Myths and Legends of British North America/When North's Son Married Southeast's Daughter (Haida)

by Katharine Berry Judson

WHEN NORTH'S SON MARRIED SOUTHEAST'S DAUGHTER^[1]

Haida⁠⁠

WHEN North's son wanted to marry Southeast's daughter, there was no wind. He spoke to his mother. He spoke also to his father: "I want to marry Southeast's daughter." North said to his son, "What will you wear when the weather is bad?" Southeast was such a dreary, rainy wind that North did not want his son to marry the daughter. The son said, "Oh, that's all right. Give me something to wear when it rains." North said, "I have nothing for it. But marry her."

When his son started off, North gave him some directions: "When you get near Southeast, look at him from a distance. If his face is good, go to him. But if his face is red, and under it black, do not go. Go to him from Point Gafixet [Cape St. James]."

North's son started. He went from Cape St. James. At that time Southeast's face was not bad. It was clean. Then the son came to a big cloud rising out of the ocean. That was Southeast's house.

When North's son reached there, Southeast's daughter was sitting in front of the house. North's son sat down beside her.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I have come to marry you," he replied.

"I will tell my mother," she said.

Now Southeast and his wife were much pleased with them both. By and by North's son told his wife he wanted to go away. "You must go also," said Southeast to his daughter.

When they were about to leave, Southeast gave his daughter some directions. "When North speaks, and you are cold, call to me," he said.

Now they came to North's house. When he saw them he took them into the house. After a while, North said, "What does your wife eat?"

"She eats nothing but limpets," said the son.

Now North's house was floored with ice, but it was warm. In front of his house it was sandy, and there were broad ebb-tide flats. After Southeast's daughter had been there a while, she went out of the house for a short walk. As she went, she pulled off an icicle hanging from the wall of the house. Then North groaned. When she went in, she ate it. After a while she went out again, and pulled off another icicle. North groaned again.

North's son said, "Stop doing that. Those are my father's fingers." She was eating North's fingers.

When the tide was out, North's son said, " Let us go down now and get limpets." While they were there, a noise was heard from North's house. He was angry because his daughter-in-law had pulled off some of his fingers.

So North began to blow. North's son called at once to his wife, but she said, "Wait!" Even while she said so, the place where she stood became icy. Then the tide began to come in. When it reached her knees, the snow fell. Then North's son left her. The ice formed all around her. Where North's house stood the snow fell so thickly that it looked like smoke.

Then the woman cried to her father. She was not disturbed because she thought her father would save her. She sang, "Father, I am cold! Father, I am cold! I want to go to my father!"

Even at once came the Southeast wind, "Hi-hi-hi-hi-hi-hi," making it rough right up to the shore. She began to sing another song. The wind blew upon me! The wind blew upon me! The wind blew upon me from Cape St. James!"

Now she had waited two days. Then she felt of the water. It was slightly warm. Her father had heard her voice. He had dressed himself up and set out to see her. His daughter was still singing. While she sang, North stopped blowing.

Then it blew from the Southeast. Clouds became black and rains fell. The icicles began to melt and fall. Then North groaned. Southeast also broke up the floor of North's house. He came upon him from below.

Then all of the ice melted and the woman went to her father. She is the Oyster Catcher. Since its bill was made red with the cold, it is red today. Because its legs were frozen, they are now white.

Now Southeast was a very powerful chief. He had ten servants. One was Mist, another was named He-that-takes-away-the-Surface-of-the-Sea, and another was called Canoe Breaker. Still another was Cutter-off-of-Tree-Tops.

1. This myth is said to give an excellent idea of climatic conditions along part of the Northwest Coast largely a struggle between the rainy southeast wind and the cold north wind.