Native kids
What's new on our site today!First Nations people
Native kids
What's new on our site today!
This is our collection of links to Gitxsan folktales and traditional stories that can be read online. We have indexed our Indian lore section by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Gitxsan tribe, the traditional stories of related tribes like the Nisgaa and Tsimshian are very similar.
Raven (Txeemsim or Wegyet):
Raven is the culture hero of the Gitxsan and other Northwest Coast tribes.
He is a revered and benevolent transformer figure who helps the people and shapes their world for them,
but at the same time, he is also a trickster character and many Gitxsan stories about Raven have to do with
his frivolous or poorly thought out behavior getting him into trouble.
Txeemsim is the hero's personal name and is pronounced similar to chaim-sim (sometimes also
spelled Txeemism, Txemsim, or other ways) Wegyet is pronounced similar to wee-gyet
(sometimes also spelled Weget, Weegyet, Wigyet, Wii-Gyat, or Wii Gyet) and is an eponym meaning "big man" or
"giant." Occasionally younger people may also refer to him by the name Gaak, which is the
literal Gitxsan word for "raven," but this is not done in traditional stories.
Gitxsan Living Landscapes:We-Gyet Wanders On:
Back to our list of Native American gods
Back to the Amerindian language family homepage
Learn more about the Gitxsan nation
Native American heritage
Native genealogy
Moccasins
Tribal tattoo images
Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages?
Contacts and FAQ page