44. The Strange People discovered by the S'a'tcinko.
(Lower Uta' mqt.)
(cont.)These two peoples had been living for generations within a mile or so of each other, and neither knew of the other. Then the S'a'tcinko set to work and cleared the upper part of the creek and adjoining lake of all obstructions, and also made trails along the banks to the village of these people. After communication had been established by canoe and trail between the two villages, intercourse between the two peoples became frequent, and they inter-married one with the other. Eventually the lake people were absorbed by the S'a'tcinko, whose language they adopted. The last person who could speak their language was a very old man,1 who died a few years ago.
45. The Strange People discovered by the Hunters.2
(Lower Uta'mqt.)Some people travelled down Fraser River,3 and at last located a place where they intended to camp permanently. At that time they did not know of any people different from themselves, or of any language other than their own.
One day two hunters who had been training wandered far away, and, coming to a lake,4 saw some people living in wooden houses. They hesitated to approach, because there were many people. At last, approaching boldly, they were surprised to hear the people talking in a language different from their own, and which they did not understand. Hitherto they had thought that all people spoke the same language. The people received them kindly, and made them marry and stay among them.
After a time the hunters returned to their own country, taking their foreign wives along with them. After this the two people became known to each other, and occasionally the one tribe visited the other. The people thus discovered were probably S'a'tcinko. This incident happened a very long time ago.
1 The Uta'mqt mqt who narrated this story said he saw this old man some years ago at a S'a'tcinko gathering, and was at the same time told the details of the story as narrated above, but had heard fragments of it before that.
2 This story is evidently about the same people as those mentioned in No. 44, or it may possibly refer to a meeting with the S'a'tcinko.
3 Some say they travelled down the river until they reached a place at or below Spuzzum.
4 Some say the lake was situated somewhere near or inland from Chilliwhack. Formerly Uta'mqt hunters used to hunt occasionally on the hills as far west and south as there. The S'a'tcinko seem to have done very little hunting at a distance from their homes, and they seldom left the rivers.
