Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
The Raven noticed that Nli’ksEntEm's wife did not wail, and sing her mourning songs, as was her wont, so he thought he would pay her a visit and find out the reason. On arriving outside the lodge, he listened, and heard a man's voice. Then he entered, and found her and her child eating deer fat. The Raven was very hungry, and she gave him some of the fat to eat, and told him that her husband had come back, and that she would give him deer meat every evening after dark if he would not tell anybody that NLi'ksEntEm had returned. He promised; when he returned to his lodge, he carried some of the fat to feed his children, hiding it amongst cooked moss. When the children saw it, they quarreled over it, and woke up the people in the neighboring lodge, who asked why his children were wrangling. The Raven said, "They are hungry, and wrangle over the moss." The same thing happened several nights in succession; and at last the suspicions of the people were aroused. They said, "They would not quarrel over moss. Certainly they must have something better to eat." One of them watched the next night; and when the young ravens began quarrelling, he rushed in and seized one by the throat before he had time to swallow the food. The pressure caused the child to disgorge the food, which the man took possession of, and kept until morning. He then saw that it was deer fat, and showed it to the people, who forthwith held a council, and asked the Raven to explain where he got it, as it was well known that he had not killed any deer, since even the wolf, the lynx, and all the best hunters in camp had been unsuccessful. They also threatened to kill him if he did not tell. Then he told them that he obtained it from NLi'ksEntEm, who had returned, and whose lodge was full of deer fat and meat. The people, therefore, in a body went to NLi'ksEntEm's lodge, and congratulated him on his return. They also told his other wife to return to him, but he would not have her at first. He feasted all the people, so that their hunger was satisfied.
But the Coyote was ashamed, and did not go near his son. NLi'ksEntEm then went hunting, killed a deer, and took out the entrails, which he made into a fine-looking and highly ornamented packing-line, in which he tied the meat up, and hung it in a tree. He next went and visited his father, saying, "I have a deer hanging in a tree on the other side of the creek.59 You may have it if you carry it home. There is a packing-line on it." The Coyote was glad, and went to fetch it. He carried it home, and reached the crossing of the creek, which was made by means of a log. When he was on the log, the packing-line broke; the pack fell into the creek over the one side of the log, and the Coyote over the other. As the water was flowing swiftly in the creek at the time, the Coyote was carried down the stream, and was eventually swept into the Thompson River, where he was in danger of being drowned; therefore he turned himself into a small piece of board,60 and floated down the stream to its junction with Fraser River at Lytton, whence he was carried down the Fraser to the unknown regions below.
Thus he floated with the current until he was stopped by a fish-dam near the mouth of the river, which was owned by two old women.61 On the following morning the women came down to their dam, and saw the piece of wood. One of them said, "That is a nice piece of wood. It will make a fine dish. I will take it home." They took the board home to their house, and made it into a dish; but when they ate of it, the fish disappeared so quickly that the women could not get enough for themselves to make a fair meal, although they put one fish after another on the dish; so at last one of them got angry, and threw the dish into the fire. Immediately there issued from the fire the cry of an infant. The one woman said to the other, "Pull it out quick! It is a child! I would like to have it to rear as my own." Accordingly they pulled the child out. It was a boy, who grew up very rapidly. But he was very disobedient and hard to rear. They took him with them in their wanderings, and sometimes they left him at home. Now these women kept in their house four wooden boxes,62and they forbade the boy to take the lids off these boxes. The chief food of the women was salmon, -- a new fish to the Coyote, as there were none of them in his country, and, moreover, his people did not know of them. Below the dam mentioned the river was full of salmon; but of course above there were none. One day the women were away. Then the Coyote made up his mind to break the dam, and let the salmon ascend the river. Accordingly he rushed down and broke the dam, then went to the house and opened the four boxes. From one issued smoke; from another, wasps; from the other two, salmon-flies63 and beetles.64 He then ran along the bank of the river ahead of the salmon, while the smoke, the wasps, and the flies65 also followed up the salmon. The people saw the great smoke, and wondered what it was. Some of the salmon went up the Thompson, but the majority turned northward, going up the Fraser River.66
The Coyote went ahead of them, and when abreast of Ntaxase'p, he sat down and had a rest, and saw directly opposite him on the other side four 67 young women bathing in the river. He called to them and asked them if they wished any backbone of the humpback salmon. The youngest one answered, "Yes;" but the others reproved her, saying, "You ought not to have answered him." The Coyote called to them to stand side by side,68 as he would throw some over. The women placed themselves in a row. Then the Coyote threw sickness into the youngest one. She was hardly able to walk, out of the water. The other women helped her to reach her lodge. Thc girl's relations called several shamans to treat her, but they were unable to cure her.69
