21. The Otter Who Married the Princess

In early times many different things happened to the people who lived on this coast, and there are many stories among them referring to the time since the Deluge, when they lived at the old town of Metlakahtla.

There was a great chief who lived in his own village with his own tribe, in the village Q!adū’ in Metlakahtla. He had a beautiful daughter, who refused to marry her cousin. She hated him, although her father was very anxious to let his nephew marry her, for his nephew was to succeed to his place when he should die, but she refused to do so.

In the fall all the young women went in their canoes up to a brook which ran at the north side of Skeena River, called Kiyaks River, to gather fern roots, which they were going to use in winter.[3]

Before evening they arrived at the camping-ground at the foot of a large spruce tree, which was full of leaves. All the young women went to gather firewood. The princess felt very chilly, for the sky was clear. Her aunt was with her at this time. They started a large fire, but the princess still felt chilly. They kept piling fuel on the fire; and when night came on and all the stars were in the clear sky, the princess still felt chilly.

The fire had almost gone out when a friend of the young prince came to the place where the women were camping. They asked him where he came from, and he replied, “I came up with my friend the prince.” Therefore the princess’s aunt said to her, “Don’t speak angrily to your cousin, for he wants to take you home tonight. Go with him!”

A little later the young prince came to the women’s camp. Te went toward the princess’s seat and sat down by her side. She still felt chilly, and the young man asked her, “Why do you feel so chilly?” She replied, “I am very cold.” The princess was glad to have her cousin come, although she had refused to marry him before. Then the young men went up to cut firewood, and the women heard them knocking down dried trees for firewood, which they carried to the women’s camp. They piled the dried wood on the fire, but still the young princess felt very chilly.

One of the friends of the princess said, “I am sorry that you feel so chilly, I will call for “rain.”” So he shouted for a heavy rain. He did so twice. He did so four times. Then clouds with points on both sides came out of the west. Rain began to fall, and there was a heavy rainstorm. The river of Kiyaks overflowed that night, and the water reached the camp.

They searched for another densely leaved spruce tree, and soon they found one above their old camp-site, better than the first. They moved there the same night.

The prince said, “I will go back home before daylight,” and asked the princess, “Will you go back with me, my dear cousin?” She did not say a word to him; but her aunt said, “My dear, go with your cousin, lest you get sick, for you still feel chilly.’ Then the girl said, “Yes, I will go home with him.”

After midnight the young man said to his companion, ‘Let us go back home now!” Then the young princess went aboard the canoe, and the friend of the young man made a bed for them in the canoe. “Now lie down there, lest you get wet!” They lay down, and he spread mats of cedar bark over them. They went down the river, and the prince’s friend paddled along.

Now the girl felt something moving on the mat. When they arrived on shore, the prince’s friend said, “We have arrived on the beach.” She arose, and, behold! they had reached a strange country. They went up to a house, and many people were in the large house. Before she went in, she looked back at the canoe. It had become a drift-log. She went in, and her mother-in-law spread a mat by the side of the fire. They sat down there. Then the chief said to his relatives, “Go and boil some fresh halibut!” Then the Mouse Woman came to her, and said, ‘Throw your ear-ornaments into the fire!” The princess did what the Mouse Woman asked. Then the Mouse Woman asked the princess, “Do you know these people?” She replied, “No.” Then the Mouse Woman said, “His is the Otter prince, who has married you because you refused to marry your cousin. Therefore his father has sent his son to take you. Now do not eat any of the food that they give you first, but the second kind of food that they offer you you may eat, for it is fit for you.” She did as the Mouse Woman had told her.

She staid there quite a long while! After a while the young woman was with child; and before the time had come to give birth to the child, the Mouse Woman came to her again, and said to her, “When you feel that you are about to give birth to the child, tell your mother-in-law!” and when the young woman felt that the time had come, she told her mother-in-law. Then her mother-in-law said, “Cast this woman out! Turn her out!” She put both her hands in front of her eyes, and the princess’s husband threw her out of the house.

The young woman crept to the foot of a tree on the island; and while she was sitting there, a little Otter was born. After a while the Mouse Woman came to her, and said, “I” shall bring you a fire.” She went and brought her a fire. Then the woman started a fire. She gathered bark that had fallen from a tree. After three days had passed she felt better. She took the little Otter and threw him into the water. Then the little Otter swam ashore and crept to his mother. She took him again and threw him into the water, and the little Otter swam ashore again. She took him once more and threw him into the water. Again he swam ashore. Then she took compassion on the little Otter. She took him back and wrapped him in part of her marten garment, and she cried bitterly.

She staid there a while; and when she felt better, she gathered firewood. When the little Otter had grown up, he came one day to his mother, and asked, “Shall I bring you something to eat?” The mother agreed, and so the following morning the Otter went out. He brought two little bullheads to her, She cried again, and said to her Otter child, “When you bring me things to eat, bring me some crabs.”

Early the following morning the little Otter went out again to get food, caught a large crab, and gave it to his mother. She cooked it on the fire and ate it. Every morning the little Otter went for his mother to get food, and brought all kinds of fish—halibut, devilfish, red cod, and other kinds.

One morning the Mouse Woman came to her and pointed out to her that way off on the other side of the island her father’s tribe was not far away from her. The Mouse Woman continued, ‘You must kill all these people who cast you out of the house. Close the three holes on the sides of the great otter den, and leave the main hole open; and after you have closed the three holes, take as many yellow-cedar leaves as you can find, bullrushes, and fragrant leaves, put them in front of the main entrance, and burn them, so that the smoke will enter the den. Then make two or three clubs, and as soon as you see the otters come out of the den, club them. I will help you.”

On the following day the young woman did as the Mouse Woman had told her. She took stones and logs and put them against the three holes on the sides of the den. On the following day she said to her Otter child, “My dear,] I wish you to go early in the morning to get food for me.” So very early in the morning the Otter went. Then she began her work, and set fire to the leaves, so that the smoke entered the den. Then her husband came out first, and the Mouse Woman said to her, “His is your husband.” She clubbed him. Then all the Otters came out of the den, and she clubbed them. But the Otter chief and his wife did not come out, and many died in the den. At last these two large Otters came out, and she clubbed both of them.

As soon as she had killed all of them, the little Otter came home, and asked her, “What is that smoke?” The mother told him that it was the smoke of her little fire. He replied, “No, it is not so. I have seen all the Otters killed on the beach.” Therefore the mother said, “Yes, I killed them all because they cast me out before I gave birth to you. Only one good old woman took pity on me and gave me a fire. Therefore I am still alive, and you, too, for without her we both of us should have died.” Then the little Otter was very, -unhappy.

Now, I will go back to the women who were camping at Kiyaks River. The princess’s aunt was greatly troubled after the princess had gone. In the morning she said to her companions, ‘Let us go home today instead of digging fern roots!” So they started for home in the evening. They arrived at home, and asked if the princess had come home safe the preceding night. The people replied that the chief’s nephew had been at home the whole day. Then the woman told the people what had happened to them in camp—how the prince with his friend had come up and taken the princess home with them before daylight.

Therefore the great chief was full of sorrow, for he had lost his young daughter. He called all the shamans from all the villages of the Tsimshian; and after they had finished their dancing, they said that the princess was in the otter den on an island away out at sea. Therefore the chief knew that he had no power to take her back, and he wept for her sake with his wife.

One day the little Otter said to his mother, “Shall I go and visit my grandfather?” His mother described to him where his grandfather’s house was. She directed him to the second village in the entrance to Metlakahtla Channel. She continued, “But don’t go there, lest you die on the sea, and then there will be nobody to take care of me!” The little Otter, however. said that he would be back safe. Early one morning he went; and in the afternoon he came back to his mother, and told her that he had looked in and seen his grandfather in a large house. Then he said to his mother, “I will carry you across the sea.” His made his mother very sad.

After three days the little Otter said to his mother, “Early tomorrow morning] will carry you across to the mainland!” and she said, “No, my dear child, we shall both die on the sea;” but the little Otter said, “No, I shall take you over there.” Early the following morning he went down to the beach, and said to his mother, “Take some gravel!” His mother did so. Then the little Otter said, “Come, mother, and sit down on my back!’ His mother cried as she sat down on his back, and the little thing swam across the sea; and when he was tired, he would float on the water; and after he had taken strength, he would go on swimming.

When he came near the shore, he said to his mother, “Drop some of the gravel that you are carrying!” She dropped it, and it became a sandbar, on which they rested. His mother refreshed herself on the sandbar. Then the little Otter started again, and swam some distance, until he was weary again, because he had been swimming a long way. He said again, “Drop some more gravel here!” She did so, and there was another sandbar, on which they rested a while.

The little Otter said again, “Give me some of the gravel!’ She gave it all to him, and he said, “Now follow me! I will make a sand bridge from this island to the mainland.” She walked behind her son the Otter, and they both walked over the sandbar. Therefore there are now sandbars a little outside of the entrance to Metlakahtla Channel.

Late im the evening they arrived on the mainland when it was low water. Again he carried his mother on his back and took her to his grandfather’s house. It was low water, and many women and young men were out digging clams and cockles. They arrived at a little place called K-dani. His mother said, “Don’t go near them lest they kill you!” but he did not care for what his mother said, and went. to some of the women. They saw him coming, and shouted, “See the little Otter!” They ran after him to club him; but he ran away from them, came to his mother, and she took him in her arms and went into her father’s large house.

Her father had always been thinking of her ever since he had lost her. He was sitting by the fire with his back toward the fire. Then she came in and walked along the highest platform in the house. Her father saw her go into her own old bedroom. Then the chief said to his wife, who was seated by his side, in a whisper, “I see some one who looks like my own daughter going into her old bedroom. Go and see if it is true!” So the chief’s wife went into the bedroom of her daughter who had been lost a year ago, and she saw her daughter there. Therefore the chieftainess cried; but her daughter said, “It is I, mother! Don’t cry, and let the people hear you!”

All the people assembled that night, and she told her story; and she also said that her child had brought her across; and she showed them her child, the little Otter.

On the following morning the little Otter went out and brought a large halibut, which he put down on the beach. Then he came in and told his mother that he had brought a halibut for his grandfather. The princess said to her father, “Send some slaves down to the beach, for my child placed a large halibut there for you.’ Therefore the chief sent down his slaves. They went, and brought a large halibut. The chief was very glad, and he loved his grandchild, because he had brought his daughter back.

The following day the little Otter brought two halibut to his grandfather. So the chief invited the men of his own tribe, and told them not to hurt his grandchild the little Otter if they should see him outside the village, and his tribesmen obeyed. Now, the little Otter brought more fish and other animals every day, and the chief gave a great feast to all the Tsimshian tribes. Only one tribe was not present at the feast. And he spoke to all his fellow-chiefs and all the tribes, and told them that they should not hurt his grandchild when they saw him on the water; and he showed them the little Otter, saying, “His is my grandchild, who brought the food which I served to you, my guests.” All the chiefs were very glad because they had eaten fresh fish—halibut, seal, sea lion, whales, and so on; and the Otter would bring all these animals and all kinds of fish. Therefore his grandfather the chief was very rich in goods and provisions, for everybody came to buy food from him during the famine of winter.

It was in the same winter, before the people went up to Nass River for fishing. Early one morning the Otter went around the island where the seals were lying on the rocks; and after he came back, having slain the seals on the rock, he killed one great seal on his way back home; and while the Otter took this large seal in his mouth, four hunters in a canoe came along, and they it the Otter who had the great seal in his mouth. The bowman shot him and took the large seal from his mouth and threw away the little Otter.

When the Otter did not come back for two days, his grandfather missed him. Then he sent a canoe with young men to inquire in every village if they had seen Prince Otter; but the people said, “No.” At last they came to the village of one chief, the one whom they had not invited when the grandfather of Prince Otter had invited all the tribes and chiefs to his great feast. They inquired there, and the men of the tribe said that three days ago they had killed an otter which held a large seal in its mouth; and these men in the canoe said that that Otter was their prince, the son of a great princess, and the people in the village told them that they had not known about it.[1]

After they had found out who had killed Prince Otter, they went home and told the chief. The mother of Prince Otter fainted on account of her deep sorrow, for she had lost her beloved one who carried her across the sea and saved her. So the princess died of sorrow. And the other chief came to the grandfather of Prince Otter with his people and many costly things—costly coppers, slaves, canoes, elk skins, and so on—-to atone for Prince Otter, whom they had killed a few days before; and the grandfather of Prince Otter was full of deep sorrow because his daughter had died.

His is the reason why the people were afraid to leave girls alone in the woods, because the bad Otter might deceive them.