Ditidaht Field Notebook Contents

This database of Ditidaht texts is based on the fieldwork of Morris Swadesh and Mary Haas conducted on Vancouver Island in 1931. The texts are arranged according to theme.

One of the texts, number 34, was previously published, in part, in IJAL as "A Vist to the Other World"; the text presented here is the complete text. The material presented here has been substantially revised to provide interlinear analysis of all the materials, as well as normalization of the orthography and correction of typos and other errors.

In the following index to the texts, the first column provides the number assigned to the texts by Sapir and Swadesh in their original plan. The second column provides an English title for the text, and the third column provides the name of the narrator of the text, as provided by Sapir. The fourth column indicates the source of the text: texts indicated by a Roman numeral followed by a colon and page range come from Swadesh and Haas's original field notebooks (Swadesh numbered I to VIII, Haas numbered I to IX).

For a sample of the texts, see number 34 below.

§
Text No.

Collector

Notebook No.

 Title

Page No.

Consultant

Type

Haas

I

 Songs various

Haas

II

 Songs various

Haas

 III
 Songs various

Haas IV Songs various
001.
 Haas Vh Mink gives a potlatch 1-9 myth
Haas Vh Vocabulary, notes 11-19

Haas Vh Port Renfrew place names 20-23

Haas Vh Vocabulary 24-42
002.
 Haas VIh 1. Woman sees Father's Ghost 3-5 Jasper Peter supernat
003.
 Haas VIh 2. The Wild People 7 Jasper Peter myth
004.
 Haas VIh 3. Frog Chief 9-11 Jasper Peter myth
005.
 Haas VIh 4. Women's dice 13-15 Jasper Peter daily life
006. Haas VIh 5. Four Brothers killed, One takes revenge 17-29 Jasper Peter tradit
007. Haas VIh 6. On Drinking 31-41 Chief Peter daily life
008.
 Haas VIh 7. Two Prospectors 43-57 Chief Peter history
009.
 Haas VIh 8. Getting Food 59-63 Chief Peter daily life
010.
Haas VIh 9. Deer Hunting 65-69 Chief Peter daily life
011.
 Haas VIh 9a. Rock-Whale 71-73 Chief Peter myth
012.
 Haas VIh 10. Man Speared by Supernatural Being 73-75 Chief Peter myth
013.
 Haas VIh 11. Stone Dog 77 Chief Peter myth
014.
 Haas VIh 12. The Stone Woman 79-81 Chief Peter myth
015.
 Haas VIh 13. Cave Story 83-87 Chief Peter

supernatural, menstruation taboo
016.
 Haas VIh 14. Puberty Ceremony 89-95 Chief Peter daily life
017.
 Haas VIh 15. How Women used to dress and other things 97-101 Chief Peter daily life
018.
 Haas VIh 16. Cowichan Story 107-117
history
019.
 Haas VIh 17. Hunting Story 119-123

supernat, menstruation taboo
020.
 Haas VIIh 18. Neah Bay people visit Clayoquot 3-9 Chief Peter history
021.
 Haas VIIh

19. The Story of the Batsbayuxwa?ad (Rattle?)

 9-27 Chief Peter myth
022.
 Haas VIIh

20. Peter's First Trip to Bering Sea

29-47 Chief Peter daily life
023.
 Haas VIIh 21. Eyes-on-each-side 49-107 Chief Peter supernat

Haas VIIh

Specimens of shellfish

 109-110

Haas VIIh Notes on Goddard ?? 112-121


Haas VIIh

Indian Names for some molluscs

 122-3
024.
 Haas VIIIh 22. Poor Boy becomes Chief 3-23 Chief Peter history??
025.
 Haas VIIIh

23. The Axe Potlatch

 25-29 Chief Peter history
026.
 Haas VIIIh

24. How Nitinats found Flour on a wrecked Ship

 31-41 Chief Peter history
027.
 Haas VIIIh

25. Mink Resuscitates Girl

 43-61 Chief Peter myth
028.
 Haas VIIIh 26. How Fish-Tom first saw the White Man 63-71 Chief Peter history
029.
 Haas VIIIh

27. A White Man steals a slave girl

 73-75 Chief Peter history
030.
 Haas VIIIh 28. A Chinese runs away with a slave girl 77-81 Chief Peter history
031.
 Haas VIIIh 29. Sloop Story 83-87 Chief Peter history
032.
 Haas VIIIh

30. A Speared Whale turns out to be a Panther

 89-95 Chief Peter myth
033.
 Haas VIIIh 31. Beaver causes Big Rain 97-103 Chief Peter myth
034.
 Haas VIIIh 32. How People got Daylight 105-109 Chief Peter myth
035.
 Haas VIIIh 33. How Raven got Daylight 111-121 Chief Peter myth
036.
 Haas VIIIh 34. Wolf tries to steal Baby 123-129 Chief Peter myth
037.
 Haas VIIIh

35. Bear steals Girl

 131-143 Chief Peter myth
038.
 Haas VIIIh

36. Raven wants to eat Eagle

 145-153 Chief Peter myth
039.
 Haas VIIIh

37. Raven eats Grandson

 155-161 Chief Peter myth
040.
 Haas VIIIh 38. Wolves steal Raccoon's Daughter 163-165 Chief Peter myth
041.
 Haas VIIIh 39. Why Worms eat Rotten Wood 167 Chief Peter tradit
042.
 Haas VIIIh 40. Mink gets Eagle-Wings 169 Chief Peter myth
043.
 Haas VIIIh 41. Girl who has Dog-Husband 171-195 Chief Peter supernatural
044.
 Haas VIIIh 42. Chief's Son has Dog-Wife 197-221 Chief Peter supernatural
045.
 Haas VIIIh 43. Pitch-Woman's Husband Runs Away 223-227 Chief Peter myth
046a.
 Haas VIIIh 44. How Raven learned to Talk Well 229-233 Chief Peter myth

Haas VIIIh Vocabulary 234-238

Haas VIIIh Indian Names for some crustaceans 239-243
046b.
 Haas IXh 44. How Raven learned to Talk Well (cont'd) 3-5 Chief Peter myth

Haas IXh Various vocabulary 7-194

Swadesh
 I
 Vocabulary 1

Swadesh I

Text translated from English

 17

Swadesh I
 Vocabulary 19
047.
 Swadesh I
 How the Tsimshian first saw the white people 27-43

history
048.
 Swadesh I
 How Peter went sealing in the Bering Sea 45-53

history
049.
 Swadesh I
 On the Tlokwali 55-61

daily life
050.
 Swadesh I
 Nitinahts fight the Saanich 63-71
history
051.
 Swadesh I
 On the marriage ceremony 73-77

daily life
052.
 Swadesh I
 How three men went sealing 79-101

daily life

Swadesh I
 Vocabulary 103
053.
 Swadesh I
 How they lived long ago 105-117

daily life

Swadesh I
 Vocabulary 119
054.
 Swadesh II Pachena once spoke Salish 1-5 Chief Peter history
055.
 Swadesh II Smallpox epidemic among the Makah 7-43 Chief Peter history
056.
 Swadesh II

How Crane got thin legs

 45-53 Chief Peter myth
057.
 Swadesh II

Raven kills and eats Deer, then loses in duel with Skate

 55-75 Chief Peter myth

Swadesh II Vocabulary 77-89
058.
 Swadesh II

Mink kills Wolf Chief

91-117 Chief Peter

myth Kwatyat and Wolf

Swadesh III Vocabulary 1

Swadesh III

Text translated from English

 3

Swadesh III Vocabulary 7
059.
 Swadesh III

How Mink killed three of the Thunderbirds

11-57

myth
060.
 Swadesh III

Raven steals Hairseal from Crow

 59

myth
061.
 Swadesh III

Raven doctors Shark

77
myth

Swadesh III Word lists 89

Swadesh

III

Peter's names and others

 97

Swadesh III

Dancing (record no. 8)

 99
062.
 Swadesh III

Mink kills Moving Monster

101-115

myth: Kwatyat's Mother moved

Swadesh III Vocabulary 117
063.
 Swadesh IV

The Crow girls go berry-picking

 1
myth

Swadesh IV Vocabulary 17
064.
 Swadesh IV

How the Nitinats came to Nitinat

 23

history

Swadesh IV Vocabulary 36
065.
 Swadesh IV

Mink's penis begets him a child

 39

myth
066.
 Swadesh IV A dream 51

supernatural
067.
 Swadesh IV

Mink conquers the South Wind

 55

myth

Swadesh IV Vocabulary 82
068.
 Swadesh IV Peter's prayer 85

daily life
069.
 Swadesh IV

Man follows his wife to the spirit world

 87
supernatural
070.
 Swadesh IV

Woodpecker and Mink move away

 103
myth
071.
 Swadesh IV

Tsimshian dies and is born again

 113

supernatural
072.
 Swadesh V

Mink potlatches the Ducks

 1

myth
073.
 Swadesh V

How Ant is sent out to look at the weather

 11

myth
074.
 Swadesh V

Makah story, girl marries

 15-35

history?
075.
 Swadesh V

The transformer visits the world

 37-57

myth The Transformer
076.
 Swadesh V

The Nitinaht defeat the Saanitch and the Cowitchan

 59-65
history

Swadesh V

Old time Nitinat counting

 66

history?
077.
 Swadesh V
 Fugitive slave girl captured by the Wild People 69-79
history
078.
 Swadesh V
 Defeated Huiath flee to the Wild People 81-99
supernatural
079.

Swadesh

 V

Raven tries to steal from the shadow people

 101

myth
080.

Swadesh

 V

Woodpecker makes an amorous visit

 113

myth
081.
 Swadesh VI

Mink burns Pitch Woman

 1

myth Pitch Woman
082.
 Swadesh VI

Clam-Woman kills Pitch Woman

 9

myth
083.
 Swadesh VI

Raven and Wren

 17

myth
084.
 Swadesh VI

Raven and his brother

 37
myth
085.
 Swadesh VI

Mink gives birth to a child

 51-57

myth
086.
 Swadesh VI

Mink gets stuck by the Woodpecker girls

 59-63

myth
087.
 Swadesh VI

Mink creates the spits

 65

myth
088.
 Swadesh VI

Boy saved from Pitch Woman by Mouse

 69

myth
089.
 Swadesh VI

Adventures of Snot Boy (cont'd in VII: 1)

 95
myth
089b.
 Swadesh VII

Adventures of Snot Boy (cont'd)

 1

myth

Swadesh VII

Nitinat compass

 23
090.
 Swadesh VII

Rhubarb steals his fibres

 25
myth
091.
 Swadesh VII

Mink's mother becomes a bluejay

 29

myth
092.
 Swadesh VII

The Makah boy who climbed Mink's rock to get seagull eggs

 39

myth??
093.
 Swadesh VII

Raven and Beaver trade penises

 47
myth
094.
 Swadesh VII

Deer Kills Wolf Chief

 55

myth: Deer and the Wolves
095.
 Swadesh VII

Mink fears he has lost his chief

 67

myth
096.
 Swadesh VII

Sea-gull marries the daughter of Mink's Chief

 85

myth
097.
 Swadesh VII

Boy follows his pal to the other world

 103

supernatural
098.
 Swadesh VIII

Mink turns Pitch Woman into an island

 1-5

myth
099.
 Swadesh VIII

Adventures of χaχackuwi, the Tsimshian

 7-61

history??
100.
 Swadesh VIII

The man who dreamed mice

 63-79
supernatural
101.
 Swadesh VIII

The ʔuuʔuwapkʷ man

 81-85
traditional
102.
 Swadesh VIII

Man spears Supernatural Hairseal

 85-95

supernatural
103.
 Swadesh VIII

The World Destroyed

 97-129

traditional?
104.
 Swadesh VIII Pachenas attack a Schooner 131-133 Jasper Peter history
105.
 Swadesh VIII Doctor gets Man's soul back 135-143

supernatural
106.
 Swadesh VIII

Louse tells a story

 145-147

myth