Indian Legends of Vancouver Island (Carmichael, Alfred)
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Indian Legends of Vancouver Island
Alfred Carmichael
Table of Contents
Indian Legends of Vancouver Island................................................................................................................1
Alfred Carmichael....................................................................................................................................1
BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................2
A PEN PICTURE OF BARKLEY SOUND............................................................................................2
THE SUMMER HOME OF THE SESHAHTS......................................................................................4
THE LEGEND OF THE THUNDER BIRDS.........................................................................................4
NAMES OCCURRING IN “THE LEGEND OF THE THUNDER BIRDS”.........................................4
THE LEGEND OF THE THUNDER BIRDS.........................................................................................4
HOW SHEWISH BECAME A GREAT WHALE HUNTER.................................................................5
NAMES OCCURRING IN THE LEGEND OF SHEWISH...................................................................5
HOW SHEWISH BECAME A GREAT WHALE HUNTER.................................................................5
THE FINDING OF THE TSOMASS......................................................................................................6
NAMES AND WORDS OCCURRING IN THE LEGEND “THE FINDING OF THE TSOMASS”...6
THE FINDING OF THE TSOMASS......................................................................................................8
THE LEGEND OF EUT−LE−TEN.......................................................................................................11
EXPLANATION OF “THE LEGEND OF EUT−LE−TEN”................................................................11
THE LEGEND OF EUT−LE−TEN....................................................................................................................12
THE WITCH E−ISH−SO−OOLTH......................................................................................................12
THE BIRTH OF EUT−LE−TEN...........................................................................................................12
THE QUEST..........................................................................................................................................13
THE OGRE............................................................................................................................................14
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OGRE................................................................................................14
THE RELEASE OF THE CHILDREN.................................................................................................16
FURTHER ADVENTURES OF EUT−LE−TEN..................................................................................16
THE ARROW CHAIN TO HEAVEN..................................................................................................16
THE TWO BLIND SQUAWS...............................................................................................................17
THE FOUR TERRORS GUARDING THE HOUSE OF NAS−NAS−SHUP......................................17
THE TRIAL BY FIRE...........................................................................................................................18
ASTRONOMY ACCORDING TO EUT−LE−TEN.............................................................................18
Indian Legends of Vancouver Island
i
Indian Legends of Vancouver Island
Alfred Carmichael
This page copyright © 2003 Blackmask Online.
http://www.blackmask.com
BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION• A PEN PICTURE OF BARKLEY SOUND• THE SUMMER HOME OF THE SESHAHTS• THE LEGEND OF THE THUNDER BIRDS• NAMES OCCURRING IN “THE LEGEND OF THE THUNDER BIRDS”• THE LEGEND OF THE THUNDER BIRDS• HOW SHEWISH BECAME A GREAT WHALE HUNTER• NAMES OCCURRING IN THE LEGEND OF SHEWISH• HOW SHEWISH BECAME A GREAT WHALE HUNTER• THE FINDING OF THE TSOMASS• NAMES AND WORDS OCCURRING IN THE LEGEND “THE FINDING OF THE TSOMASS”• THE FINDING OF THE TSOMASS• THE LEGEND OF EUT−LE−TEN• EXPLANATION OF “THE LEGEND OF EUT−LE−TEN”• THE LEGEND OF EUT−LE−TEN•
THE WITCH E−ISH−SO−OOLTH• THE BIRTH OF EUT−LE−TEN• THE QUEST• THE OGRE• THE DESTRUCTION OF THE OGRE• THE RELEASE OF THE CHILDREN• FURTHER ADVENTURES OF EUT−LE−TEN• THE ARROW CHAIN TO HEAVEN• THE TWO BLIND SQUAWS• THE FOUR TERRORS GUARDING THE HOUSE OF NAS−NAS−SHUP• THE TRIAL BY FIRE• ASTRONOMY ACCORDING TO EUT−LE−TEN•
Produced by Andrew Sly and the online Distributed Proofing team.
[Illustration: THE LONE INDIAN]
INDIAN LEGENDS OF VANCOUVER ISLAND
TEXT BY ALFRED CARMICHAEL
ILLUSTRATED BY J. SEMEYN
Indian Legends of Vancouver Island 1
BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION
The unsophisticated aboriginal of British Columbia is almost a memory of the past. He leaves no permanent
monument, no ruins of former greatness. His original habitation has long given place to the frame house of
sawn timber, and with the exception of the carvings in black slate made by the Hydah Indians of the Queen
Charlotte Islands, and the stone hammers, spear and arrow points, fashioned in the days before the coming of
the white man, the mementos of his sojourn in British Columbia are only relics in wood, bark or reeds.
In the Alberni District of Vancouver Island there are two tribes of Indians, the Seshaht and the Opitchesaht.
During the winter season the Seshahts live in a village which occupies a beautiful and commanding site on the
west bank of the Somass River.
Some thirty years ago when I first knew the Seshahts, they still celebrated the great Lokwana dance or wolf
ritual on the occasion of an important potlatch, and I remember well the din made by the blowing of horns, the
shaking of rattles, and the beating of sticks on the roof boards of Big Tom's great potlatch house, when the
Indians sighted the suppositional wolves on the river bank opposite the Village.
In those days we were permitted to attend the potlatches and witness the animal and other dances, among
which were the “Panther,” “Red Headed Woodpecker,” “Wild Swan” and the “Sawbill Duck.” Generally we
were welcome at the festivals, provided we did not laugh or show sign of any feeling save that of grave
interest. Among my Indian acquaintances of those days was Ka−coop−et, better known in the district as Mr.
Bill. Bill is a fine type of Seshaht, quite intelligent and with a fund of humour. Having made friends, he told
me in a mixture of broken English and Chinook some of the old folk lore of his tribe. Of these stories I have
selected for publication “How Shewish Became a Great Whale Hunter” and “The Finding of the Tsomass.”
This latter story as I present it, is a composite of three versions of the same tale, as received, by Gilbert
Malcolm Sproat about the year 1862; by myself from “Bill” in 1896, and by Charles A. Cox, Indian Agent,
resident at Alberni, from an old Indian called Ka−kay−un, in September 1921. Ka−kay−un credits his great
great grandfather with being the father of the two young Indians who with the slave See−na−ulth discovered
the valley now known as Alberni, while “Bill” gave the credit to the sons of “Wick−in−in−ish.”
The framework for “The Legend of Eut−le−ten,” was related to me by Rev. M. Swartout in the year 1897. Mr.
Swartout was a missionary to the West Coast Indian tribes. He spoke the language of the natives fluently, and
took great pains to get the story with as much accuracy as possible. A few years later, Mr. Swartout was
drowned during a heavy storm while crossing in an open boat from the islands in Barkley Sound to Uclulet.
In the making of the stories into English, I have worked in what knowledge I have of the customs and habits
of the West Coast Indians of Vancouver Island. In a few instances, due to a lack of refinement of thought in
the original stories, I have taken some license in their transcription. The legends indicate the poetry that lies
hidden in the folk lore of the British Columbia Coast Indian tribes. For place names and other valuable
information I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. Cox. The illustrations are original and are the work of Mr. J.
Semeyn of Victoria.
ALFRED CARMICHAEL,
Victoria, B.C.
A PEN PICTURE OF BARKLEY SOUND
THE ANCIENT HOME OF THE SESHAHTS
To the lone Indian, who slowly paddles his canoe upon the waters of this western sound, each tree of different
Indian Legends of Vancouver Island
BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION 2
kind by shade of green and shape of crown is known; the Toh−a−mupt or Sitca spruce with scaley bark and
prickly spine; the feathery foliage of the Quilth−kla−mupt, the western hemlock, relieved in spring by the
light green of tender shoots. The frond−like branches and aromatic scent betray to him the much−prized
Hohm−ess, the giant cedar tree, from which he carves his staunch canoe. These form the woods which sweep
from rocky shore to topmost hill.
Small bays with sandy beaches white with broken clam shells mark the shore, and if across the beach a stream
of crystal water rippled to the sea, one Indian lodge or more was sure to be erected on the rising land behind;
for Indians always choose to build their homes on sheltered sandy bays where pure fresh water runs, and so in
years which are among those past and gone one could not fail to see the blue wood smoke of Indian fires
hanging like gauze above the little bays; but most are now deserted and corner posts of old time houses alone
are seen, and beds of stinging nettle cover ancient kitchen middens, and spirea and elderberry strive for space
where once red strips of salmon hung in the smoke of punk−wood fires, and stillness reigns where once the
Indians' mournful song was heard.
Between the bays are rugged rocky points, where, by the constant wash of winter waves the rocks are carved
in shapes uncouth and weird—giants in stone, whose heads are crowned with scrubby conifers, upon whose
feet the wild seas break, or in the summer time the gentle wavelets lap. On jutting rocks the black
Klap−poose, the shag, in silence sits, while circling overhead the keen eyed gulls watch for the shoals of fry
on which they feed.
[Illustration: ON JUTTING ROCKS THE BLACK KLAP−POOSE, THE SHAG IN SILENCE SITS]
Come now with me and I will guide you to some beauty spots, unknown, unguessed except to those who have
explored the sea creeks and sheltered passage ways abounding on that western coast. Perhaps between two
rugged rocks we may find an opening where it cuts its way deep into the land. In many parts, the
lichen−covered canyon walls approach so close together that our canoe can scarcely pass, and more than
likely we shall find the passage bridged by some old fallen tree, its ancient trunk enveloped in soft moss and
seedling forest trees. Reflected in the water's surface are flowering berry shrubs, which adorn the banks on
either side. We see the glossy−leaved shalal, the fruit of which the Indians gather to dry for winter use, and
clumps of maiden hair and other ferns rooted in old tree trunks and rocky crevices. Such is the picture of
many a salt sea creek found in the regions round fair Barkley Sound.
Perhaps our fancy leads among the islands of the sound. It may be that a storm has lately spent itself, and long
deep swells are rolling in from the wide ocean lying to the west. Our staunch canoe is lost in the deep green
waters of the heaving main. It climbs only to descend and climb once more, and thus we slowly cross the
Middle Channel and reach calm water.
Soon what at first appeared to be unbroken shore breaks up into many passage ways. By one of these we
enter, to find ourselves among a hundred isles. Each one is wooded to the water's edge, which often the trees
overspread with outstretched boughs. Entranced, we paddle on until we leave behind all trace of ocean swell,
and if the tide be low so that old sea−soaked snags are seen upon the shore, and boulders thick with barnacles
and varied coloured sea−weeds in shades of brown and red, and here and there great clusters of blue mussel
shells, these all, if the water be calm and undisturbed by wind, are mirrored on the surface of the stream,
forming pictures most rare and beautiful. Thus for hours with ever fresh delight we thread the calm
passage−ways between those isles. Beachlets of white sand and powdered shells are found where ocean swells
at times may reach. On these we stroll and gather abalone shells and empty sea eggs and other relics
up−thrown by winter storms. At evening we may reach a sheltered nook where years ago Indians built a little
shelter in which to sit and watch the sun descend into the western sea. Perhaps we may conjure up the Indian's
thought, who built that little shelter, and night on night in glorious summer time, squatted and watched the sun
go down.
Indian Legends of Vancouver Island
BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION 3
Such is the setting for the following tales. Amid such scenes as these, the Indians lived and died.
[Illustration: A WEST COAST INDIAN WEARING THE KUT−SACK]
THE SUMMER HOME OF THE SESHAHTS
There is an island larger than the rest, called Ho−moh−ah, where once the tribe of Seshahts made their
summer home. It lies well out to sea, and on the sheltered side the Seshahts lived. The chief of the tribe was
Shewish. His house was large, so large that when he called his people to a great potlatch, they all could find
within its walls an ample space to feast and dance. His house like all the old time dwellings was built on
simple lines, the three great roof−logs each of single trees, upheld by posts of ample girth. The sides and roof
of wide−split cedar boards were adzed to lie close, and fastened into place by twisted cedar rope. Within, on
either side was raised a wooden platform two feet high. This platform and a portion of the floor adjoining it in
sections was partitioned off by screens of cedar mats. Each section was the home of such as claimed close
kinship with the chief. The centre of the lodge for its whole length was common to all who lived therein. The
people cooked their food upon the common fire, the smoke of which curled up and found an exit through the
smoke hole in the roof. The section tenanted by the family of Shewish lay furthest from the door. No feature
except one marked it as different from the homes of lesser men. A pictographic painting—the Coat of Arms of
the great family of Shewish hung upon the wall. The picture told in graphic form how came the name of
Shewish to be famed among the hunters of the whale. It also told the legend of the THUNDER BIRDS.
[Illustration: HAND ADZE MADE AND USED BY INDIANS OF BARKLEY SOUND]
THE LEGEND OF THE THUNDER BIRDS
NAMES OCCURRING IN “THE LEGEND OF THE THUNDER BIRDS”
Kulakula is the [1]Chinook word for Bird.
Tee−tse−kin or Tootooch is the name given by the Barkley Sound Indians to the Thunder Bird, a mighty
supernatural bird in Indian mythology.
Howchulis, the land of the Howchucklesahts, is better known by the name Uchucklesit, a safe harbour on the
west side of the Alberni Canal at its junction with Barkley Sound. Uchucklesit is now the centre of an
important fishing industry.
Quawteaht, is a great personage in Indian mythology, a beneficent being, and considered by many to be the
progenitor of their race.
[1] CHINOOK, is a jargon or trade language still used on the coast of British Columbia both by the white men
in conversing with the Indians, also by the latter when talking to members of a tribe speaking a different
dialect. Chinook is a combination of English, French and Indian words.
THE LEGEND OF THE THUNDER BIRDS
The figure at the base of the pictographic painting represents the mammoth whale upon whose back the whole
creation rests. Above the whale are seen the head and wings of the giant Kulakula the Tee−tse−kin the
Thunder Bird which dwells aloft. When he flaps his wings or even moves a quill the thunder peals. When he
blinks his eyes the lightning strikes. Upon his back a lake of large dimensions lies, from which the water
pours in thunder storms. He is the lone survivor of four great Thunder Birds which dwelt upon the mountains
Indian Legends of Vancouver Island
THE SUMMER HOME OF THE SESHAHTS 4
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