RBAE 31: 678.

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He was dressed finely, and had many small birds with him, who acted as servants and paddlers. They came to Crow's house, and asked for the chief. Crow said that he was the chief there, and invited Raven in. He asked the latter what phratry he belonged to; and he answered, "Kātce'de." Raven then asked Crow the same question; and he answered, "I am Kātce'de also." Raven then said, "Well, then you will feed me well and keep me over night." Soon Raven pulled out his tongue to a great length, and, putting a louse on the end of it, swallowed the louse, saying, "That is very sweet." Crow thought this was a strange act, but that he would try to do the same. He put out his tongue, but could not get it very far out. It seemed much shorter than Raven's. Raven said, "Brother, I will help you.' He took hold of Crow's tongue and pulled it out of his head. He told him, "Now, talk!" Crow talked; but it was in a very small way, and no one could understand what he said. Raven said, "Now you are only a crow, but I am a raven. You cannot tell on me any more." This is why crows now talk feebly and caw, whereas ravens talk loudly and croak.

(32) RAVEN AND HIS BLANKET.2- Raven met two men who were wearing robes of red-willow bark. He thought the robes looked very pretty, and he wondered how he could fool the men so as to obtain their blankets. "Oh!" he said, "I will steal them from them when they are asleep." Now, with Raven and the ancients, one night was the same as one winter, and one day the same as a summer. He went at night to steal the robes of the Red-Willow men, but found they were awake, and that their robes could not be stolen. They were fast to their flesh, in the same way as bark is to trees in the wintertime. They slept in the daytime, which was the same as summer, when the bark of trees is loose. He peeled off their robes carefully while they were sleeping, and ran away with them.

He came to a lake, where he threw away his own robe. North-Wind took it down the lake out of sight. He put on the red-willow bark robes; but they were brittle and broke up, and wore out in less than a day. The bark of the red willow was very thick in those days; but, probably because Raven wore the blankets out, the bark is now thin. Now Raven was sorry he had thrown away his own robe. He called to South-Wind to blow, knowing he would blow back the robe; but there was no answer. Then he dressed himself in pretty clothes, and put fine feathers in his hair. He danced and sang, and asked South-Wind to come to a feast and see him dance. Soon he saw a black cloud advancing, and he knew that the wind was coming. He

1 This is the name of the Raven phratry of the Tahltan.

* See RBAE 31: 722 (Nass, Tsimshian); perhaps also Shuswap (JE 2: 634. 742; Boas, Sagen 6) and Thompson (JE 8: 211, 306, 307; MAFLS 11: 8).

It seems, these men were red-willow trees.

saw that the wind was bringing the robe. He caught it and hid it. The main body of the wind was a little behind. When it arrived, Raven said, "I am too lame to dance, my leg is sore."

He made a sweat-house, and asked South-Wind to sweat with him. He said, "I have no covering for the sweat-house. Have you no blankets?"1 Wind answered, "Yes, we brought a blanket with us. We will give it to you to use." South-Wind searched for the robe, but could not find it. Wind refused to sweat with Raven, saying it was too hot. Raven pretended to be angry, and called the wind "bad people." Wind answered, “You asked us to a feast and dance, and now there is nothing." Raven said, "I am sick, and that is why I ask you to sweat with me, but you refuse. You South-Wind people are used to heat." South-Wind said, "Yes, we South-Wind people come from a warm country; but we ourselves are cool, and do not like to make ourselves hot. We cannot sweat." Raven said, "You promised me a covering for my sweat-houses, and now you have told me a lie." South-Wind said, "Perhaps the robe has gone back to our house." Raven told him, "Well, you had better go back and find it."

When the South-Wind people had departed, Raven danced and called North-Wind to blow strong. North-Wind came, blowing a gale, and blew the South-Wind people far away. This is why, when a south wind comes up, it blows only a short time before a north wind springs up and blows it back. The North-Wind people are stronger than the South-Wind people. Had Raven not acted as he did, but entertained the South-Wind people, and had he not asked NorthWind to blow them away, then in this country we should now have mild winds nearly all the time, instead of the cold winds we generally have.

(33) RAVEN LOSES HIS NOSE.2- The people had lines set in the sea, but they could catch no fish. Their bait and even their hooks and lines disappeared. One night some of them watched by sitting in their canoes and holding the lines in their hands. One of them felt something, jerked his line quickly, and caught Raven in the nose, for it was he who had been eating the bait. The people pulled the line up into the canoe so quickly, that Raven did not have time to disengage his nose; and, as he did not want the people to get him, he pulled back and broke off his nose. The people found they had caught some one's nose, but they did not know to whom it belonged. They took it to their village and gave it to one of their chiefs, who was a wise and wealthy man. Every one went to his house to see it, but none recognized it.

1 Compare p. 230; also Thompson (MAFLS 11:9); also RBAE 31: 732 and MAFLS

II: 21.

This story is said to be told by the Tlingit, and probably came from them. See RBAE 31: 684 (Haida, Loucheux, Nass, Tlingit, Tsimshian).

Raven put on a lump of pitch for a nose, shaped and colored it, and then, pulling his hat down over his face, went to the village. He entered the first house. The people said, "You are a stranger;' and he answered, "Yes, I have come from a different place." They asked from what country and why he had come. He answered, "Oh! I have come from a distant country because I heard something.' They asked him what he had heard. He said, "I heard you caught something." They answered, "Yes." He said, "I hear it is a very strange thing. I want to see it. I have come a long way to see this curious thing." They directed him to the next house. Thus he went through all the houses, asking and being answered in the same way. At last he entered the chief's house. There were many people there. The chief showed him the nose, and asked him if he could recognize it. He held it in his hand, and examined it very thoroughly and slowly, at the same time making remarks expressive of his wonder at the curious object. At a moment when the people's attention was diverted, he flew up with it through the smoke-hole, and, sitting down on the high branches of a tree, he put it on. This is why the raven's nose now has a mark as if it had been broken off.

(34) RAVEN AND THE GHOSTS.1- Once, when Raven was travelling, he came to a house, and, looking in, saw no inmates. He noticed a fish-spear with a single-pointed harpoon-head of bone. He camped near by, and noticed the fish-spear lying in the same place near the entrance of the house every morning. It seemed as if it had been used during the night. Several times he went and looked at the spear.

He tried to make one like it; but, each time he attempted to do so, he forgot how it was made. At last he thought, "I shall go there at dusk and steal it, and then I can copy it." He went into the house, which was not lighted in any way, but he could see a little. He saw no signs of fire, and no people. He seized the spear-head, and immediately a stick struck him on the leg. He thought it must have fallen on him accidentally from above. He went away with the spear-head, and received a hard tap on the leg. He persisted, and moved farther away. This time he received such a blow on the leg, that he fell down with his leg broken. Then a voice asked, "Why do you steal our spear-head?" Raven answered, "I wanted to copy it. I notice that you are fishing; and I cannot fish, for I have no spearhead." He added, "Where are you?" He felt about, but did not feel anything. The ghosts were talking to him, and he was in a house of ghosts.

The voice said, "I will help you." The ghost then took half the lower rib from one side of his body, and gave it to Raven, telling him,

1 See RBAE 31: 702 (Bellacoola, Chinook, Haida, Nass, Tlingit, Tsimshian; also Shuswap, Takelma, Thompson).

"As soon as you sharpen it, it will change into a spear-head; but you must use it only at night. In the daytime it cannot spear fish." Raven went off lame, carrying the bone. This spear-head obtained from the ghosts was shown by Raven to the people, who copied it; and from this model were spear-heads made like those used by the Indians now. This is why ravens have crooked legs and walk lame now. Had Big-Raven not been made lame by the ghost, ravens would not be lame now. This is also the reason why people and game have a small rib on their sides, underneath the others. This is the rib broken off by the ghost, and given to Raven to make the spear-head. This is also the reason why ghosts sometimes strike people and things at night, and also why ghosts are invisible. Had Raven seen them, they would be visible to us now.

(35) RAVEN AND PORCUPINE MAKE THE SEASONS.1- Once Porcupine and Beaver quarrelled about the seasons. Porcupine wanted five winter months. He held up one hand and showed his five fingers. He said, "Let the winter months be the same in number as the fingers on my hand." Beaver said, "No," and held up his tail, which had many cracks or scratches on it. He said, "Let the winter months be the same in number as the scratches on my tail." Now they quarrelled and argued. Porcupine got angry and bit off his thumb. Then, holding up his hand with the four fingers, he said emphatically, "There must be only four winter months." Beaver became a little afraid, and gave in. For this reason porcupines have four claws on each foot now.

Since Porcupine won, the winter remained four months in length, until later Raven changed it a little. Raven considered what Porcupine and Beaver had said about the winters, and decided that Porcupine had done right. He said, "Porcupine was right. If the winters were made too long, people could not live. Henceforth the winters will be about this length, but they will be variable. I will tell you

of the gaxEwi'sa 2 month, when people will meet together and talk. At that time of the year people will ask questions (or propound riddles), and others will answer. If the riddle is answered correctly, then the person who propounded it must answer, 'ti'xta' ('fool-hen')." Raven chose this word because the fool-hen has a shorter beak than any other game-bird. "If people guess riddles correctly at this time of year, then the winter will be short, and the spring come early."

1 See RBAE 31: 728 (Assiniboin, Fox, Haida, Hare, Ojibwa, Shoshoni, Tlingit, Tsimshian). See also p. 246.

2 Name of a month in the Tahltan calendar corresponding to about December. The name is said to mean "rabbits eat on the top," with reference to the top of the snow, as snow always covers the ground to a considerable depth in this month.

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