Above:Woodcut of Kalapuyan 1841
Above:Woodcut of Kalapuyan 1841
THE PEOPLE OF THE NORTHWEST ENCOUNTER EUROPEANS FOR THE FIRST TIME
"One day Chief Maquinna and Chief Nanaimis, looking out over the water, saw the tops of three sticks against the horizon. As the chiefs and their people stood watching, the sticks grew bigger & bigger & rose out of the water. At first people thought that a new island was appearing, but the objects seemed to be moving, coming closer to the shore. "It is some kind of canoe, a big canoe with white wings," said Chief Maquinna. "See! It is going quickly and making great waves." "Lightning snake must be moving it," someone said. "It is moving so fast that Lightning snake must be pushing it under the water." As the boat came nearer, all the men and women on the shore grew very much afraid. Some of them thought that it was magic. Others thought that it was a salmon that had been changed by magic into a strange canoe.
But the two chiefs said, "It is the work of Quaots, the Great Power. Quaots is sending it to us. Nearer and nearer sailed the ship. "My advice," said a warrior called Towkin, "is that everyone go into hiding. And I think that the women should be separated from the men for at least ten months. Before we go into hiding, let us hide everything that we own." People listened to Towkin, for he was a brave warrior who had killed at least ten men. But as he finished speaking, a woman appeared with a whalebone rattle in each hand. She was a doctor who had power over salmon. Wearing a cap and apron of red cedar bark, she sang a song with the words, "It must be a salmon turned into a boat." Then the people launched a canoe with three strong young men as a crew and the woman doctor sitting in the middle. The men paddled out to see the ship, which was sailing straight for the harbour on Bligh Island. The Woman hailed the strange boat and called out, "Hello you, you spring salmon! Hello you, dog salmon! Hello cohoe salmon!" Then a second canoe came with another woman doctor. She hailed the strange boat in the same manner. Chief Nanaimis, taking two of his best beaver skins out of his storage chest, put off toward the ship in his canoe, with ten strong men. "Hello, you!" called the chief of the strange big boat. "What is your name?" My name is Nanaimis," answered the Indian chief. "I am a chief of the Muchalats. What is your name?" "I am Captain Cook." Then he went into a little room on the big ship and soon came out with blankets under his arm. He asked Chief Nanaimis to come up on his ship, but the chief replied, "No, I would rather stay in my canoe." Then Captain Cook asked him to shake hands and offered him a gift of two black blankets. Nan aimis saw that he was not an enchanted salmon but a man, a man with fair skin. The chief then opened the box he was sitting on in his canoe, took out the two beaver skins, and gave them to the captain. He accepted them with pleasure. Chief Maquinna also put off in his canoe and had his men paddle to the strange ship. "I am Maquinna," he said. "I am a chief of the Muchalats. My village is a little way off there, near the entrance to the inlet. It is a good, safe harbour. I want you to come and stay with me next year. You will be well treated." Then Maquinna gave Captain Cook a fine sea otter skin. In return for that gift, the white chief offered Maquinna his hat, which was decorated with gold braid. People watching from the shore saw that the strangers meant no harm, and they danced a wolf dance on the sandy beach. Captain Cook & his men stayed with our people for several days and nights, trading with us and exploring the coast."
-an Indian account of the arrival of Captain Cook