The Thunder Bird Tootooch Legends, by W.L. Webber, [1936], at sacred-texts.com
The Thunder Bird Tootooch Legends, by W.L. Webber, [1936], at sacred-texts.com
This symbol belongs to the Shining Heavens, the town of the Sky People. It is the clan totem of the Tsimshians, living along the Nass and Skeena Rivers. The Indians have legends of the influence of the Sun upon their predecessors who lived in a rich mountain valley abundant in game and fruits and rivers which teemed with salmon.
In the Skyland there were the houses of the Sun, Moon, Stars and the Rainbow. Living within the Rainbow House was the Son of the Sun, the Creator of the Sunbeams. In the other houses lived the Smoke Kloochman (Cloud Woman), the Fair-Weather Woman, The power of Sleep Woman, the Hiyu-wind Kloochman (Storm Woman), Woman Watch Her Husband and the Story Woman. These are all the Grandmothers of Indian mythology.
Sun controlled the destinies of the Indians and was looked upon as the Creator of the Universe. In this house it was perpetual sunlight and the light was controlled for the use of mortals by opening and closing the great doors in the East and the West.
A great well called the Well of Sickness and Death went down from Skyland to the Earth. When the cover of the well was removed, the inhabitants of the earth were seen below whose spirits, after death, were drawn up the well into the celestial regions. Then the good and evil spirits are separated by burning them in the fires of life. The ashes were then cast to the Earth to be reincarnated in unborn souls.
Sun revealed to the Indians the arts of the chase and gaming. as Sun was a gambler. He also gave them Nanitsh (insight) into the natures of the animals of the wilds, which enabled them to hunt with success. He hardened them for the labor of life, taught them how to erect their fishing weirs and traps, to acquire stores of salmon by spearing them from the walls of steep canyons. Sun taught the womenfolk the crafts of the household, the weaving of clothing from the wool of the mountain goat and from cedar bark and the preserving of food.
