Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
They continued their fight for a short time after reaching the ground; but Stetso had the best of the engagement, and choked the Eagle, who was unable to hurt him, owing to his birch-bark armor. Then he pulled out the Eagle's tail-feathers,240 and ran away with them, leaving his adversary to lament his loss. Next Stetso was sent by his grandmother to the Buck Deer for sinew for his bow-string. He went and met the Fawn, who told him, "My mother the Doe is coming along." He then met the Doe, who said, "You will see my grandfather the Buck a short distance behind." At last he met the Buck, who was glad to see him, and invited him to have a ride on his back, all invitation which Stetso gladly accepted. Presently he took his knife, and commenced to cut the Buck at the back of the neck. The latter said, "Ah, my child! that hurts. What are you doing to me?" Stetso answered, "I am only scratching for your lice." Finally Stetso cut so deeply that the Buck fell down and died. He then cut him up, and took the shrew from his back. After he had returned home, his grandmother sent him to two old men who were the possessors of arrowstones, and who lived in an underground lodge some distance away.241 He arrived there and they welcomed him. He talked quietly to one and told him that the other old man called him "arrow eyes" and other bad names, and made much fun of him. Then he went to the other old man and told him somewhat the same story of his companion, who, he said, told lies about him, and called him names. By this means the two old men became incensed at one another, and commenced to fight. Immediately white arrowstone began to drop from the body of the one, and black arrowstone from that of the other. Stetso gathered them up and ran out carrying a large pile of them, unnoticed. He then told the old men, "You have had enough. Stop fighting. I was only fooling you." The old men sat down, saying, "It is too bad that you made us quarrel like that by telling lies !"242 Stetso took this arrowstone home to his grandmother, who said, "Take it to the Raven, who is skilled at making arrow-heads."243 He took it to the Raven, who chipped the stone into arrow-pleads of different sizes and shapes, some of which were very large. He244 then scattered them over the country, more falling in some localities than in others. After that the Indians always found the stone in the shape of arrow-heads. Moreover, if they wanted stone to make arrow heads, they picked up these Raven arrow-heads, and finished them off. The ones used by the Indians were very small, while the Raven arrow heads were much larger, and very clumsily shaped. The Indians often made six or more arrow-heads out of one of these pieces of chipped stone.245
XXVI. THE WAR OF THE FISHES WlTH THE OKANAGAN
[Nkamtci’nemux]
Formerly all the fishes246 went from Lytton247 to make war against the Okanagan. On returning from the war, in which they had been comparatively successful, they were pursued and finally overtaken by the Okanagan. Here the Sturgeon, in his endeavors to escape from the enemy, jumped from side to side, and ran around in large curves, thus temporarily throwing the enemy off the scent. In this way he formed the large and numerous windings which are so characteristic of the upper Columbia River at this present day. His endeavors were of little avail, however, for the sEmae’suL, the pi’suL248 and most of the other fish, were overtaken and slain before reaching the Nicola country, and their bodies thrown into the lakes and streams. Here the whitefish and other fish were slain, and shortly afterwards the humpback salmon and the steelhead salmon were also overtaken, and their bodies thrown into the Nicola River. Upon reaching the Thompson, the s'Lekasu'L, the Tso’lxla, the sockeye salmon, and the spring salmon were overtaken, and their bodies thrown into that river. The sturgeon was killed on reaching Lytton, and his body was thrown into the Fraser River. Only the ku'lox escaped of all the fishes, and ever since he has been afraid to come up the Fraser River above Yale. Thence the pursuers returned home. That is the reason that at the present day these fishes are to be found so abundantly throughout the lakes and smaller streams of the upper Nlaka'pamux and Okanagan countries; that the salmon abound chiefly in Thompson River, and not in the Nicola, and that the sturgeon does not frequent Thompson river, but is altogether confined to Fraser River. This is also the reason that the ku’lox seldom or never enters the Nlaka’pamux country, only ascending the Fraser River as far as Hope or Yale.
XXVII. STORY OF TCISKI'KIK .249
[Nkamtci’nemux]
Tciski'kik was a great deer hunter. He had a sister to whom he had given strict injunctions never to eat venison while he was hunting. One day she disobeyed him, which made him very angry250 with her, because he thought that now his good luck would leave him. He struck her several times, and also fired an arrow at her. Then she ran away and left him, at the same time telling him that she would not live with him any more, nor even talk to him. Therefore she transformed herself251 into a bird called kaqwa,252 and soon disappeared from sight. Her brother, after his anger had subsided, was very sorry because his sister had left him, and began to wail, and bemoan his fate, for he really loved his sister. This is the reason that at the present day the tcis' kik always cries, "Naxlentce'tca!" (" Oh, my younger sister.")
