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因纽特人会雕刻奇特而又漂亮的图形来代表人类、动物、鸟类、鱼类和超自然的人物，然后涂上明亮的颜色。他们会选最高的红杉树来做图腾柱，用以做地标，并且用来阐释代代相传的传说。 其中一根柱子上刻着一只令人眼花缭乱的乌鸦，但是乌鸦没有嘴。 在阿拉斯加，乌鸦可不是普通的鸟儿。他有非凡的能力，可以变成他希望的任何东西。他可以把一只鸟变成一个人，而且不仅能飞能走，还能在水下游得像鱼儿一样快。 一天，乌鸦变成一个驼背的矮个子老人从森林中穿过。他长着长长的白胡子，慢吞吞地走着。过了一会儿，乌鸦觉得肚子饿了。他一边想着一边走到了森林边上，来到海滩上的一个小村庄附近。有许多人在海边钓比目鱼。 蓦地，乌鸦想出了一个绝妙的主意。他潜入大海，游到鱼民垂下吊钩的位置，从一个鱼钩游到另一个鱼钩，吞掉了他们的诱饵。每次乌鸦偷吃诱饵时，渔民都觉得有东西拖他们的钓线，可收起鱼线时，却发现上面既没有鱼，诱饵也不见了。 不过，乌鸦这套伎俩用得过于频繁。胡斯卡纳是一位钓鱼专家，他一感到有东西在拖钓线，便猛地拉起钓线，钩住了沉沉的什么东西，那是乌鸦的下巴被挂在了鱼钩上！胡斯卡纳拖线时，乌鸦就往反方向拽。然后乌鸦抓住海底的几块岩石大叫：“啊，岩石，救救我吧！”但是岩石毫不理睐他。 乌鸦下巴疼得厉害，就对他的下巴说：“下巴，掉下来吧！哦，我实在太累了。"他的下巴听了乌鸦的话，顺从地掉了下来。 胡斯卡纳立即收起了线，他的钩子上吊着一个人的下巴，还长着长长的白胡子！这幅景象看起来太恐怖了，把大家都吓呆了。胡斯卡纳和其他渔民非常害怕，他们认为这可能是哪个邪恶神灵的下巴，于是拔腿以最快的速度朝酋长家跑去。 乌鸦从水里钻出来紧紧地跟在渔民后面。尽管他掉了下巴疼痛难忍，但没有人注意到他有什么不对的地方，因为他用毯子遮住了脸的下部。 酋长和大家仔细检查看那个挂在鱼钩上的下巴，下巴从一个人手里传到另一个人手里，最后传给了乌鸦。乌鸦扯掉毯子，把下巴放回脸上，说道：“噢，看到你真是个奇迹啊。” 乌鸦的戏法变得太快了，没有人看清发生了什么。乌鸦的下巴结结实实地复位后,他立即把自己变成一只鸟，从酋长家的烟囱里飞出去了。直到那时，人们才意识到是魔术师乌鸦偷了他们的诱饵，并被钩在了胡斯卡纳的鱼线上。 图腾柱上的乌鸦不是被雕刻成老人的模样，而是他自己本来的面目，只是没有嘴,以提醒人们那位老人如何失去了下巴。 The Innu carve strange and beautiftil figures, representing people, animals, birds, fish, and supernatural characters, then paint them with bright colors. The tallest red cedar trees are selected for totem poles, and are used for landmarks as well as illustrating the legends told from generation to generation. On one of these poles was carved a stunning Raven, but he had no beak! The Raven in Alaska was no ordinary bird. He had remarkable powers and could change into whatever form he wished. He could change from a bird to a man, and could not only fly and walk, but could swim underwater as fast as any fish. One day, Raven took the form of a little, bent-over old man to walk through a forest. He wore a long white beard and walked slowly. After a while, Raven felt hungry. As he thought about this, he came to the edge of the forest near a village on the beach. There, many people were fishing for halibut. In a flash, Raven thought of a scheme. He dived into the sea and swam to the spot where the fishermen dangled their hooks. Raven gobbled1 their bait, swimming from one hook to another. Each time Raven stole bait, the fishermen felt a tug on their lines. When the lines were pulled in, there was neither fish nor bait. But Raven worked his trick once too often. When Houskana, an expert fisherman, felt a tug, he jerked his line quickly, hooking something heavy. Raven’s jaw had caught on the hook! While Houskana tugged on his line, Raven pulled in the opposite direction. Then Raven grabbed hold of some rocks at the bottom of the sea and called, “O rocks, please help me!” But the rocks paid no attention. Because of his great pain, Raven said to his jaw, “Break off, 0 jaw, for I am too tired.” His jaw obeyed, and it broke off. Houskana pulled in his line immediately. On his hook was a man’s jaw with a long white beard! It looked horrible enough to scare anyone. Houskana and the other fishermen were very frightened，because they thought the jaw might belong to some evil spirit. They picked up their feet and ran as fast as they could to the chiefs house. Raven came out of the water and followed the fishermen. Though he was in great pain for lack of his jaw, no one noticed anything wrong because he covered the lower part of his face with his blanket. The chief and the people examined the jaw that was hanging on the halibut hook. It was handed from one to another, and finally to Raven who said, “Oh，this is a wonder to behold!” as he threw back his blanket and replaced his jaw. Raven performed his magic so quickly that no one had time to see what was happening. As soon as Raven’s jaw was firmly in place again, he turned himself into a bird and flew out through the smoke hole of the chiefs house. Only then did the people begin to realize it was the trickster Raven who had stolen their bait and been hooked on Houskana’s fishing line. On the totem pole, Raven was carved, not as the old man, but as himself without his beak, a reminder of how the old man lost his jaw. |
