68. Tcine'i's War for the Salmon; or, The Introduction of Salmon.
(cont.)Formerly none of these fish lived inland; and the varieties known by the names at the present day are descendants of the four slave women.
When the returning party commenced to ascend the river, they found the poling very hard, therefore they discarded their canoes, and asked an old shaman to make a trail for them under the water, which they followed until they arrived in Nicola.1 A few of the fishes remained behind at Lytton and Spences Bridge, and afterwards some of them settled in other places, according to the kinds of country and water that suited them. Thus the large war-party broke up, and since then the different varieties of fish have remained in the several localities in which they settled. They spread and became numerous all over the country, but certain kinds of fish are still found only in particular waters and localities. The descendants of the four coast women became numerous in the Nicola country.
70. War of the Nicola Animals and Fraser River Fish.2
The people of Zuxt3 were invaded by a large war-party of Fish from Fraser River.4 They attacked the invaders, however, and drove them back as far as Lytton. They killed many of them along Nicola River, and threw their bodies into the stream. Near the mouth of Nicola they overtook the Humpback Salmon, and threw his body into the river. Soon afterwards they overtook and slew the Sockeye, the King Salmon, and the Tso'la,5 and threw their bodies into the Thompson River. At Lytton they overtook the Sturgeon, who was the war chief, and threw his body into the Fraser River. Of all the Fish, only the Dog Salmon escaped to tell the tale, and ever since he has been afraid to come into the interior. The other Fish returned to the rivers into which their bodies were thrown, for the victors ordained this. Thus the sturgeon is found in the Fraser River at Lytton, but never ventures up the Thompson River; and the sockeye and king salmon run in the Thompson River, but never ascend the Nicola. The humpback alone, of all the salmon, frequents the latter stream.
Humpback Salmon had a son who was a baby when his father was killed. When he grew up he trained himself with the object of avenging the slaughter of his people. Alone he ventured to Nicola, and took up his abode with Badger, who lived at Zuxt, and who treated him hospitably. No one knew who he was.
1. Some say they asked a shaman from the coast whom they took with them to make a trail for them, and that, when they came to Nicola, they threw him into Nicola Lake, where he was transformed into a “water mystery.”
2. See Footnote 1, p. 350. Compare Shuswap, Vol. II of this series, p. 669.
3. For origin of Zuxt people, see story of Qwo'qtqwal, p. 316.
4. Most Indians agree they were Uta'mqt from the canyon of Fraser River; some say, however, they were from the Lower Fraser River or from the coast.
5. This may be the black-spotted trout (Salmo Clarkis).
