Tsimshian - Rebirth of a Corpse

Tsimshian Mythology. Franz Boas 1916, Johnson Reprint Corporation, 1970.

At the beginning of the world it was covered in darkness. A chief, a chieftianess and son lived at Kungalas. Although the child was greatly loved, he died without cause. The whole tribe mourned each day beside the boy's lifeless body. One morning instead of her dead son the chieftainess witnessed the rising of a boy out of her son's body which burned brightly. She was overjoyed to see her son come back to life. This glowing boy grew large until his father began to call him a giant. Giant boy ate most of the tribe's food, so his father sent him over the sea to find more to eat. Giant boy flew inland and took with him a stone, a raven blanket and a dried bladder full of berries. He dropped the stone in the ocean and rested upon it. Each time he dropped a stone and rested he created a new rocky island. Giant Boy scattered the berries across the land and created a forest filled with fruit. He scattered the salmon roe and trout roe into the rivers to create an abundance of fish. From this day Giant Boy never lacked food in the new world.

The People of the Salmon are First Peoples of Canada's Northwest Coast who, over centuries, developed rich artistic expressions of their legendary worlds.

"We are the First Peoples of the Northwest Coast. For thousands of years we have shared a way of life. But we are many different nations, living side by side. Our stories tell how the world came to be. They teach that we must care for the resources of the land and the sea -- the cedar and the salmon. They tell us where our ancestors came from and why it is important to continue our traditions." Excerpt from the CMC's sound-and-light show, The Canadian Experience.

Courtesy of the Canadian Museum of Civilization