[Fwd: Re: copper canoe legends]

[Aron Faegre]

A couple more scattered copper references:

from Boas:  Kathlamet Texts (the one with Tony's grandmother's picture in the
frontispiece?) has 'The Copper is Speared' -- although in the direct translated
text it seems to be called 'that something shining like the sun'.  Boas does not
say why he put 'copper' in the title, but not in the text.

from Ojibwa Chiefs 1690-1890: 'KE-A-TA-NANG Ontanagon River, Michigan, chief in
1827. It was KE-A-TA-NANG who betrayed his people by showing a White man the
location of a large mass of 'sacred' copper near the Ontonagon River. The Ojibwa
people regarded the copper almost religiously and greatly resented KE-A-TA-NANG's
betrayal of their trust.'

Then there is the famous Oregon meteorite that was hauled off to the Smithsonian
but may yet get returned.  Some geologists think that many of the large metallic
strata of rocks mined for metals are from gigantic meteoric hits on earth, e.g.
the Sudbury, Ontario region nickel mines (and uranium mines?).

Aron Faegre

p.s. Tony, thanks for the lead on the Melville Jacobs books on Clackamas Texts --
they are outstanding.



Mike Cleven wrote:

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: copper canoe legends
> Date: Fri, 31 Dec 1999 11:58:23 -0800
> From: Mike Cleven <ironmtn at bigfoot.com>
> Organization: Iron Mountain Creative Systems
> To: Linda Fink <linda at FINK.COM>, CHINOOK at listserv.linguistlist.o
> References: <CHINOOK%1999123111295089 at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
>
> Linda Fink wrote:
>
> > Well, these are fascinating! I've never heard either of the legends
> > mentioned so far. The one I heard is a Nootka legend. Long ago, from the
> > waters of Whulge, a man came to the Nootkas in a copper canoe, bright as the
> > sun. His paddles were also copper. Men said he came from the sky to teach
> > them not to fight. At first the Nootkas listened, then they became angry and
> > killed him. They were sorry after they killed him. Therefore they carve
> > images of him for their houses, even to this day. Anyone know anything about
> > these images or this story?
> >
> > Please keep the stories coming! Hyash mahsie.
>
> Now, one kind of ethnographer would start extrapolating on these various
> copper-canoe stories, going so far (as Levi-Strauss) might that they
> were
> actually all originally the same tale.  However, in this region it's
> worth
> considering that each legend might very well represent a different
> landing and a
> different encounter experience...........