Indian Legends of Vancouver Island | Page 5

stopped and signed to her companions to keep still. Halting,
they waited while she pointed to the root fangs of a cedar tree, where
well within the hollow butt a western timber wolf had made her lair.
Gone was the mother, perhaps in quest of deer with which to feed her
four young pups who calmly slept within that sheltered cave, awaiting

her return.
The Indians are a superstitious race, and one of the old fetishes was this:
that if by chance they could secure the young of a wolf from which to
take some precious inner part, to rub upon the outer side of their canoes,
it gave great luck in whaling, and thus it came to pass that when the
klootsmuk found the she wolf's lair, they formed the plan of taking to
their brother the four wolf pups, in order that he might become the
chief of all whale hunters. Cautiously they placed them in the baskets
on their backs and then retraced their steps. In time they reached the
beach, and entered their canoe, when just as they pushed off, with giant
springs and angry howl leapt the great mother wolf from the woods, but
the klootsmuk were safe with their strange prizes, and soon their canoe
cut gleefully through the waves, while their songs were wafted
landward by the western breeze.
Upon an isle not far from home they hid the young wolf pups. This
done, they squatted on the shore, and thought how best they might
inform their brother of their lucky find. They were puzzled as to how
this might be managed without awakening jealousies among the other
members of the tribe, and they were fearful to face their father's wrath
who surely would expect their craft well laden with the cedar bark.
They reasoned long and then decided on a stratagem. One of the three
would cut her foot with a mussel shell, and mark her tunic with the
blood, and tell the story, that when they landed on the Toquaht shore an
open mussel shell had cut her foot, therefore they could not go for
cedar bark. They carried out this plan, and paddled slowly to
Ho-moh-ah. The people saw them come, and wondered much what evil
had befallen them, but when they saw the blood upon the kutsack of the
youngest girl and saw her bound up foot, they guessed the trouble.
Before the sun had set, the brother had been told of the wolf pups, and
secretly that night he had taken from them the precious parts, and when
he went hunting, he rubbed the medicine on his canoe, and had such
wondrous luck he soon became the chief of all whale hunters. Such is
the story told by that weird painting, which could be seen some years
ago adorning the dark walls of the great potlatch house of Shewish,
Seshaht chief on Ho-moh-ah but better known as Village Island,
Barkley Sound.
[Illustration: HALIBUT HOOK AND CLUB FOR STUNNING FISH]

THE FINDING OF THE TSOMASS
NAMES AND WORDS OCCURRING IN THE LEGEND "THE
FINDING OF THE TSOMASS"
Alberni, the valley at the head of the Alberni Canal, a wonderful cleft
or fjord which almost splits Vancouver Island in two. This fjord has its
outlet in Barkley Sound on the west side of the island. The Alberni
Canal was named by the Spaniards after Don Pedro Alberni, captain of
infantry in charge of soldiers stationed at Nootka Sound, Vancouver
Island, during the Spanish occupation.
Tsomass River--spelt and pronounced by the "Whites" Somass, a fine
river formed by the confluence of the Stamps and Sproat or Klee-coot
rivers, draining Great Central lake and Sproat or Klee-coot lake
respectively. The Tsomass river flows through the Alberni Valley into
the Alberni Canal.
The E-coulth-aht, is one of the many divisions of what Gilbert Malcolm
Sproat called "the Aht tribes" inhabiting the west coast of Vancouver
Island.
Po-po-moh-ah, is now known by the Spanish name "San Mateo Bay"
situated on the east side of Barkley Sound, not far from the entrance to
the Alberni Canal.
U-chuck-le-sit, is a small but safe harbour on the north side and near to
the entrance to the Alberni Canal. The cannery, cold storage plant and
village of Kildonan are built on the harbour.
Klu-quilth-soh, is the Indian name for a rather forbidding passage in the
Alberni Canal, and known for strong winds and choppy seas. It is
named by the white people "Hell's Gate."
Chehahs were Supernatural spirits or influences; there were good and
bad chehahs.
She-she-took-a-muck was a ferocious whale supposed to have lived at
Hell's Gate, and to have swallowed Indians and their canoes. The whale
was killed by the aid of Quawteaht.
Kah-oots was supposed to be one of the deities of Seshaht mythology.
Tsa-a-toos,--(Copper Island) is