Traditions of the Thompson River Indians (cont.)
Abstracts.
One time the country was on fire. The people were burned, except an old blind woman and a boy, who took refuge on a trail. The boy intends to take revenge on the people who had burned the country. He puts his grandmother, the Short-tailed Mouse, in a hollow log and drags her along. They meet with several obstructions, which disappear when his grandmother looks at them. Finally the boy continues alone, assuming the shape of a wolf. He reaches his enemies, flutters into their house in the shape of an eagle's down, and burns the Indians. The chief hides his daughters under skins, and presents the whole pile to the boy, who accepts them and spares the chief.
Stetso', the survivor of the fire, makes a fish weir, spears, and nets, and catches and dries many fish by his mere word. On the following morning he finds his fish stolen. His grandmother informs him by whose help he can make bows and arrows. He covers himself with birch-bark armor, climbs a high rock, whence he is taken up by eagles, with whom he fights in the air, and is gradually let down. He pulls out the Eagle's feathers. He asks the Deer to let him ride on his back, and cuts the sinew out of the Deer's back. He makes two men, the possessors of arrowstone, quarrel. When they fight, black and white arrowstones fall from their bodies. He takes these to the Raven, who makes arrow-heads for him.
The Fishes attack the Okanagon and are pursued. The Sturgeon jumps from side to side, thus making the course of Columbia River. But they are overtaken and thrown into the river. The Sturgeon is killed in Fraser River, and for this reason does not ascend Thompson River.
A hunter's sister eats venison while he is out hunting. He strikes her, and she assumes the shape of a golden plover, while he himself is transformed into a bird whose cry is interpreted as "O my younger sister!"
One of two brothers is carried away by the Ants, who leave him in the underground world. He is reminded of his brother by a tear falling on his hand. The Ants show the remaining brother that the entrance to their world is underneath the firestone of their lodge. He is told that the Spider will help him to reach the lower world. The Spider's thread being too weak, he is sent to the Crow, who instructs him to jump down the hole. After striking four obstacles, he will reach the lower world, where he is to open his eyes. He obeys, and finds his brother.
A number of women who are digging roots hear the cry, "aq." The crying monster reaches their camp, and does not accept food they offer him. When they sleep, he eats their hearts. One boy who had hidden in a basket escapes. The men, when informed, go out in the disguise of women, and kill the monster. They cut him, and throw the parts of his body in the direction of the surrounding tribes, -- the head, to the Okanagon, who for this reason are brave; the back, to the Shuswap, who therefore are strong; the intestines, to the Lillooet, who for this reason are unwarlike; the remaining blood, to the tribes down the river, who for this reason are inferior people. They replace the hearts of the women, who revive, thinking they have been asleep.
Ntci'mka desires to kill a cannibal who owns a long staff set with strings of human nails. The Cannibal has taken Ntci'mka's wife. Ntci'mka travels, and steals a boy whom he carries on his back. He makes him grow prodigiously by washing him with fir-branches. He gives the boy four necklaces, -- one of eagle's feathers, two of hawk's feathers, and one of rattlesnake skin. He sends the boy to the Cannibal where he sits on the opposite side of the river, smoking. The boy jumps across the river, and is attacked by the Cannibal, who tries to stab him with his spear. The boy jumps to the top of a mountain, and only his necklace is on the point of the spear. When the Cannibal has speared the four necklaces, the magical power of his staff has disappeared. Then Ntci'mka attacks the Cannibal, and, rolling about with him, tears up the ground. Four times he calls the boy to help him. He strikes off the Cannibal's head, then his arms and legs, which were still fighting against Ntci'mka. The parts of the body are thrown about as in the preceding story. The rest of the body is transformed into stone, which is still effective in curing sickness. The boy is sent back to his friends. Before leaving, he kills deer for Ntci'mka, and receives presents of eagle's quills and dentalia. On his way home, he is attacked at Kamloops. He makes two large trees grow, which he climbs. His enemies chop them down, but have not finished when it begins to grow dark. During the night he bribes an old man with his dentalia. The people divide these the next morning. There are not enough quills to go round, and the Porcupine does not receive any. He sulks and the dentalia are all thrown on him. They are all transformed into porcupine quills.
The woman pretends to be sick, and leaves her house every day. Her husband follows her, and sees that near a lake she dresses handsomely, and calls up a sea monster. The next day, the man, disguised in her dress, calls on the monster and kills it. He cuts off part of his body and boils it, and gives it to his wife to eat.
Two hunters who live with their mother find, when they return home, that she has disappeared. They make many moccasins, and set out to search for her. They travel over the four points of the compass, but do not find her. Finally, by instruction of their guardian spirit, they go to the country of the ghosts, across a great lake. As they proceed, it grows first darker and darker, and as they near their destination it grows lighter again. On reaching the house of the ghosts, a man forbids them to enter, but lets them pass after he has taken away their mortal parts.
