II War-Song of the Nootka Tribe
Commencing with a Chorus repeated at the end of each line.
Hah-yee hah yar har, he yar hah.
Hah-yah hee yar har—he yar hah.
Iye ie ee yah har—ee yie hah.
Ie yar ee yar hah—ee yar yah.
Ie yar ee I yar yar hah—Ie yar ee yee yah!
Ie-yee ma hi-chill at-sish Kla-ha—Hah-ye-hah.
Que nok ar parts arsh waw—Ie yie-yar.
Waw-hoo naks sar hasch—Yar-hah. I-yar hee I-yar.
Waw hoo naks ar hasch yak-queets sish ni-ese,
Waw har. Hie yee ah-hah.
Repeated over and over, with gestures and brandishing of weapons.
Note.
Ie-yee ma hi-chill signifies, “Ye do not know.” It appears to be a poetical mode of expression, the common one for “You do not know” being Wik-kum-atash; from this, it would seem that they have two languages, one for their songs and another for common use. The general meaning of this first stanza appears to be, “Ye little know, ye men of Klahar, what valiant warriors we are. Poorly can our foes contend with us, when we come on with our daggers,” etc.
The Nootkians have no songs of an historical nature, nor do they appear to have any tradition respecting their origin.145
Footnote
145 That is not quite true. They have several of a vague order: one, for example, is that all the Indians are sprung from Quawteaht and the Thunder Birds. Another is that all the tribes on the West Coast come from the west; the different tribes having sprung from the canoes full of migrants stranded by a storm here and there, and so forth.