Coyote looked over the edge of the hill, and shouted, "Let us have a sucking-match!" The monster was still unable to see him, and had not the faintest idea where he was. He was very much frightened. For along time he did not answer: he was thinking what to do. Finally he said to Coyote, "You must begin." Coyote sat up and sucked. He shook and strained the monster. When he had finished, he told the monster to try. As soon as the latter began to suck, Coyote began to shake and jump. First the rope on Mount Walawa'maxe broke, then the one on the Seven-Devils Mountain, but the third rope held. Finally it gave way. Then he flew toward the monster. As Coyote was being swept down the hill, he threw some roots on it, saying, "In the future the Nez Percé Indians shall come here to dig roots." Then he took some white paint and threw it down, saying, "In the future the Indians will get paint here." Then he threw down kaus-roots in the same way. Last of all he threw down camas-roots. Then he was swept into the mouth of the monster and down his throat.
Once inside, he went right to his heart. He found it covered with fat and grease. Other people were inside. He asked them, "Why don't you eat this?" Then he built a fire. The monster felt it, and called to Coyote to come out. "Come out! I will let you go," he said. Coyote, however, paid no attention. He told the people to be ready to rush out by way of the ears, eyes, and nose, and any other possible exit. He said that he would gather up those that were only bones and had been dead a long time, and take them out the back way. Then he cut the heart with his knives. The monster roared to him to come out, but Coyote merely went on cutting. One after another his knives broke. He had almost finished cutting out the heart when the last one broke: so he took the heart in his hands and tore it out. Then everybody rushed to get out at the different openings before the monster died. Coyote was the last one to leave. He threw the bones out the back way. So they all managed to get out. Though the trees were blooming, they did not know what season it was. Still they rejoiced greatly.
Coyote now began to butcher the monster. He threw the skin to Montana, and said, "This shall be the Blackfoot Indians, and they shall be tall, stout men." The other parts of the body he threw in different directions, and thus made the different tribes. After the body had been entirely dismembered, Fox, who was watching him, said, "You have done nothing for the place where we are now living." There was some blood left on his hands and on the ground. Coyote sprinkled it over the place, saying, "This blood shall be Indians in the future. They shall be good warriors and strong, but they shall be few in number." These were the Nez Percé Indians. After this he spoke to the people, and told them that all the country about there would be occupied by Indians, some of whom would be friendly, and others would be hostile. Then everybody started home.
Coyote was travelling upstream. He heard a noise like the sawing of wood. He stood still and listened. Two Humming-Birds were there, the only living things about. They said to Coyote, "Let us have war!" Coyote heard them, and, throwing his bow and arrow down in front of him, replied, "That is what I have been looking for, a fight." With that he jumped about. He ran up the ridge toward them; and they came down the canyon, and rushed at him from both sides. They killed Coyote, and told him that he was to be nothing but Coyote. They dragged him to the river and threw him into the water.
He floated down the stream until his body drifted ashore. Magpie saw him lying dead, and began pecking at his eyes, which awakened Coyote. He said to Magpie, "That is not right. I was just dreaming about getting some girls at the head of the canyon." Magpie replied, "There are two Humming-Birds up there who kill everybody, and they are the ones who killed you. They were put there when the world was first made. Listen to what I tell you now! Return the way you came. Make yourself an old man, and, should they say anything to you, tell them to kill you because you are tired. When they come up over the hill, there will be two white sticks with two white feathers on them on the top of the hill. These are their hearts.2 Take the canyon trail and run as hard as you can toward the sticks. Keep going until you get them. Then take hold of the poles, break the feathers, and thus kill them. That is the only way to destroy them. Coyote answered, "That is what I thought."
He transformed himself into an old man and went off, in accordance with Magpie's instructions. He met the Humming-Birds, who said, "Let us have war!" -- "Come down and kill me," was Coyote's reply as he lay down on his back. When they started towards him, he ran up on the other side, and was half way up when they got down. They turned, and saw that he was fairly close to the two poles. They started after him. When he reached the two poles, they had almost caught up with him. He seized the poles, however, broke the feathers, and thus killed both of them. Then Coyote said to the HummingBirds, "There are other people coming. Hereafter you shall just be pretty little birds, and not kill people."
1 See p. 180.
2 Tillamook JAFL 11 : 38; Takelma UPenn 2 : 141; Vana (Curtin, Creation Myths 318); Chilula UCal 10 : 353, 367; Ojibwa B Arch S 5 : 12; this volume, p. 147.
