The Legend Of The Magic Knives (1970)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] a thousand miles of deep inlets wooded islands and steep mountains Mark the coast where the Pacific meets the forests of British Columbia and Alaska along these wooded Shores both the Sea and the forest have given the northwest coast Indian all he needed to hunt and prosper living as he did so close to Nature he came to imagine that the creatures of the sea in the forest had Supernatural powers and he made them symbols of his Legends the Indians of the Northwest expressed their creative urge by erecting monuments keeping records and shaping symbols of power and prestige for having had no writing they recorded their past and their beliefs in Cedar thus the Carver of totem poles records for a tribe A Clan a family important acts events or honors for an individual in fact they are a form of public document the figures carved on a totem pole are symbolic clues that recall in the Indian's memory the Legends and events of the past symbols differ from tribe to tribe and therefore there are many versions of the more popular Legends to understand the symbols one must first learn about the local mythology and the social structure of a tribe in this way the Indians of the northwest coast created one of the world's most unique art forms the totem pole and the tradition of carving handed down from one generation to the next continues today the Carver's knives are his most valued possession for he makes his own tools and decorates the handles with intricate symbols of spirits of his ancestors with his knives the Carver jawid keeps alive the stories of his people stories like the legend of the magic knives as his knives bite into the wood of a freshly heed Cedar he is Guided by memories of time Beyond history in those days long ago his people were led by a proud Chief who in his time was also a great Carver his Apprentice was guadal just learning to use his knives in this Legend long ago Mother Earth was still under a spell of sleep the world was lost in darkness and neither Sun nor Moon Shone on the earth among all the people in those days of darkness nothing was done but gualas worked hard the eye of the old Chief watched over his people and measured their skill he chose qualis to be his Apprentice he taught qualis all he knew about the use of knives and the craft of carving they worked well [Music] together but in time quadas began to feel overpowered by the old chief he wanted to try carving in his own way one day Thunderbird the guardian of his clan appeared to watch gualas I wish you were a human being said gualas for then you might help me in my work Thunderbird opened his beak and replied I am a human being too and I will help you in your work soon gualas was using his knives with such skill that his carvings far surpassed those of the old Chief in Beauty and craft [Music] the old Chief became envious of the young Carver's work and of his growing popularity he was sure that there was magic power in calus's knives greedy for the knives he thought possessed a magic of their own the old Chief took them from their hiding place not far away was wolf sent by Thunderbird to guard guides' tools as the old Chief turned to leave wolf stepped across his path quickly the old Chief hurled a knife striking wolf in the heart but the old Chief felt the pain in his own heart and sank to the ground feeling life flee from him old old man said wolf for long you have protected your people well but today with the knives you envied you have killed your own Spirit the spirit of the Guardian you must leave your people you must assume another form what would you like to be a big mountain asked wolf no for a mountain might break apart would you like to be a large Solid Rock asked wolf no replied the old chief that would not be much better than the mountain for I might wear away then said wolf would you like to be a river where every kind of fish would swim upstream and you would flow down to the Sea forever all right said the old Chief let me be a river I will flow forever there will be no end of me then said wolf be a river so the old Chief became a river flowing past the village of his people and pouring endlessly into the sea for in those days long ago neither the Indians nor the animals were subject to death they lived forever and there was room on the earth for everyone the legend of the magic knives has come down through generations with his own knives jawid has recorded it in Cedar at the top of the pole in a protective manner stands Thunderbird the guardian of gualas beneath him is Wolf the spirit of the chief below wolf is Eagle who helped Thunderbird in his tasks [Music] yeah past the totem Village the river still flows endlessly into the sea the old Chief lives on [Music] forever for [Music] [Music]