The Mountain
of Húy̓at, M̓ṇ́sgṃ́x̌λi, figures prominently in several Heiltsuk oral traditions and in local knowledge. For instance, in one version of the C̓úṃqḷaqs story, C̓úṃqḷaqs and her sister came from heaven with her sister and “alighted” on M̓ṇ́sgṃ́x̌λi (Boas 1932, as told by Ai’wageɫ). In the
Deluge story
people flee to M̓ṇ́sgṃ́x̌ƛi during the rising waters. During the flood, M̓ṇ́sgṃ́x̌ƛi “took its own top and threw it over to Gwa’xkun [Roscoe Inlet] which thus became high enough so that the people could save themselves. The rocks hurled by EmE’nsgEmxLee [M̓ṇ́sgṃ́x̌ƛi] may still be seen as the top of Gwa’xkun which rises over a terrace.” (Boas 1932, as told by Andrew Wallace). Finally, the origin of the island Ya’laLeE [Goose Island] is connected to M̓ṇ́sgṃ́x̌ƛi through the eagle-ancestor who tied the island with a line to M̓ṇ́sgṃ́x̌ƛi to stop it from drifting. “A deep hole is at the place where the line was tied and the line itself may still be seen there.” (Boas 1932, told by Ai’wageɫ). More recently, and perhaps for millennia, M̓ṇ́sgṃ́x̌ƛi was a navigational guide for fishermen and a weather mountain.
The Mountain