The Wrangell sentinel., 1940-05-17
By Winifgod Williams)

Shakes Community House on Snakes Island. stands a totem about alike in size with the Bear totem des- cribed in The Sentinel two weeks ago On this totem squats the image of a man with whale on his head. He is Ko-na-ka-det, (pronOuneed, Ko-na- ka-day) which, however, did not become his name until after he became a sea monster. And, hearing his story, one takes 1t that he was also something of a Puck" of In- dian tradition.
 The right to use certain images on their totems was acquired by the Tlingita, not so much through any brave or outstanding deed of a member of the tribe, but, rather, by what we would consider supernatuT- al dealings with spirits. known as Yek, to the Indians. For them the sea and the forests, the mountains and the rivers were peopled with many spirits. They talked to their halibut hooks, encouraging them to catch many fish. They talked to the spirits of the trees they felled to make their homes and canoes. The forests were peopled with animal spirits, the streams, rivers and sea were the abode of myriads of mar inc wraiths of the deep.
 This man, who later became Ko- na-ka-det the monster, was of high caste and was married to a high
 1r TFs1 1rnr Aa mother-in-law, who lived with them, disliked her sOn-in-law very much for she thought him a lazy, good-for- nothing fellow, interested in noth- ing but gambling. The mother-in- law exerted herself at all times to make sighting remarks about him in an attempt to shame him before other members of the village.
 When summer and the salmon season arrived the entire village went fishing. The man accompanied them, but, for some unexplained req son, took his catch of salmon to lake up back of Wrangell, the In dians tell you, and built himself hut of dry wood.
 Caught Monster
 He had been told that there was a monster dwelling in the waters of the lake and, perhaps more curious than anything, he made trap with which to capture the creature. Fin ally, the monster was caught and the man saw that it had very sharp, capable teeth and that it's claws shone like copper. Then, after the monster through it's struggles in the trap, had worn itself out and died, the man skinned it and, get ting inside the skin, he found it swimming away with him down, down to the bottom of the lake to the monsters former home under the lake. It proved to be very won- derful home.
 After several such excursions, the man secreted the monster skin in a hollow tree where he could use it at will and returned to his wife and mother-in-law in the village. How ever he told no one, except his wife, of his experiences at the lake and warned her to keep her counsel.
 Winter came, then spring and with the spring came famine. Food in the village became very low. At last one evening the man told his wife that he was going away. But, '' he promised, q will be here every morning just before the ravens are awake. If you hear a raven call be- fore I return you will know that I am dead"
 Going back up to the lake where he had left the monsters skin he put. it on and found that he could make his way to the sea down a large stream. Swimming under the water, he found a large salmon which he caught and threw out on the beach close to the house where he, his wife and motner-in-law lived. Then he returned the monster skin to it's hiding place in the hollow tree and crept down to the village and to bed
 Mother Boastful
 When morning came his mother in-law went out and found the sal- mon, and, thinking the tide had left 1t there, carried it home and cooked it for the hungry people of the village. She wus very boastful about her Tuck" and took pains to chide her son-in-law for his lack of ambition, when fish could be found on the beach, for sleeping so late in the morning.
 The next evening the son-in-law went fishing again in his monster suit. This time he left two salmon on the beach for his mother-in-law to find. For days this went on until the mother-in-law began to believe that he had spiritual powers to find food for her people and the villagers began to look upon her as sha- man. Each time after his nightly