Myths and Legends of British North America/Mosquitoes (Haida)
MOSQUITOES
SUN was fond of gambling. After he had gambled at one place and another on Toets Island he launched his canoe. He wore a ragged marten-skin blanket.
When Sun reached that place where he was going, he went up into the woods. When he got far into the woods, something before him made a noise, but the noise was not like that of a bird. Following it, he came to a narrow trail. Sun went along this and came to a pond. When he reached it, a log was there, with the top cut off, and a nest made of moss at the end of it. This was a quiet place. And there were nests near one another in the moss near the lake.
While Sun was looking at the moss hanging from the branches of the trees above him, a long, thin bird flew out. It flew straight towards him. It made a noise like M-mmmmmmm. It had a long bill. And it sat on the moss nest at the end of the log. This was the place where it sat. It was its nest. The bird was Mosquito. The inside of its nest was green.
Then Sun went to look for a stick and he broke off a stick with his feet. The bird's nest was upon the moss. Then Sun walked to it upon the log. He walked slowly to it. He held the stick in his hand. When he got near, he struck it. Then Sun saw it was dead, and he took it up, but it was very light.
Just as Sun turned, a humming sound arose on the other side — Hm-hm-mmmmmmmm, it sounded. Mosquitoes came out from inside the moss. These were small ones, like ashes. What Sun had come to was a Mosquito town.
Then they bit that man. He ran very fast, but he kept his large Mosquito. When he got far from the lake, he knew they were following him for that. Then he tore it in pieces and threw it about. He said, "You will bite even the last generation of people."
Because Sun tore it in pieces, the big mosquitoes came to be in the world.
Then he escaped to his canoe.