Our Origin Stories

Please Note:
This text was compiled and prepared by Matthew Ambers and Rande Cook, with assistance from Maxine Matilpi, William Wasden Jr, and Stan Hunt Jr.

This document is preliminary and is not considered complete. If you see something in here that you disagree with, or you would like to add something, please reach out to us!

‘MATAGILA

As told by Owaxalaga̱lis, Chief of the Ma’a̱mtagila

“A gull was seen. The gull was walking quickly at Gwa’dzi. It was seen at Long Beach (Ga̱ldadzolis). It was a gull that was walking quickly. Then the gull spoke, “I am not a gull, I am a man”. “Who are you?” “I am ‘‘ ‘Matagila”, he said and took off his gull mask and he became a man. He himself gave himself the name ‘Matagila and had a child when he became a man. His son’s name was Tła̱nsła̱ndza̱m (given as another Ancestor of the ‘Madłibe’ and youngest son of ‘Matagila). Then his child thought that it would work on something. He asked his father what kind of tool was it to snare (yu’xwa) with. That is what the child wanted to make, the yu’xwayu with a snare at each end and so he made it. “Come, father, look at this, father, is that the way I made it? His father came and looked at it. “That is right, child, what you have made. It is that way”. “But how will it be put (down) when I go to put it on the beach, ‘Matagila?” “It does not matter whether it is covered by water or out of the water”. “But what shall I do, ‘Matagila? Shall I leave it or shall I not sit next to it on the beach?” “It does not matter, child, if you sit next to it or leave it”. “Then let me leave it and I shall learn whether it will be best if I stay with the thing I am going to work with so that it will be good”. “It does not matter, child, if you stay with it when you go to work with it”. “I’ll go, father, I’ll go work with it on the beach”. Now he worked with it on the beach.

He was sitting next to it according to the words of his father. Nothing of any kind went into it. He was trying to catch birds, which were to be the food of his father, for that was the reason why he worked. He did so for four days and he would never leave, it for he wished to get food for himself and his father. For a long time nothing came near his yu’xwayu. Then his heart became sore because nothing went near to what he had made. “What is the matter with your tool that they do not go near it?” he said. In vain he thought about it. Then it occurred to him to go and ask his father ‘Matagila. Then he went to his father. “I just came to ask you, father. What may be the matter with my tool? Nothing goes near what is worked by me”. Then he was answered by his father, “Go back, child, and go to find out, why nothing goes near it. Go and sit near it, child, and take care that it is not so as though nothing would go near it”. Then he went back to the place where he had been sitting and he was sitting on the beach. 

He looked at his trap. Then he turned his head around. Then he saw something coming down. Already he thought it was important. And so what was seen by him came right down to his snare and lay flat on his snare and he arose and took it. He thought that what he had taken was important, for it was different in its ways and he looked at the snare of his tool. “What shall I do with it?” he thought. “Maybe it is not good to tell your father, ‘Matagila. Don’t tell your father and try to surprise your father with what it may be. What is the best way to do with your snare? Go on and try to hide it inland to see if some kind of thing may be in your snare”. And he hid it under a cedar tree. 

For four days he did not look at it. He never told his father. He thought he might just tell if it might be some kind of thing that was hidden inland. Then after four days he thought he would go and look at it. Then his father was wondering that he was not going to his tool. Then he questioned his child, “Why don’t you go to your tool?” he said on his part to his child. “I came and told you that nothing went near it”. And so he tried to say to his father and he was going to go inland to his snare and he looked at is snare. And so as soon as he arrived at the place where it was lying on the ground where he had hidden it, then spoke the man who was on the dressed deerskin, “Now you have me for your supernatural treasure”, said on his part the man on the dressed deerskin, “and this will be your dance”, he was told. “You will be a cannibal dancer and you will have a cannibal pole, and your name will be T̕łixalagalis. You will be a ghost dancer and this will be your red cedar bark, this man. Go on and look at it. This will be your treasure in the house, this dressed deerskin, and this dressed deerskin, which never gets empty. Look at it, this treasure. You will from time to time do this with your supernatural treasure, from time to time you will turn over your supernatural treasure on its bad side”. Then he turned over the blanket, the dressed deerskin on its bad side, on its death bringing side. You will not at all not do so (You must do so). You will go around with what is found by you now, all around the world. Now he assembled all the people. Now he wished to tell about the treasure of his child Lansłandzam, and ‘Matagila gave a winter ceremonial to show the treasure of his child Lansłandzam and he had his fort at Gwa’dzi. K̕odag̱ala was the name of the fort of ‘Matagila. Then he gave a winter dance and his child was a cannibal dancer. T̕łixalagalis was his name as cannibal dancer and ‘‘Matagila also had the winter dance name Laxdłala. Now he showed the ghost dance. Then his sister had the name Lansawidzamga, and Luła’yalis on the other hand was the winter dance name of Lansawidzamga. Then he distributed his supernatural treasure that dressed deerskin, among those who were invited. Then his child became a Chief and had the name ‘Max̱wa’yalidzi. Then he put his child in a seat by himself and Lansłandzam changed his name. And that is the end.”