First Totems Story
Each Haida pole has its own story but there is a story of the origin of all Haida poles
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There were many of them at Git̓anḵ’a village.
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It was very calm. And it was also very sunny.
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They looked at it for a long time. And they memorized it.
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And when they got to Tl’uu sḵans (the crabapple patch at the end of the tree line at Née Kún), they talked about it.
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They began to raise the carving.
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And they went to Daal ḵaahlii.
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And while she was resting from paddling, this woman was looking in the water. And as she was looking in the water, she saw something that was carved, a long, log-like shape.
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When they finished memorizing it, they left.
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“We will make copies of the carvings on the chief’s house,” some of them said.
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From there, when it was getting to be fall, they went food gathering to Nee Kun in two big canoes. They went on a berry picking trip.
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It was a carved image.
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And when they were finished getting berries, they returned home by canoe.
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People started carving them soon after.