Once upon a time there lived a widow of the tribe of the Gispaxlâ'ts.
Many men tried to marry her daughter, but she declined them all. The
mother said, "When a man comes to marry you, feel of the palms of his
hands. If they are soft, decline him. If they are rough, accept him." She
meant that she wanted to have for a son-in-law a man skillful in
building canoes.

Her daughter obeyed her commands and refused the wooing of all young
men. One night a youth came to her bed. The palms of his hands were very
rough, and therefore she accepted his suit. Early in the morning,
however, he had suddenly disappeared, even before she had seen him.

When her mother arose early in the morning and went out, she found a
halibut on the beach in front of the house, although it was midwinter.
The following evening the young man came back, but disappeared again
before the dawn of the day. In the morning the widow found a seal in front
of the house. Thus they lived for some time. The young woman never saw
the face of her husband; but every morning she found an animal on the
beach, every day a larger one. Thus the widow came to be very rich.

She was anxious to see her son-in-law, and one day she waited until he
arrived. Suddenly she saw a red bear emerge from the water. He carried
a whale on each side, and put them down on the beach. As soon as he
noticed that he was observed, he was transformed into a rock, which may be
seen up to this day. He was a supernatural being of the sea.



Source: Franz Boas, Tsimshian Mythology (Washington, DC: United

States Government Printing Office, 1916), p. 19.

The Tsimshian Indians are native to the coastal regions of British

Columbia and southern Alaska.