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Lost Boy (Yakala) Atlakim (2000)

Dimensions include cedar bark hair

 

Yakala

Long ago, when the legends of the West Coast were still being born, there lived a young man. He was the son of a chief and the second of three brothers. His father often berated him for not living up tot the responsibilities that his status demanded. He cursed the boy for being lazy and thoughtless while his brothers were conscientious and observed tradition.

Ashamed, the youth wandered down to the beach and stretched himself out on the rocks by a tidepool filled with starfish and sea anemones. A kingfisher swooped overhead. He closed his eyes and waited for the tide to engulf him. As he waited, he heard a small squeaking and skittering on the rocks near his face. He opened one eye just a bit and saw a mouse by the pool. Unexpectedly, the mouse lifted up the edge of the pool like a rug and darted underneath. The boy was amazed but he lay still and waited. Soon the mouse emerged from under the pool and skittered off.

The boy made a plan and when the mouse came back, he was ready. The creature approached the pool but before it could underneath, the boy trapped it under his cedar bark hat. The mouse pleaded with him to set it free and offered to guide him into the Undersea Kingdom in exchange for its life. When the youth set the mouse free, it lifted the corner of the pool and they both went under.

They passed down through the lands of the Undersea Kingdom, through a busy village where Salmon lived going about in human form. They carefully avoided the fierce Yagis, who has the power to conjure terrible storms which sink canoes and drown fisherman. Soon they came to the house of Kumugwe, the “Wealthy One” who is chief of the world under the waves. This chief’s dwelling is a fantastic longhouse, the walls of which are made of copper and its beams and houseposts are living creatures. The house was filled by many creatures of the deep, but also by animals more common to the land. The great Sea-eagle, the Raven-of-the-Sea, and the Sea-Grizzly all lived in this house.

Kumugwe called his servant the Killerwhale and instructed him to guide the young man through the undersea world.The chief told the boy to climb into a small canoe that was there. He did so and the canoe transformed into a small killerwhale. The boy flipped his tail and spouted to try out his new form and then the two whales began their journey. They travelled throughout Kumugwe’s kingdom and had many adventures. 

At the end of four days  Killerhwale led the boy back to Kumugwe’s house. Kumugwe showed the boy all of the treasures that were to be his, including Kumugwe’s own copper house. He then sent the boy back to his own world. Thboy first appeared to the villagers as a giant killerwhale spouting in the bay but no one recognized him. Then he appeared as a sea otter floating on the waves as they do when enjoying a dinner of sea urchins. The third time he appeared, it was as a sculpin in a tidepool where his brother and other boys were tormenting the tiny fishes. He spoke to his brother and told him to carefully cut open his fish-body. The younger boy was amazed when the youth stepped out of the belly of the fish, taking back his human form.

Speaking with his brother, he discovered that he had been gone, not four days, but in fact four years had passed. His father and the whole village were glad to seeone that they had thought long dead. The Youth then caused Kumugwe’s house and all the treasures it contained to rise above the waves and float on the beach. A short while later he gave a feast to show the treasures that he had been given. In turn he also gave away wealth as befitted a man of his status.