Chintaah-Naastbaatsʾn aMan Eater ogress, "Rolls Around in the Forest""Very reminiscent of a belief revalent on the North Pacific coast from Oregon to southeastern Alaska is the Kato conception of a huge, woodland ogress with some of the physical characteristics of the bear, a notably simple mentality, and a fondness for the flesh of human beings, whom she carried home in a basket on her back. The Kato call this creature chŭntanástepat͡s (chŭ́nta, in the forest), and imagine her as very broad and squat, with the feet of a bear and long, canine teeth. The following legend was related by an informant with full conviction of its truth. Ŭtsaít͡s, a young man known to my father, was the last in a line of hunters who were driving deer toward some snares. As he passed a tree, a chŭntanástepat͡s leaped upon him, threw him over her shoulder into a very large basket, and carried him off. She kept striking the edge of the basket with a heavy stick, so that he dared not attempt to escape lest the club crush his skull. up the mountain-side she went. He noticed that when she came to a nearly prostrate tree or log, she would never walk around it, but always crept under it. So he awaited his chance, and when she passed under a certain leaning live-oak of which he knew, he threw his arms about it and drew himself out of the basket. She went on. Ŭtsaít͡s then came back as rapidly as he could, and reaching a double-trunked oak he climbed into it with the intention of crossing to the other bole if she pursued him. Soon she came running back, looking here and there, but she could not see him. She began to repeat the movements she had made in passing there before, saying, 'Here I stepped this way, here I stepped so, here I stopped.' And all the time she made grotesque motions with the purpose of making him laugh if he were thereabouts, and so betray his hiding-place. At last, however, she went on, and the young man ran to the village. At first the people would not believe his story, but when he led them up the hill and showed them the tree in which he had concealed himself, and his bow and arrows thrown aside, then they believed." (Curtis, pp.13-14)Chintaah-Naastbaatsʾ, sghaaʾ nees.Chintaah-Naastbaats (lit. "Roll Around in the Forest"), her hair is longGT35 4.7rel.ItsaiʾtcItsaitc (man's name)4.9.2Legendary beingder. ofchintaah2in the forestnaa-(s)..tbaatsʾroll aroundcfNoonii TcʾyaantcingOld Woman Grizzly BearSource forms: chŭntanástepat͡stcûn taʽ nac t batstcûn taʽ nact batstcin ta ʽnast bûtc, tcin ta nac te batc, tcin/kûn ta nac te bats
chin-woʾn ahookwooden hook for huntingChin-woʾ kʾaiʾtbilh yaalhchit yaaʾnii.He catches pack baskets with a hook, they say.GNbst1-10 53.1Chin-woʾ bilh ghishaah yaaʾnii, kʾaiʾtbilh.They caught the burden-basket with a wooden hookGT22 1.76.4.1Huntcomp. ofchingstick/wood*woʾtoothSource forms: tcûn wōᵋtcûñ wō
ching bilh naantan yiyain apole weapon, sneak attack spear"Surprise attacks were commoner than open battle among the tribes of this region.17 This is to be expected, for since the aim of warfare was to obtain a head, it seemed needless to employ two hundred men for a deed which could as readily be accomplished by one or two on a dark night. A surprise attack was called wanantuñ niyai (sneak up to them). One or two Indians entered a hostile village at night, obtained a scalp, and fled. The weapon they used was a flint tied to a long pole. The blow was delivered near the shoulders of the sleeper, so as to break through the ribs and tear the guts. This spear was named cuñ buʟ nantin yiai, stick for sneak up} come then." (Loeb, p.17)rel.waanaantaang niiyaisurprise attack4.8.3.7Weapon, shootcomp. ofchingstick/wood-bilhwith itwaanaantaang niiyaisurprise attackSource forms: cuñ buʟ nantin yiai
ching naasʾitsn amessenger, "stick-runner""Messengers (cuñ natsis, stick bearers) carried news of dances; wars; snake, bear victims. Carried bundle of sticks, delivered to neighboring chief; each day 1 stick removed; when exhausted, time of feast, dance, etc. (likewise among Pomo; cf. Folkways, 342). Past runner both messenger and scout. (Examples: Sines (long hair), informant Martinez' grandfather, both grizzly bear fighter and war chief; Natin cilcos (faces make), Martinez' f'ather, both scout and messenger." (Loeb, p.49)rel.Naadin ChʾilhchoosMaking Faces (Bill Ray's father)waaniisaanscout4.2.1.1Invite6.6Occupation3.5.2.2News, messageSource forms: cuñ natsis
