Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
The Coyote70 went over to Columbia River, and brought the salmon up that river and its principal tributaries. After taking them tip to near the headwaters of the Okanagan River, he returned, and began to conduct them up the Similkameen River. He had not proceeded far up this river when, near the opposite bank, he saw some girls bathing. He called over to them, asking them if they wanted any backbone of the humpback salmon, to which question they answered in the negative, at the same time adding that they would not mind having a certain part71 of the mountain sheep, whereupon the Coyote said to himself, "These people do not wish for any salmon, and I shall not let them have any." Therefore he made a great barrier of rock (falls) in the river, so that the salmon could not get around it, and at the same time he caused mountain sheep to appear in great numbers in the Similkameen country. That is the reason that mountain sheep are (or were until lately) very plentiful in that country, whilst there are no salmon, and the people have to travel to Thompson, Okanagan, or Columbia rivers, to obtain their supplies of that fish. Formerly they generally went to Thompson River, because there they got better fish. After having introduced salmon into all the rivers, the Coyote traveled up the Similkameen, down the Nicola and Thompson rivers, and finally he reached Lytton.
He was dressed like a shaman.72 When he passed the village in which the girl was living whom he had made sick, he was seen by the people, who, however, did not recognize him. They said, "If you are a shaman, we should like you to cure our daughter." He replied, "I am not a great shaman, but I will do my best. You must build a sweat-house for me, as I cure all my patients in a sweathouse." Then they made a sweat-house for him, heated the stones, put water in it, and covered it with skins. Then they carried the girl inside. The Coyote followed her, pulled out the sickness, and thus cured her.73
While on Columbia River, he threw his daughter into the river. She was transformed into a rock, with her limbs extended just in the manner in which she fell.74
Amongst the many wonderful feats which he performed were the turning of alkali grass into dentalia; wild cherries into sLaq; fish skins into salmon; and twigs into berry bushes laden with fruit. Once he threw some humpback skins into the river, and they became salmon. He then caught a number of them, and carried them to the Grizzly Bear's house, along with some branches of berry bushes loaded with fruit, which he had changed from willow withes. On arriving, he let them all hang down inside the entrance to the Grizzly's underground lodge, so that they made a tempting display. Then he descended inside to the Grizzly, and said to her, "Let us have a feast. We will eat your food first, and mine afterwards. You need not be afraid. You see what an abundance of fine food I have brought for us to eat." So the Grizzly brought out her store of roots and berries, and before night they ate all her food. Then the Coyote said, "We will eat my food tomorrow." But during the night he sneaked away; and when the Grizzly awoke in the morning there was nothing hanging from the entrance of the house, except some dried-up humpback skins and a few withered willow branches, for the Coyote had changed these things back into what they were originally.75
[Cawa'xamux.]
The Coyote found a deer's carcass, and, after eating all the meat that was on it, he gathered the large bones together, and buried them for future use. Some time afterwards he came back to his cache, and, after lighting a large fire, dug up a quantity of the bones, and, after having broken them up into small pieces, put them into a kettle to boil, intending to extract the marrow. He was thus engaged when the Fox came along, and addressed him, saying, "I wonder at you, my friend, working in this way. You are a chief, and yet you busy yourself with woman's work. Let me do your work for you." The Coyote, who was flattered by these words, consented to the Fox's proposition, and, going a little distance away from the fire, lay down on his back, with knees drawn up, putting on the air of one who was too dignified to notice his immediate surroundings. The Fox boiled the bones. Then he skimmed off the fat, put it in a dish, and set it by to cool, saying to the Coyote, "I have nearly finished my work, and as soon as the fat stiffens, we shall eat." The Coyote, who now had his vanity aroused, never even deigned to notice the Fox nor his remarks. As soon as the grease was stiff, the Fox took it up and ran away with it. The Coyote chased him, but could not overtake him: therefore he returned to the same place, and commenced to cook more bones. Soon the Fox returned, and addressed the Coyote with flattering remarks, so that he allowed the Fox to do as before. The Fox repeated this four times, until he had finished all the marrow. The Coyote's vanity caused him to be the Fox's dupe.76
