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1300 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY VOLUME 7
Lituya Bay George's Song to the Bears
1954, 2-1-E; recorded by Mrs. Chester Johnson, Jenny
White, and Charley White (drummer) on May 3.
Lituya Bay George, Ciytrk" (1854-1926), was a man
of the Raven I^atkA'ayi sib, and the son of a Kagwantan
man. He was the father of Esther, Mrs. Chester
Johnson, and of Jenny, Mrs. Charley White.
This song was composed when he was out trapping
and had burned his face badly when trying to light a
fire in the stove with gasoline. When he was trying to
come home he was chased by brown bears. In the song
he addressed the bears as his 'fathers,' that is, as the
totem animals of his father's sib, and also as XafkA'ayichildren.
He doesn't care if they kill him.
There is a Tlingit introduction by Mrs. Chester
Johnson (30 seconds); the song lasts 3:05 minutes. The
dictated text is not very accurate and the translation
is very free:
Stanza I
da 'ate 'ide xAt IA'US—I don't care if you kUl me,
tlenAx wunex—AU alone,
'ax 'ic-hAS cuk'^a—My fathers' ancestors.
Stanza II
tlAxanse CA 'idawut—Hurry up, (I'm going to die),
^at'kA'ayi-yAtxi—^^at'kA'ayi-chUdren,
tsu yute 'isAxa 'axdji—It's very good to hear your
voice.
It is evident that a number of lines have been
omitted from the dictated version. Unfortunately, an
exact transcription from the recorded tape cannot be
made. The words seem to be:
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
Refrain
'aha heyu 'ayaha 'a, 'eyehe heyiyaha
ha, 'ayehe heyuha 'e 'e(i)yaha,
ya 'ayeheyuhe, 'a 'eheyu 'aye,
haye heyu'aye, hayu haya hu [or 'ani] 'aya,
Stanza I (sung twice)
daya 'ate 'ide xAt IA'US
lenA? wunex 'ax 'ic-hAs cuk'^a
de 'ax yada xayadagut kadidat
tsuyu 'ax yi (?) dja qux^i-si-tce-ye [qux'^istci?] 'a ye
'aye heyu 'aye, hayu haya hani 'aya
Refrain
Stanza II (sung twice)
tte(ye) xantse kan [lian] cAn ('i ?)dawul
^at'kA' ayi-yA tii
de(ye) yi xute dja yaxagut kadidat
tsu yulie tsu yisixa 'atci-ye 'aye
'aye heyu 'aye, hayu haya hani 'aya
The structure is:
Refrain: A B C D
Stanza I: A B C D (repeated)
Refrain: A B C D
Stanza II: A B C D (repeated)
Unrecorded Song by Skin Canoe George for Kagwantan-Children
Skin Canoe George, "Ki-ye-quat-kene," or ]§;!eyegatqin
and TawAl^-'ic (1855-1900), was a Teqwedi man,
the son of Yakutat Chief Yaxodaqet, the K^'ackqwan
chief. He was also the chief assistant to the shaman,
Tet-'ic.
This song, which unfortunately could not be recorded
because no power was available, was first sung
by the composer at a potlatch given by the Teqwedi.
His nephew (a brother of Olaf Abraham) danced to
this song in a headdress (cAki'At), and the composer
paid out money. This dance was staged as a relief
from crying. Now it would be sung as a mourning song,
for remembrance because the composer is dead. The
text was dictated by Olaf Abraham, the composer's
nephew, and also by Mrs. Frank Dick. It is a Haida
Mouth Song.
Refrain
e....eni....ha...
Stanza I
tcA wa^A iayaqa
yu [or de] gutc 'ayude
nitc tut§igax-a
Teqwedi-yAtii
xande nisgax
yi xetx UAqagajc [or 'iiet qaqagax]
"Why is the WoK crying about on the beach? Go to
Teqwedi-children; they'U weep with you."
Stanza II
t6A kawayik—Just aimlessly
...—? [See 1954, 1-2-C; p. 1293]
Kagwantani-yAtii—Kagwantan-chUdren
... ?-
hande 'idjin—Give me your hand
kuq'^ana—Before I die.