Naas Shaak Aankáawu
Also known as: Naas-sháki Yéil, Naas-sháki Shaan
Mythological Narrative
In the Tlingit telling of Raven and the box of daylight, the wealthy old man living at the head of the Nass River who keeps the stars, moon, and sun locked in nested boxes, until Raven tricks his way into his household to steal them.
Scholarly Commentary & Evolution
## The keeper of daylight
In the Tlingit telling recorded by John R. Swanton, this wealthy old man of the raven lineage owns three boxes, nested one inside another, holding the stars, the moon, and the sun. Raven, wanting light for the world, transforms himself into a hemlock needle and is swallowed by the old man's daughter as she drinks from a stream; she becomes pregnant and gives birth to Raven reborn as the old man's grandson. Doting on this grandson, the old man eventually gives him the box of stars to quiet his crying, and Raven opens it, releasing the stars through the smoke hole; he goes on to obtain the boxes of the moon and finally the sun in the same way, escaping with the sun in his beak.
## A name that varies by source
Different recordings and modern retellings give this figure different exact names and spellings, from Swanton's early transliterations to the modern orthography used by Sealaska Heritage Institute and the Dauenhauers. This site uses "Naas Shaak Aankáawu" ("Nobleman at the Head of the Nass River") as a widely used modern rendering while noting the older forms recorded by Swanton.
Academic Discussion & Critique
Exchange peer-reviewed hypotheses, comparative Indo-European etymologies, and archaeological field interpretations regarding Naas Shaak Aankáawu.
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