Page:Kutenai Tales.djvu/303

288 2. The Wak on the Sky * and Nalmu'qtse (3 versions: Xoe. 50, 52, and VAEU 23:165). First Venion, — ^Muskiat wants to many his brother s widow. She refuses him, and he kills her with an arrow which differs in style from the tribal arrows.^ The people try to find out who killed her, and call in Frog, Muskrat's grandmother. Although she knows what has happened, she declines to tell, and answers by signs. The people think that the Sk>' people have killed the woman, and decide to make

75 war on the Sky. They shoot arrows up to the Sky and make a chain.^ Since it is not quite long enough. Raven puts his beak at the lower end. Then it reaches the - ground. When the animals are ready to go up. Wolverene asks them to wait for two days because he has to put away his things. Wlien he comes back, he finds the ani- mals have gone. He becomes angry and tears down the chain of arrows. The remain- ing people pursue Wolverene, who, when almost overtaken, cuts up himself and becomes a squirrel, idiich he puts under his own belt. When somebody thinks he recognizes him, he says that he is hunting squirrels. — Muskrat has made a laige lake in the sky and put up many tents around it. Wlien the people attack the village, a left-handed man comes out. This happens in ever>' tent, and the people recognize that there is only one person, Muskrat. They go back; and when they come to the place where the arrow chain had been, it is gone. They go to the diinking-place of Thunderbird, kill him, ancLdistribute his feathers. While these are being distributed, two bats expect to be given the beet feathers, but finally nothing is left for them.

77 They spread out their "blankets and sail down. Flying Squirrel pulls out his skin and sails down. The Sucker throws himself down and is broken to pieces. Wlien his brother 8 widow touches him, he is cured. — ^The warriors Flicker, the Woodpeckeis and their sister (a bird with yellow breast and gray feathers), have been left in the sky. They walk to the place where heaven and earth meet. At Nelson they meet supernatural beings, who tell them never to touch a fish lud not to stay over nig^t in the woods. Hiey find a charr which has drifted ashore. Flicker tries to kill it, but is swallowed by it and taken into the lake.^ They camp in the woods, and a toad ciawls under Woodpecker s blanket and sticks to his body. The others go on and meet Nalmu^qtse, who was crawling along Kootenai Rivei naming the country. He asks the Woodpeckers, his nephews, for some food. They put a red4iot stone into the

79 heart of a mountain goat, and try to throw it into his mouth .^ They miss, and the place is called Little Heart. Woodpecker sends two water birds to invite in all the Tisiij telling them that the lake will be (hied up if they should not come. The birds dance at every bay, inviting the Fish. The chief of the Fish, K!/k!om', is the last to arrive. He is given a pipe; and Woodpecker, his brothers, and the f^sh smoke. Hie Fish inquires for his grandson; that is, the Flicker that had been swallowed by the water monster; and he moves his eyebrows, showing that Flicker is in the lake. As a reward he is given meat, tchich may now be seen as a red spot on each side of the body. The Woodpeckers make ready to kill the water monster. The first who tries to attack him is Long Legs, who, however, is swallowed. Woodpecker tries next. He intends to kick the monster, but the blow glances off. The monster is chased along Kootenai River and comes back by way of Windermere to Red Wat^.

81 Wo«>dpecker hits it on the foot. Its blood makes the water red. At Long-Water Bay

1 Lillooct (JAFL 25:311. Okanagon (Hill-ToacJ> 1 41:146; Gatschet, Globos 52:137; Teit MA FLS 11:85), Pend dOreilles (Teit ilAFLS 11:115. Shnswap (Teit JE 2:749 . Thompson (Teit JE S:246: Bctts. Sagen 17). See also SanpoU (Gould MAFLS 11:107, 108). 2 LUlooet ( Teit J A FL 2.5:3. Shoswap (.Tell JZ 2:^79"i. Thompcson ( Teit J E S:361, 362). 3 See discussion in Boas R B A E 31:>64. 4 See discussion in Boas R B A E 1:-l:. o.>9 »>S7. n>. S-^S. 5 See discussion in Boas R B A E personal communication from Leo J, Aagt^ HidMtsa (Matthews 67).