The Chemawa American, May 01, 1913, Page 21, Image 21

THE
CHEMAWA
AMERICAN
ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT
U N D E R S U P E R V I S I O N O F M ISS M . V . G A IT H E R , Principal
I N D I A N L E G E N D —T IIE CROW A N D IIIS S E R V A N T S
J'* upon a tim e the crow set o u t on a long jo u rn ev to
go up to the source of the N ass river, traveling up one
side of the channel and down on the other side, and a
num ber of th in g s occurred on his jo u rn ey . Ju st as
he was going along he saw a k in g salm on close to the
shore and said to th e salm on, You c a n ’t ju m p into
th at hole in th e rock w hich is full of w a te r.” H e
laughed and teased th e salm on, until finally it made the ju m p and w ent
into the hole; the crow danced w ith joy, for he knew the salm on could
not get out again. So he killed the salm on.
H e took the fish a little fu rth e r up on a sandy beach and began to
g ath er wood and called together his servants— the sq u irrel, the robin
and the bluejay— to get some sk u n k cabbage leaves to bake the salm on
in. H e directed the servants to a w rong place; m eanw hile he was busy
g ath erin g wood and dig g in g a place in w hich to bake th e fish. T h e ser­
vants retu rn ed saying they could not find any sk u n k cabbage leaves. H e
sent them still farth er, but d u rin g th e ir absence he got th e leaves h im ­
self and baked th e fish. H e began to eat the fish near a big stu m p on
the beach; he said to the stu m p , “ Say, p artn er, how would you like to
have some of th is delicious fish?” H e kept on teasing the stum p until
th e stu m p com m enced to move tow ard th e fish and at last rolled on top
of the salm on and the crow did not know w hat to do.
T he servants now retu rn ed from th eir second trip and he told them
th a t the stn m p had rolled upon the salm on; all th e servants w ent under
th e stum p and ate a h earty meal; this m ade the crow very an g ry and
w hen the squirrel came o u t he stru ck him on the head and ever since
then the squirrel bears a tear m ark; when th e bluejay appeared he
pulled his h air and since th en he has had a bunch of feathers sticking
up on the top of his head; and when the robin came o u t he p u t th e robin
close to the fire and scorched his breast; since th en th e robin has had a
red breast. Paul K ininnook, Senior; T h lin g e t T ribe, A laska.