The Sea Serpent
_
Once again we are pleased to
offer another folk tale or legend
of the Eskimo people as handed
down from generation to genera
tion in the family. Many of these
interesting legends are dying out
and being lost and Mrs. Lela
Oman is endeavoring to pre
serve these legends by putting
them into writing.
BY LELA OMAN
There were many descriptions
about the sea monster that kept
visiting Kingikty (Wales). As the
inhabitants ran for the hills to
hide from it, they had glimpses
of it, and their descriptions varied
when compared. The nearest that
they could arrive to was that the
monster must be tirree-chick (cat
erpillar).
Some said that it was like a
sea serpent with green tires the
whole length of its body, each
tire having a pair of legs. When
it came to legs there were argu
ments. .Some said that it had
enormous legs that were next to
the head and another pair next
to its tail. Anyway, no one had
ever seen it completely out of the
water and were never sure as to
what it really looked like.
Enormous antennae that pro
truded from its head and like
twin snakes could embrace the
whole village and drag it to the '
wa.er! Those it did not eat, it
workl le. v. to d own. The only
survivor- w -.'a the one- tha. had
enough time to run to the hills. !
There would be a frightening
roar from the sea. The surface!
became choppy although there !
was no strong wind. Far apart, j
the snake-like feelers would ap- ,
pe-ar. As it came, the two poised
for attack, the water would boil ;
and slimy, horrible clammy arms !
' drag out its helpless prey. Then
leave and never appear again for
many generations.
When the inhabitants of Wales
prepare for a hunting trip they j
always scanned the sea from the
top of the mountain. When the sea
is calm the ripples on the water i
were watched to see if the sea
animals would come up for air.
The behavior of the whales, seals,
and bearded seals studied. If they
seemed to be frightened, the in
habitants were warned and they
. ran for the hills. So many times
there were false alarms. But they •
always said, “Better to be mis
taken than to find oneself in the
embrace of the repulsive crea- j
ture.”
One lovely day, the sun was
warm, and the sea swelled mono- j
tonously. Everything seemed or- ;
dinary when the dreaded roar
from the sea filled the air. The
surface of the water became chop
, py and in fright the people were
running for the hills. Among them
there was a self-respecting Ahn
gott-kook (medicine man). In the
flurry and turmoil of departure
his senses did not completely
abandon him. He took possession
of the precious time to unpack his
drum that he uses when he is
medicine making. As he rushed
out of his igloo he studied the
situation. There was the unmis
takable roar from the sea. When
he expectantly looked around for
the antennae, there was no sign
of them. There was screaming.
The old people that could not run
fell to the knees and begged for
the ground to cover them. Their
appeal not granted, they hobbled
on. The children were crying
while being dragged or carried
away by the parents. Those that
were fleetest of foot were far
back beyond the reach of the an
tennae.
Ahngott-kook sang and beat on
his drum while running, not away
from the water but following the
shore toward the south. He fol
lowed the elevation toward the
mountain. His drum boomed loud
and frightening, almost matching
the din from the sea. He contin
uously scanned the sea, expecting
the antennae to appear, but no
sign of them yet. His right hand
swinging to beat the drum, he
looked like one possessed. When
he reached the foot of the moun
tain that is very high and having
a cliff that is a sheer drop to
the sea, on the west side, he did
not stop there. He kept on sing
ing and beating on his drum as
he climbed the steep mountain.
He did not try to hide himself
but picked the path that was
•most exposed. When he gained
the top he faced the sea, and
succumbed to a frenzy that only
experienced and well - practiced
medicine men can achieve.
From the height of the moun
tain he looked down into the bot,
ton of the sea. There, down in the
deep, he saw large lidless eyes,
enormous, like twin orange suns!
Far apart, they seemed to be
focussed on him. Horrified, the
medicine man stood trembling.
The monster’s antennae were
being lifted for the attack!
“Hold on, hold on,’’ the man
commanded. They slowly rose
from the water, green, snake-like
and terrible. The man closed his
eyes and put all he know into
his actions. There at the top of
the mountain he danced and made
a racket with his drums. After
what seemed an endless and
strenuous display, he dared to
look down again. There, with
slimy appendages suspended in
the air, the monster was still
watching him.
The man talked to the monster
now: “Please have mercy on us.
Vv'e would never harm you if
you were at our mercy. Please
leave now. What we own we
gained through hard work and it
is very dear to us.’’ Hethenbeaton
his drum and sang softly while
he stared down into the monster’s
eyes.
The sea animal withdrew its
antennae and seemed relaxed.
The lidless eyes were bright no
longer. The water rippled and
it backed out into the deep.
Ahngott-kook kept watch for
many days on top of the mountain
and the grateful people kept him
furnished with food and water.
When they were sure that they
were out of danger they put up
a feast and a dance in his honor.
The sea monster was never seen
| again.
Accuemee
(The End)
Home Arts Club See Films
The Home Arts Club met with
Mrs. Reeves Havens with Mrs.
| Dan Fritz as assisting hostess.
The members continued their
| work on the Alaska Mental
| Health Bill by obtaining more
| names of legislators from several
states to whom they will write,
j Program of the evening was a
: film from the Cancer Society en
j titled “Self Examination of the
| Breast” also an Allis Chalmers
’ film entitled “Alaska Holiday”
which features Nome and show
ing Fred Rohn and fiis dogs as
well as other interesting items.
383 Fired Under Security
Provisions Not Necessarily
Communists, Says Young
WASHINGTON, (^ — Philip
Young, chairman of the Civil Ser
vice Commission, said Tuesday
the 383 persons separated from
the government under disloyalty
provisions of President Eisenhow
er’s security program are not nec
essarily “Communists or subver
sives.”
Young told a Senate committee
the figure of 383 “is merely indi
cative that in 383 cases, there was
information of a definitely sub
versive nature in the files.”
Sen. Monroney (D-Okla) asked
Young whether this information
was sufficient cause for separa
ting these employes from govern
ment service.
“I don’t know,” Young replied.
He said the heads of the agencies
involved probably would be able
to answer the question.
Young appeared before the Civil
Service .Committee in response to
Democratic demands for a probe
of the disputed question of secur
ity risks in the government. He
supplied a new breakdown with
some more data than was con
tained in the one he sent to the
House Monday.
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