"(The) tradition—that before the Indians were created, their world was inhabited by a race of giant First People, who were reasoning creatures with the names of animals—is wide-spread among the natives of the North American continent....

The giant beings among these ancients were sometimes animals in form, sometimes human, even in the same story. Moveover, they were frequently super-animal and super-human. They had many supernatural powers, including the ability to transform themselves into anything they close. E.A. Clark, "The Mythology of the Indians in the Pacific Northwest." Oregon Historical Quarterly, September 1953. pp.175-76.

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