Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
Having done all this, the Skunk was about to depart, when he noticed some of his excrement197 near the lake's edge, and said to it, "Who are you?" It answered, "I am the Skunk's excrement." The Skunk replied, "Do not say that, or I will strike you. Say, ‘I am the Skunk's slave,' for I want you to come with me as my little slave." Then he repeated his question, "Who are you?" But it always answered, "I am the Skunk's excrement," instead of saying, as it was told to, "I am the Skunk's slave." The Skunk became angry, and struck it repeatedly on the head, until it was dry and scattered. Then he turned his steps homeward, and when at length he neared the dwellings of the people, began to wail, "Oh my younger brothers! They went to war; they were attacked; they were killed, killed by the Shuswap. Oh my younger brothers!"
The people heard him, and ran out armed, saying, "Some one approaches, wailing." Soon they recognized him, and told him to come in and give his news. He entered a lodge and sat down, and related to the people how they had been attacked, and how his three brothers had been killed, he alone escaping. "Let my sisters-in-law," he said, "come here, so that I may relate to them the account of the death-wounds received by their husbands." But two of the women would not go, for, they said, "he has killed our husbands." The other woman, however, went to him. Then the Skunk related to her how they had been attacked, and how, after a fierce fight, his three brothers were slain, while he alone escaped, how, he hardly knew. She asked him where her husband was wounded, and the Skunk took hold of her shoulder with his left hand, and with the index finger of his right hand, touched her brow, saying, "He was hit here." He then touched her neck, saying, "And he was hit here." Then he touched her breast, and said, "He was hit here."198 He then said, "You were my brother's wife; you must now be my wife." She consented to become his wife; but the other two women (his sisters-in-law) refused to become his wives.
A day or two after this, three men appeared in sight of the lodges. Again the people ran out armed; but they recognized them as the Skunk's three brothers, and welcomed them. Then they came in, and told their story, to the effect that they had camped with their elder brother, who was to keep watch while they slept, and that after falling asleep, they knew nothing more; also that he had excreted his fluid upon them, intending to kill them; but after the stupor caused thereby had worn away, they had awakened to see, to their astonishment, high cliffs and a lake near at hand, whereas there had been none before. Moreover, they smelled the skunk odor on their bodies and on their clothes; therefore they had taken the bearberry plant and burned it, causing a great smoke, in which they stood with their clothes, until the odor left them, which it did in a short time.199 Seeing that they were without weapons, they made their way home. They afterwards saw the Skunk, and cursed him,200 saying, "You shall run on the ground, and eat vermin. You shall be no person's friend. Everybody will dislike and avoid you, on account of your smell."201
XV. STORY OF THE CHIPMUNK AND THE GRIZZLY BEAR.
[Nkamtci'nemux.]
Formerly there was a large log which burned202 on the top of the mountain called Yekatwau'xus Cuxcu'x,203 and which threw out a great light and heat. The Grizzly Bear saw the light, and coming along tried to put out the fire, because the warmth and the light were disagreeable to him. He scraped up the earth with his paws, and threw it on the fire, and thus had nearly extinguished it when the Chipmunk came along and began to throw sticks on the fire, thus making the Grizzly's efforts futile. The Chipmunk ran around gathering sticks and throwing them on the fire, and crying, "Tci'x-a, tci'x-a, ma'a, ma'a!"204 for he wanted to see the light and warmth remain. The Grizzly Bear in the mean time worked hard, throwing earth on the fire to put it out, and crying, "Li’pa, Li'pa, Li'pa!"205 Thus they contended with one another for a long time, but eventually the efforts of the Chipmunk seemed to meet with success, for the log commenced to burn more brightly. The Grizzly Bear, who was now getting tired, became angry with the Chipmunk for defeating him, and attacked him by throwing earth on him. The latter retaliated by throwing wood-dust. When he saw that he had no chance in a fight with the Grizzly Bear, he ran away, and hid in a hollow log close by. The Grizzly Bear chased him, and just as he was entering the log made a stroke at him, tearing the skin off his back in stripes; but the Chipmunk soon got out of harm's way, and was safe in his retreat inside the log. No one knows what became of the fire afterwards.206
THE BLACK BEAR AND THE CHIPMUNK.
[Nlakapamux'o'e and Nkamtci'nemux.]
The Black Bear and the Chipmunk once contended against each other, the former for darkness, the latter for light. The Bear cried, "Li'pa, Li’pa, Li’pa!" and the Chipmunk, "Ma'a, ma'a, ma'a!" The Bear, finding that the Chipmunk was his equal in the possession of magical powers, finally became enraged, and would have killed his adversary; but the Chipmunk was too quick for him, and ran into his hole just as the Bear made a dash for him. The Bear scratched the Chipmunk when going into his hole. This is the origin of the present stripes on the Chipmunk's back. If the Bear had managed to kill the Chipmunk, we should have had eternal darkness instead of day and night, as we have at present.
