Raven Steals Daylight
From First Lover
North American Indian
——;c
(This legend was first told to
the writer by his grandfather
and is included in the story oi
Nokimi, the miracle man, when
he visited the Northwestern In
dians and taught them the prin
ciples of love.
The Clallams claim, that man
and woman created light from
the first love born between man
and woman.
It is here retold by Lena Cul
te, giving the Quillayute’s ver
sion of the Raven when he play
ed with Daylight.)
There was a time in the far on
past, when Indians were just
changing from the animal to
man, and things did not happen
as they happen now.
In that long time ago there
was nothing but darkness, but it
was rumored that one man had
the power to light, but he was
mean and selfish and so kept the
light to himself.
New there lived in this strange
mystical past the Raven. He de
cided one day to get the light*
from the man who owned it by
trickery, so he went to the man’s
dwelling place and hid himself
by a spring where they drew
their water. Then when the leav
en saw the man’s wife coming
for water, he plunged into the
spring and quickly turned him
self into a tiny fir-seed and the
man’s wife swallowed him when
she drank the water.
Then one day there was born
to the man’s wife an odd little
baby and it was the Raven. The
baby grew very rapidly and it
cried continually for the box
that contained the light, which
the man kept hanging on the
roof of Slis dwelling place, The
man however would not let the
baby have the box.
Finally one day the mother in
order to quiet the baby, who was
now able to walk and run, gave
him the box to play with. Im
mediately the baby stopped cry
ing and began rolling the box
over the ground. Then when the
man and his wife were not look
ing, he rolled it out of the man’s
place of dwelling, then im
mediately turned himself into a
Raven and flew away with the
light.
Soon he came to a place where
Indian women were picking
strange night-berries. The Rav
en was hungry and he asked the
women for some of the berries.
The night-pickers refused. The
.Raven said: “If you give m3
some berries, I will give you a
little daylight.”
The strange night-p:ekers did
rot believe so they asked to be
shown. The Raven opened the
box a little and immediately a
soft twilight pierced the gloom.
Ail the Indian women who were
picking night-berries, then came
running to the Raven and offer
ed him all that they had gather
ed. Then the Raven broke open
the box and there was light.
Finally the people became
died of the continual light and
t cy appealed to the Raven.
Now the Raven had become a
great being, so he said to the
light, “Half of the time you are
to be night and half of the
time day.” And it became so.—
North American Indian.
Editors note.—We will print
the Alaskan Thlinget version in
a later issue.
ALASKA NATIVE
SISTERHOOD
President Mrs. A. McGilton
Meets Every Monday
Petersburg - - Alaska
FAIR ENOUGH
When a certain officer of the
Governor’s staff died, there were
some applicants for the post, and.
some were indecently impatient.
While the dead colonel was
awaiting burial, one aspirant
buttonholed the Governor, ask
ing:
“Would you object to my tak
ing the place of the colonel’’?
“Not at all,” the Governor re
plied tartly. “See the undertak
er.”
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