027 White J - Raven Boat - Translation.txt

{Number = 027}
{Type = Translation}
{Title = Yéil Yaagú / Raven Boat}
{Author = Jeeník / Jennie White}
{Clan = Shangukeidí; Xʼatka.aayí yádi}
{Source = D&D 1987: 298–301}
{Date = 1984}
{Place = Juneau}
{Recorder = G̱unáakʼw Fred White}
{Translator = G̱unáakʼw Fred White}
{Orthography = RP}
{Page = 299}
1	The rapids are very scary.
2	Twice the L’uknax̱.ádi capsized there.
3	This one boat travelled out of Lituya Bay when the tide had droppped.
4	No white man knew of Alaska.
5	The bundle of furs
6	floated out to the face of the clouds.
7	The intestines resembled a plastic bag.
8	Brown Bear intestines.
9	They are cut and sewn back together.
10	The intestinal
11	bag of furs floated to the face of the clouds from Lituya Bay,
12	the ones the people drowned with.
13	This is why
14	the Russians searched for Alaska.
15	That's how they found Tlingits in Alaska.
16	They didn't
17	have machines either they'd just
18	sail with canvas.
19	A Russian boat
20	first sailed into Lituya Bay.
21	And so
22	the Tlingits didn't tell it like it really was.
23	It was the Raven boat,
{Page = 301}
24	was what they told one another,
25	the Raven boat.
26	That's what they were saying about the Russians.
27	If you looked directly at it you would turn to stone.
28	Even today the Tlingits are like that.
29	And that
30	devil's club.
31	They drilled holes in them
32	and
33	dog droppings
34	were sewn like bags
35	and put into their children's clothes.
36	You would turn to stone.
37	That's the way the Tlingits talked about this.
38	This blue hellebore
39	was hollowed through though,
40	let's see, like binoculars.
41	As it sailed into Lituya Bay
42	they looked at it through these.
43	Then they wouldn't turn to stone.
44	Dog droppings too were hung around children's necks.
45	But the larger
46	devil's club
47	had holes drilled through them too.
48	They were put on the necks
49	of their children.
50	That's the way things happened in the beginning when they awaited the schooner.