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"Coho was born in the river. When he was very young, he swam down the river into the ocean. Along his journey he watched others and learned from them. He also learned from his own mistakes and successes. Soon he knew when to use his strength and when to use his knowledge to survive.
Coho liked to try things, so one day he decided to see what was above the ocean waves. He swam straight up and shot through the surface into the air. Coho felt the warmth of the sun on his skin; he saw the birds in the sky and the animals on the land. But all too soon he fell back into the sea. He did not give up. He practiced his jumps, each one getting higher and longer, until he could jump almost to the sky itself.
When Coho grew old he returned to the river of his birth but it had changed. Wind had toppled an old tree across the channel, blocking the way for all the salmon. But Coho knew how to get them all past. He showed the other salmon how to jump. One by one they swam up, leapt into the air and landed on the other side of the log. When all the fish were past the log, Coho jumped over also and followed them to the place of his birth where he helped spawn the next generation of salmon.
And this is why out in the ocean and rivers we see Coho practicing their jumps, so they will not be stopped by any obstacle on their journey through life."
(paraphrased from "Eagle's Reflection and other Northwest Coast Stories" by Jim Challenger)
Coho liked to try things, so one day he decided to see what was above the ocean waves. He swam straight up and shot through the surface into the air. Coho felt the warmth of the sun on his skin; he saw the birds in the sky and the animals on the land. But all too soon he fell back into the sea. He did not give up. He practiced his jumps, each one getting higher and longer, until he could jump almost to the sky itself.
When Coho grew old he returned to the river of his birth but it had changed. Wind had toppled an old tree across the channel, blocking the way for all the salmon. But Coho knew how to get them all past. He showed the other salmon how to jump. One by one they swam up, leapt into the air and landed on the other side of the log. When all the fish were past the log, Coho jumped over also and followed them to the place of his birth where he helped spawn the next generation of salmon.
And this is why out in the ocean and rivers we see Coho practicing their jumps, so they will not be stopped by any obstacle on their journey through life."
(paraphrased from "Eagle's Reflection and other Northwest Coast Stories" by Jim Challenger)
