Salmon Boy, a Haida Story by Robert San Souci, 2005%0D%0ANative Americans of the Pacific Northwest Coast tell many tales of the hero Salmon Boy. The Haida are the native, or first, people of the Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada. In this story, a young Haida boy learns a lesson. As you read, take notes on how the boy changes from the beginning to the end of the story.%0D%0A%0D%0A(1) A boy once lived among the Haida with his widowed mother. Her husband had been lost at sea while fishing for salmon. The woman loved her son deeply and gave him the copper necklace that had belonged to his father. They lived on the mussels and seaweed she gathered and on the salmon she caught in the warm season.%0D%0A%0D%0AThey were poor, and their sleeping mats were in the worst place in the cedar-plank longhouse1 where they lived with uncles, aunts, and cousins. The house had birds, animals, humans, and — most important — King Salmon carved on the doorposts.%0D%0A%0D%0A The boy was always hungry, complaining, “Mother, I am starving.” But he never helped gather food. And he did not honor the spirits of the fish that made it possible for his people to live; he thought of them as flesh to fill his belly. He would not place the salmon bones in the stream behind their village to show honor. His uncles warned, “Do not insult the Salmon People.” But he merely laughed and went on playing.%0D%0A%0D%0AOne year, the salmon catch was small. The boy’s family worried that the Salmon People were offended by the boy’s lack of respect. Soon there was nothing to eat but dried salmon from earlier catches. When his mother gave him some, he cried, “This is moldy! I cannot eat this!” He flung it aside, not caring that the waste of food was an insult to the Salmon People.%0D%0A%0D%0A(5) He went swimming with his friends. Because he was hungry, he grew faint. He drifted into deep water. When he realized his danger, he tried to swim back, but he was too weak to fight the current. Exhausted, he drowned.%0D%0A%0D%0ASome Salmon People were swimming nearby. These were the souls of caught salmon whose bones had been cast respectfully into the water and who had been reborn as young fish. They caught the boy’s spirit. His spirit grabbed the copper necklace before his body sank from sight. Then the Salmon People carried his spirit to their village in the ocean depths.%0D%0A%0D%0AThere, the Salmon People changed to human form, and so did the boy. He put on his necklace. Looking around, he found that the village was like his old home, with long plank houses and smoke curling up through the roofs.%0D%0A%0D%0ABehind the houses flowed a stream, like the one that ran behind the longhouse where he lived. The Salmon Chief took him to its bank and said, “When you are hungry, pull a little salmon from the water and roast it. But be sure to return whatever you do not eat to the stream when you are done.” This time, the boy did as he was told, and each time, the bones became a salmon again.%0D%0A%0D%0AHe was ashamed that he had not shown this respect before and grateful that the Salmon People did not punish him. Instead, they taught him many things, including their secret language, songs, and dances. In return, he taught them the songs and dances of his people, the Haida. Sometimes he left the village, took on a salmon’s form, and discovered the wonders and secrets of the sea. He learned how life and death flow into each other in the circle of life: flesh to bones, and bones to flesh.%0D%0A%0D%0A(10) In spring, the salmon journeyed back to the rivers to lay their eggs. The boy traveled with them in salmon form. They swam up the stream behind his old village. There he was caught in his mother’s cedar-bark net. “What a fine salmon!” she thought. Then she saw the copper necklace around the fish’s throat. “Can my son’s soul be inside?” she wondered. She had heard how the Salmon People sometimes care for drowned souls.%0D%0A%0D%0AShe kept the fish in a shallow pool, watching over it day and night. On the second day, a human head emerged from the salmon. Six days later, the boy stepped out of the water, leaving his fish skin behind.%0D%0A%0D%0AJoyfully, mother and son embraced. “Oh, mother!” he cried. “I have learned many things while I lived with the Salmon People.” The boy became a wise teacher and powerful healer. Each spring, he called the salmon in such numbers that none of his people went hungry again. But he insisted they respectfully return the bones to the water.%0D%0A%0D%0AGrowing old, he said, “When I die, return my body to the sea.” The people did as he instructed. As soon as his lifeless body entered the waves, he changed into a strong salmon. The fish circled four times, then dove from sight, never to be seen again.%0D%0A%0D%0AQuestion 1%0D%0AFor the following question, choose the best answer.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhat is the theme of the story?%0D%0A%0D%0A(1 point)%0D%0AResponses%0D%0A%0D%0AWhen we leave our family members alone they miss us.%0D%0AWhen we leave our family members alone they miss us.%0D%0A%0D%0AKids should learn to swim so they do not drown.%0D%0AKids should learn to swim so they do not drown.%0D%0A%0D%0AWe must value what nature gives to us.%0D%0AWe must value what nature gives to us.%0D%0A%0D%0ANature is always listening to us.%0D%0ANature is always listening to us.%0D%0AQuestion 2%0D%0AAs it is used in paragraph 4, the word "offended" most closely means ______.(1 point)%0D%0AResponses%0D%0A%0D%0Ato ask something embarrassing.%0D%0Ato ask something embarrassing.%0D%0A%0D%0Ato feel bad about something.%0D%0Ato feel bad about something.%0D%0A%0D%0Ato hurt someone's feelings.%0D%0Ato hurt someone's feelings.%0D%0A%0D%0Ato treat someone unfairly.%0D%0Ato treat someone unfairly.%0D%0AQuestion 3%0D%0AHow is paragraph 7 important to the story?(1 point)%0D%0AResponses%0D%0A%0D%0Ait helps the reader understand the problem the boy will face.%0D%0Ait helps the reader understand the problem the boy will face.%0D%0A%0D%0Ait tells why the Salmon People chose to save the boy's spirit%0D%0Ait tells why the Salmon People chose to save the boy's spirit%0D%0A%0D%0Ait shows why the boy wanted to join the Salmon People%0D%0Ait shows why the boy wanted to join the Salmon People%0D%0A%0D%0Ait describes how the salmon and the Haida are similar%0D%0Ait describes how the salmon and the Haida are similar%0D%0AQuestion 4%0D%0AAnswer the following question in your own words. Use examples from the story to support your ideas. Write in complete sentences.%0D%0A%0D%0AHow does the boy change from the beginning to the end of the story?%0D%0A%0D%0A(4 points)
The boy begins the story as selfish and disrespectful towards the Salmon People. He is always complaining about being hungry and does not help gather food. He sees the fish as merely food to fill his belly and does not honor their spirits. He even wastes food, which is a great insult to the Salmon People. However, through his journey with the Salmon People, the boy learns the importance of respect and gratitude. He is taught many things by the Salmon People, including their secret language, songs, and dances. He realizes the interconnectedness of life and death, how flesh turns to bones and bones turn to flesh. He becomes ashamed of his previous behavior and becomes grateful that the Salmon People did not punish him. In the end, when he returns to his village in the form of a salmon, he ensures that his people respectfully return the bones to the water. The boy's transformation from a selfish and disrespectful boy to a wise teacher and powerful healer shows how he has changed his perspective and learned to value what nature gives to us.
Answers to all the questions
Question 1:
The theme of the story is "We must value what nature gives to us."
Question 2:
As it is used in paragraph 4, the word "offended" most closely means "to feel bad about something."
Question 3:
Paragraph 7 is important to the story because it tells why the Salmon People chose to save the boy's spirit.
Question 4:
The boy changes from the beginning to the end of the story by becoming more respectful and grateful. At the beginning, he is selfish and disrespectful towards the Salmon People, only seeing them as a source of food and not honoring their spirits. He complains about being hungry and wastes food without considering the offense it may cause. However, through his experience with the Salmon People, he learns the importance of respect and gratitude. He becomes ashamed of his previous behavior and is grateful that the Salmon People did not punish him. He learns their secret language, songs, and dances, and in return, teaches them the songs and dances of his people, the Haida. By the end of the story, he has become a wise teacher and powerful healer, ensuring that his people respectfully return the bones of the salmon to the water.