You asked for my name.

I answered with light and rumble.

My name is power and strenght.

My name brings people together, to celebrate and mourn.

I share the seas with whales and seals.

I share the skies with Thurnderbirds.

I live forever, in icy waters, warming the hearts of those who believe in me.

Haietlik

A few Nuu-chah-nulth accounts exist about the arrival of Captain James Cook’s vessels, the first British ships to arrive and dock on the shores of the Pacific Northwest. One of these accounts mentions that the people from Nootka Sound first thought the ship was an island appearing from under the water. However, as the object grew larger, they thought it was indeed a vessel moving by the works of Haietlik, the lightning snake. They be...

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