Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
XXlll. THE GRIZZLY BEARS AND THE HUNTERS.226
[Nkamtci'nemux.]
Four brothers lived together in the mountains.227 They were hunters, and consequently spent all their time there. They had a sister who lived with them and whose name was Silolaxi’xtem.228 She was a very small229 girl, and used to dig roots for her brothers, who had burned a piece of a mountain side, so that the s’ka’mitc root230 should yield a better crop; and it was here that the little sister went to dig roots. One of her brothers had made a basket for her out of a deer's hoof. She had a tiny dog, the louse, which constantly followed her. This dog had great difficulty in walking through the grass, and grew tired jumping over the obstacles in its way. Therefore she used to lift it over the taller grass. She generally led the dog by a string, singing as she went along, sometimes to or about her dog, sometimes about the root digging, or again about her brothers who were out hunting. She usually carried a lunch of deer's marrow in her basket, which she partook of whenever she felt hungry. The four231 Grizzly Bear sisters also lived in the mountains and used to dig roots, wandering about from place to place. At length they carne to the spot which had been burned, and found the s'k’a'mitc root very plentiful. Here they dug, and presently heard the little girl singing about her brothers having gone hunting.232 They searched for the girl, who, seeing them coming, became frightened, and, in order to hide herself, jumped into the hole from which she had dug roots. But there was no room for her dog in the hole; and the bears seeing it, with a string leading to the hole where she was hidden, found her. They asked her if she had any elder brothers, and she said, "yes." Then they filled her basket with roots, and said they would accompany her home, where they hid outside the lodge, while the girl went inside and cooked the roots for her brothers. Shortly after dark the four brothers came in, each carrying a deer inside its skin.233 They began to eat, praising their sister for the large amount of fine roots that she had dug. They said, "Our little younger sister must be growing strong. Hitherto she was not able to dig so many roots." They gave her venison to eat, which she kept passing out underneath the tent to the bears. The brothers wondered at her huge and unwonted appetite, saying, "Hitherto our little younger sister was not able to eat so much." Before entering the lodge, the Grizzly Bear had given Silolaxi’xtem four very large s’ka'mitc roots, in the heart of each of which they had placed a hair taken from their pubes, and had directed her to roast these roots for her brothers, and to see that they ate them whole; for if they attempted to break them, she was to warn them, saying "Do not break the roots before you eat them, because if you do, my rootdigger will break when I dig roots with it." Silolaxi’xtem had roasted the four roots as directed, and now, taking them out of the ashes, gave them to her brothers, who were surprised at their large size. One of the brothers took one, and was going to break it in two, when his sister told him just as the Grizzly Bears had instructed her. Then he desisted, and put the root into his mouth whole. Each of the brothers ate one. Before long some of the brothers said they were thirsty, and, as there was no water in the lodge, they told the youngest brother to go and fetch some. He took the bucket and went, but had not gone far from the lodge: when one of the Grizzly Bear women ran up to him and embraced him. He became ashamed, and, turning back to the lodge, entered and lay down. His brothers were astonished at his action, and asked him what had happened, but he did not answer them. Then one of the others took up the bucket ant went to fetch water; but he, too, was embraced by one of the women, and, returning, acted just like his brother. After the third brother had done likewise, the eldest arose and went outside, where he also was embraced by one of the Grizzly Bear women, who said to him, "We are four sisters. We found your sister digging roots, and she told us that she had brothers. We thought that we would pay you a visit." The Hunter answered, "Then it must have been you who gave our sister so many roots;" and they answered, "Yes, we did so." Then he invited them to come inside the lodge, which they did, and the four hunters took the four Grizzly Bear women for their wives.234
Afterwards the eldest Grizzly Bear killed and ate the three younger brothers and their three wives (her sisters). The eldest brother then became afraid, and, taking his little sister with him, ran away, and camped in the lonely and high mountains. His wife, the eldest Grizzly Bear, searched for them, but could not find them. The Hunter then married Silolaxi’xtem, and in time she bore him a child. One day the Grizzly Bear was out digging roots, and she heard a woman singing to her baby, "Oh, your uncle is out hunting! Oh, your father is out hunting!" She followed the sound and found the lodge, which was that of the little sister. She went in and killed the young woman and ate her.
