Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
XXX. STORY OFNTCI’MKA AND THE CANNIBAL
[Nkamtci'nemux]
There formerly lived, a little to the east of the present Indian village of Lkamtci’n (or Lytton), a man gifted in magic, and called Ntci'mka. He lived there in an underground lodge with his wife. On the west side of Fraser River, near the present Indian village of Nxomi'n, lived another man who was a cannibal. He was sometimes called by name Tcuisqa'lemux, and was dreaded by everybody. He came out of his house every morning and looked around. He knew at once if a person approached his home, and chased and killed him with the long staff,261 which he always carried in his hand, and which had strings of human nails attached to it by way of ornament. No person could come anywhere near his abode without being killed and eaten. Once he came over to Ntci’mka's house. As he approached, Ntci’mka called to his aid all his magical arts to crush this enemy, but without avail. The Cannibal took the wife of Ntci’mka, who had retreated up Thompson River. Ntci'mka was therefore sorrowful, because he did not know how to effect a revenge. Thus he wandered up Thompson River until he reached Kamloops, and then, turning south, he went through the Okanagan country, returning by the Similkameen and Nicola Rivers. In the Okanagan262 country he stole a little boy, and carried him on his back every day as he traveled. At night he camped, and washed the boy with fir branches, so that he grew prodigiously every day, owing to this treatment. Ntci’mka came down Thompson River as far as Tsotcowa'ux Creek,263 which he followed up with his companion. Here he stayed with the boy, washing, sweating, and training him until he was a full-grown man, which was not long, as people grew fast in those days. In a short time the boy was perfect in magic264 and knew everything. Ntci'mka put four necklaces around the boy's neck.
One of these was of eagle's feathers, two were of hawk's feathers of different kinds, and the last was of rattlesnake skin. He told the lad to go to their enemy's abode, and that he himself would go and sit down on the bank opposite and watch them, but the lad was not to begin his engagement until he saw the smoke from Ntci'mka's pipe rise over the hill. Ntci'mka then sat down on the bank of the river, opposite Nxomi’n, and began to smoke his large pipe.265 On seeing the smoke rise, the lad jumped over the Fraser, alighting near his enemy's house. The Cannibal at once attacked the lad, trying to run his staff through him; but the latter jumped up to the top of one of the mountain peaks266 to the west of the Fraser, and the Cannibal only found a necklace on the point of his staff. He tried four times to hit the lad with his staff; but at each attempt the lad jumped on the top of one of the high mountain peaks, and the Cannibal only found a necklace on the point of his staff. He did not know that the magic power had left his staff, and that it had been reduced to an ordinary staff by the magic of the four necklaces. The lad then jumped back across Fraser River to the place where Ntci'mka was sitting smoking. The Cannibal came across to where they were, intending to kill them with his magical staff, but he found it was now of no avail: Ntci'mka then attacked their enemy, and they wrestled for the mastery. They rolled and tumbled around on the east bank of Fraser River, from there to the mouth of Thompson River.267 Presently Ntci'mka began to feel faint. He called on the lad to help him; but the latter lay on his back resting and took no heed. Ntci'mka gradually became weaker, and in a faint voice called on the lad again. Four times he called for help. The lad then rose up and rushed at the Cannibal, who was on top of Ntci'mka, and struck off his head with one blow of his large knife. Ntci'mka said, "Cut off his arms, for he still wrestles with me." Then the lad cut off his arms at the shoulder. Ntci'mka then cried, "Cut off his legs, for he is still overcoming me with them." The Lad did so, and so on until the body was all cut in pieces. After resting a while, Ntci'mka told the lad to throw the body away in different directions,268 telling him in which direction to throw the different parts. Thus his heart was thrown in the direction of the Okanagan; his hands and arms to the Shuswap; his legs to the Lillooet proper (or Upper Lillooet, who live near Fraser River); his feet and genitalia to the A'yut (or Lower Lillooet of the lakes). After he had scattered the parts of the body, Ntci'mka said, "You have forgotten to give anything to the Uta’mqt. It was then noticed that his head still remained on the ground some distance away, so the lad took it up and threw it towards the Uta'mqt. He then wiped his hands, and threw the wipings after the head. That is the reason that the Okanagon are brave, and that the A'yut and Lillooet are inferior to the Upper Nlaka'pamux and Shuswap (having feet to run away with, but no arms to fight), and also that the Uta’mqt are inferior, people and have larger heads than the Upper Nlaka’pamux. Ntci’mka and the lad then crossed Fraser River, and the former recovered his wife. They found the cannibal's son269 there and slew him, afterwards turning his body into stone, which is yet to be seen near Nxomi'n. Ntci'mka said that his body would lay that way for all coming generations to see, and that his spirit would haunt the place where his body was. That is the reason that Indians repair to this spot when suffering from pains in any part of the body. They rub the part afflicted with a fir branch, laying the latter beside the stone, and praying to the spirit that they may recover, afterwards leaving an offering or payment on the stone in the shape of hair, tobacco, clothes, etc…
