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p. 42

5. Big-Raven and the Kamaks.

Raven-Big said, "I will slide down hill." [He slid down hill.] He went and found a mountain, which was the largest of all. From that mountain he slid down, and rolled into the porch of the house of the kamaks 1. There he came in. Small kamaks went to the porch, and said, "Oh, human game has come to us of its own free will!"--"I am not human game, I am a man." They took him into the house, and began to eat his body joint by joint. Still he was alive. They consumed Big-Raven. Then he carne home, because he was a shaman.

He recovered his senses, and said to his wife, "Cook

p. 43

some soup for me!" She cooked some soup, and he ate all alone a large kettleful. Then he said to Miti', "Bring the big hammer! 1" She gave him the hammer, and he swallowed it. He arrived at to the house of some kamaks, and vomited through the vent-hole. (He filled the whole house) and made them climb upward. The big kamak was standing in the middle of the house. Big-Raven struck him with the hammer. He killed him. Big-Raven came home. That is all.


Footnotes

42:1 Evil spirit (cf. W. Jochelson, The Koryak, l. c., p. 27).

43:1 A large stone hammer with a narrow groove for hafting.


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