XII. -  TALES OF THE  MARITIME  KORYAK  OF  THE EAST  COAST  OF  PENSHINA  BAY.

Villages of Pallan and   Vayampolka.
115.  Big-Raven and Wolf.*

         Big-Raven (Quikinn'a'qu) said, "Let me go and take a walk along the seashore." He went along a sandy spit, and said, "I will try to walk without gs." One of his legs dropped to the ground. "Nay, I will walk without any legs." Then the other leg also dropped off. "Now I want to walk with- out arms." One of his arms dropped off. "I will walk with no arms at all." Then the other arm also dropped off. " Now," he said, " I will walk without my kidneys." His kidneys fell down. " Now I will be without lungs;" and it happened accordingly. " Now my liver shall drop down ;" and his liver dropped, then his heart, and his spleen. Now he was without any of his vital organs.

         Wolf, who walked behind him, swallowed everything;  and Big-Raven was now inside of Wolf's belly. He said to him, "Carry me to my house." — "Where is your house?" — "Close to yours." Wolf started to run; but Big- Raven pulled at his heart, and, on reaching the houses, Wolf fell down dead. Big-Raven called Miti'. "Come out! I have killed a wolf." She came out with a butcher's knife, ripped open the wolf's belly, and Big-Raven came out. Then they dried its skin. Wolf's people heard the noise, and came to see what was going on. "It seems that you have killed our man," they said. Big-Raven did not reply, but just said,   "Come in!"    They entered.

         "Make a good fire," he cried to his women. They made a fire with damp wood. The house filled with smoke. He cried to his daughters, "Why don't you open the smoke-hole?" They went out, and cried from the outside, "We cannot open the smoke-hole properly." Then he said to his other house- mates, "Why do you not go and look after the smoke-hole?" They all went out, and shouted that they did not know how to open it.    Then he said,   "I will  go out myself."   He went outside, stopped the smoke-hole completely, and killed all of his guests;  but one Wolf escaped. After the Wolf people were dead, many foxes came to Big-Raven, gnawed holes through the inside of his house, and poked their tails through them. He caught the tails and tied them together.     Thus he killed the foxes.     Thus  he vanquished them.

Told in the village of Pallan. 

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116.   Eme'mqut and  White-Whale-Woman.*

         It was at the time when Big-Raven (Ouikinn-a'qu) lived. A small spider (ku'thukut) was his sister, and her name was Ami'llu. Picvu'cin ¹  wished to marry her. At that time Big-Raven became very ill, and was unable to leave his bed.  "Picvu'cin," he said, "you are my brother-in-law-to-be. Do something for me, go in search of my illness." Picvu'cin beat his drum, found the illness, and said to Big-Raven, "Take your team to-morrow and go to the seashore." In the morning Big-Raven started with his team of dogs. After a while he was able to sit erect upon the sledge; then he tried to stand up; and soon he was able to run along, and direct his dogs. At the mouth of the river he saw a water-hole, and in that hole he found a White-Whale woman, Miti' by name, whom he took for his wife. He carried her home. In clue time she gave birth to Eme'mqut, who soon grew to be a man, and also took a White-Whale woman for his wife. Then Eme'mqut went for a walk, and found there Withered-Grass-Woman (I'rir-ve'ay-ñe'wut 2), whom he also took for his wife. After that he brought home Fire-Woman (Yintâ'ro-ña'wut 2), and then   Kincesa'ti-ña'wut.

         These four women lived together without quarrelling, until finally Eme'm- qut found Dawn-Woman (Tñe-ñe'wut). She began to quarrel with all the others. The White-Whale woman said, "I am his first wife. I am the oldest woman. I will go away." Big-Raven's people sat up for several nights watch- ing, to prevent her leaving the house. At last Big-Raven's lids dropped, and he said,   "I  want to sleep."

         Then she ran away. She reached a lake, and there her heart was swal- lowed by a seal. She transformed herself into a man, and married a woman of the Fly-Agaric people. Eme'mqut went in search of her. While on his way, he found a brook from which he wanted to take a drink of water. He smelled smoke coming up from beneath. He looked down, and saw a house on the bottom. His aunt Ami'llu, and her servant Kihi'llu,  were sitting side by side in the house. While he was drinking from the brook, his tears fell into the water, and dropped right through into his aunt's house, moistening the people below.

         "Oh!" they said, "it is raining." They looked upward, and saw the man drinking. "Oh!" they said, "there is a guest." Then Kihi'llu said, "Shut your eyes, and come down." He closed his eyes, and immediately found a ladder by which he could descend. "Give him food," said Ami'llu. The servant   picked   up   a tiny  minnow  from the  floor,  in  the corner,  all split and

1  The hunting-deity (see p.  118).

2  The   ending   -ñe'wut   or   -ña'wut   means   "woman."     It   is the dialectis form, corresponding to -ñe'ut or
-na'ut of other localities (see p.  21,  Footnote  3).

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dried She brought also the shell of a nut of the stone pine and a minnow's bladder not larger than a finger-nail. Out of the latter she poured some oil into the nutshell, and put it before Eme'mqut with the dried fish. "Shut your eyes and fall to."   He thought, "This is not enough for a meal;" but he obeyed, and with the first movement dipped his hand into the fish-oil, arm and all, up to the elbow. He opened his eyes, and a big dried king-salmon lay before him, by the side of the oil-bowl. He ate of the fish, seasoning it with oil. Then his aunt said, "Thy wife is on the lake, and her heart has been swal- lowed by a seal. She has turned into a man and wants to marry a woman of the Fly-Agaric people." He went to the lake and killed the seal. Then he took out his wife's heart, and entered the house of the Fly-Agaric people. An old woman lived in the house. He put the heart on the table, and hid himself in the house. His wife, who had assumed the form of a man, lived in that house;  and in a short time she came in from the woods, and said, "I am hungry." — "There is a seal's heart on the table," said the old woman. "Have it for your meal." She ate the heart, and immediately she remembered her husband. He came out of his hiding-place. They went home, and lived there.    That's all. Told in the village of Palla'n.

117.  How Big-Raven created Rivers.*

         Big-Raven (Kutqinn^-a'qu ') walked along the seashore, and found a Crab (A'vvi) who was sleeping on the shore. "Crab, get up!" — "No, I shall sleep until the water comes and takes me back to my house!" — "Get up! I am hungry." Meanwhile the water rose. "Now, mount on my back," said Crab. "I will take you to my place, and give you some dried meat of the white-whale, seasoned with blubber." He took Big-Raven to his village, and said to his fellows, "Bring some white-whale-meat! Let us feed our guest!" At the same time he added under his breath, "But give him nothing to drink. Conceal the river, and empty all the vessels and water-buckets," They had supper and went to sleep. About midnight Big-Raven awoke. "Oh!" said he, "I am very thirsty;" but nobody answered. "Halloo! I am thirsty!" but still all kept their peace. Big-Raven jumped up, and hurried to the water-buckets; but there was no water in them. He ran to the river, and found only dry stones. "Oh!" said he, "how very thirsty I am!" Then he  came back, lay down on his bed, and sang, "My elder daughter, Yiñe'a- ne'ut, is drinking her fill, and I am without a drop of water. I am afraid I am going to die.     If some  one would give  me a drink, I would give him my

1 The local pronunciation  of the name  of Big-Raven  (see  p.   17,  Footnote  1).

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daughter." But Crab whispered, "Keep your peace; do not answer until he offers his other daughter."

After a while Big-Raven sang again, "Oh! I am indeed very thirsty! If anybody gives me to drink, I will give him my daughter An-a'rukca-ña'ut." — "Now," said Crab, "give him to drink." They gave him water, and with one draught he emptied the bucket. "This is not enough," said he. "I shall go to the river." He went to the river, and drank it dry. "Now," said he, "carry me back to my village."

They took him to his house; and he said to his daughters, "Do not be angry with me, O my daughters! I have promised to give away both of you." Eme'mqut married one; and White-Whale-Man (Sisi'san 1), the other. Big- Raven vomited the water, and created rivers out of it.    That's all.

Told in the village of Voyampolka.

1 Eme'mqut and White-Whale-Man are Crab's children. They have the same names as the son and
brother-in-law of Big-Raven (see  p. 21, Footnote 6).