47. Skaiya'm.
(Lower Uta'mqt)
(cont.)Then Skaiya'm thought of a scheme. She feigned sickness, and told the girls, in the event of her death, to put her body in the canoe, and also her antler chisel and stone hammer. Then she feigned death; and the young women, thinking she was dead, put her in the canoe, which was always, kept moored near shore or tied to the bank. Before long she cut the canoe adrift and floated downstream. As the water had risen a little, the girls thought the canoe had broken adrift, and they said, "The canoe with our grandmother's body has broken away.'
Skaiya'm went ashore away downstream, and fixed herself up to resemble a man. She tied the loose skin of her breasts in a knot under each armpit, so that her chest resembled that of a man and was without wrinkles. She painted her face, and fastened on the chisel for a penis, and the hammer for testicles. After she thought herself sufficiently disguised, she embarked in her canoe and paddled upstream. Her grand-daughters saw her coming, and thought it was a man. She slept with them that night and had intercourse with them. Next morning they were very sore, and were also suspicious. They said, "We will find out what kind of a man this is.' So they caught hold of Skaiya' m, and one of them tickled the soles of her feet, thus forcing her to laugh. As soon as she laughed, they knew who it was. Then Skaiya'm talked to them in her natural voice, and acknowledged that she had only feigned death. On examining- her, they found her false privates, which they took and threw away. They were angry at Skaiya'm for deceiving them so they took her to the river and drowned her. She laughed as she sank, and the air-bubbles rose to the surface of the water. That is the reason that we sometimes see bubbles rise to the surface of the water. It is skaiya' m laughing.1
Then the young women travelled down the river, and after a time came in sight of a house,2 which they entered. Here they found an old blind woman nursing a baby (her grandson). They said to her, "How dirty your baby is! Wby don't you wash it' Give it to us. We will wash and clean it for you." So the old woman gave them the baby to wash. Then one of them concealed it, while the other one put a piece of rotten wood in the cradle in its stead. They said, "Now rock your baby, we have put it back in the cradle.' So the old woman began to rock the cradle, while the two women ran away as fast as they could.
After some time the old woman discovered the trick which had been played on her, and summoned her husband, who was fishing on the river, to her aid.1 Some say she became a xaxaa'tko or water-spirit.
2 Some say the house was .a .long wooden one, like those used by the S'a'tcinko.
