ee! THE INDIAN READING SERIES:
“% Stories and Legends of the Northwest



Snail Woman
at Sq‘a'le



Another time, Snail Woman returned to the village
and stole more children. This time the children decided,
“We will try to get away by tricking Snail Woman.”
While she was tending the fire, one of the children called
to her, “Snail Woman, look here!” She looked up and the
rest of the children pushed her into the fire. Snail Woman
burst and the flying pieces turned into jellyfish.


Snail Woman was an old hag.
One day Snail Woman was sneaking
around Suquamish village and wait-
ing for children she could steal. She
thought, “Here are some children
small enough to stuff into a basket and
carry away.”





At Sq’a’le Snail Woman began
to build her fire. The children whis-
pered, “She’s going to cook us and eat
us all!” The children were too fright-
ened to run away and were never
seen again. In the Suquamish village
there were many sad faces and heavy
hearts.



Snail Woman |
at Sq‘a'le

The Indian Reading Series

Level IV Book 2


All the people in the village were happy. You could
hear them say, “Our children have strong hearts. No one
will bother us when they hear what bravery our children
have shown.”

The bursting of Snail Woman explains why there
are so many jelly-fish in the upper end of Sinclair Inlet. It’s
been said that you could hardly put the point of a paddle in
the water without touching one.




Snail Woman stole the crying
children. Slowly she carried them off
to a place in Sinclair Inlet. One of the
children cried, “This is the place
known as Snail or Sq?a’le, the old
hag’s home!”



Developed by the Pacific Northwest Indian Reading and Language Development Program
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 300 Southwest Sixth Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97204

Copyright © 1981 by the Suquamish Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation
All rights reserved.

The work upon which this publication is based was performed pursuant to Contract
No. 400-80-0105 with the Educational Equity Group/Multicultural/Bilingual Division
of the National Institute of Education. It does not, however, necessarily reflect the
views of that agency.

Printed and bound in the United States of America


THE INDIAN READING SERIES
Stories and Legends of the Northwest

Snail Woman at Sq?a’le
Level IV Book 2

Developed by the Suquamish Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation

Marion Boushie, Coordinator
Charles R. Sigo

Dolores Bradwell

Harriet F. Webber

Angela J. Alexis

James A Forsman

Lawrence Webster

Agnes Pratt, I//ustrator

Illustrated by Agnes Pratt

Joseph Coburn, Director
Pacific Northwest Indian Program
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory



THE INDIAN READING SERIES: Stories and Legends of the
Northwest is a collection of authentic material cooperatively devel-
oped by Indian people from twelve reservations. Development ac-
tivities are guided by a Policy Board which represents the Indian
community of the Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest Indian
Reading and Language Development Program Policy Board mem-
bers are:

+ Warren Clements — Warm Springs
Chairman

+ Clement Azure — Devils Lake Sioux

+ Walter Moffett — Nez Perce

+ Emmett Oliver — Quinault

+ Bob Parsley — Chippewa

* Lloyd Smith — Warm Springs

+ Max Snow

+ Jeanne Thomas — Yakima


10.

1

Booklets available in the Level IV sequence are listed below. Numbers refer to the Planned Sequence of use
in the Teacher’s Manual. Materials developed by these tribes and others in the Northwest are included in
the Levels I, I] and III sequences.

nt

. Warm Springs Animal Stories

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

. Snail Women at Sq*a'le

The Suquamish Tribe of the Port Madison
Reservation

. Blue Jay - Star Child/Basket Woman

Muckleshoot Tribe

. Assiniboine Woman Making Grease

Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Peck Reservation

. Coyote

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

How the Summer Season Came
Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Belknap
Reservation

. Little Weasel’s Dream

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

. Fort Hall Stories

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation

The Bear Tepee
Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Sioux Stories and Legends
Sioux Tribe of the Fort Peck Reservation

. Kootenai Stories

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

Chief Mountain’s Medicine

Gros Ventre Tribe from the Fort Belknap
Reservation

Coyote the Trickster

Burns Paiute Reservation

Running Free

Shoalwater Bay

Salish Coyote Stories

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

Coyote and the Cowboys
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation

Napi’s Journey

Blackfeet Tribe

Warm Springs Stories

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

Tepee Making

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

Baskets and Canoes
Skokomish Tribe

Warrior People
Blackfeet Tribe