"The Sun and the Moon are twin Ancestral Spirits, possessing the spirituality of the Great Spirit. The Sun is daytime and summer, the dry and warm Ancestral Spirit of the land. The Moon is night and winter, the rainy and cold Ancestral Spirit of the seabed... They chase each other, rising from the land and falling into the sea, making summer days long, and winter nights long as well..."
Inside the Coos People's little domed hut, the fleet leaders sat in a circle before the firepit, eating stewed salmon soup while listening to the village elder, Woji, sing the myths and epics of the Coos tribe. Although none of them shared a language and they could not understand Elder Woji's chant, these ancient, weathered epics, narrated in a low, slightly hoarse voice, carried a strange feeling that soothed the heart all on their own.
Salmon had the tradition of swimming upriver to spawn, and they were the fish most often caught by these fishermen who lived along the rivers and sea. On a night that was already somewhat cold, drinking a bowl of piping-hot trout soup, then roasting some easy-to-gather scallops and crabs, made their whole bodies feel comfortable. The only shortcoming was that these foods did not contain much energy. Aside from a few beans used as vegetables, there were no filling grains at all.
"The Coos People's tribes, at least around this bay, mainly rely on fishing and hunting."
By the light of the bonfire, Scholar Miki observed the scene inside the hut. This little Coos hut looked somewhat similar to the Wiyot people's, both like a domed pottery bowl turned upside down. But the Coos People's hut was clearly a full size smaller; one had to lower one's head to stand straight inside, the materials were lighter