SHUSWAP PEOPLE OP BEITISH COLUMBIA. 37 



canoes to pass because of the " water people," who in this instance are described as of 

 human shape, but hairy in the upper half, with fish-like tails below. It is also told of 

 this bluff that some hostile people once coming by land to attack the Kamloop Indians, 

 looking down over the front of the bluff as they passed, saw a woman or witch dancing 

 in a niche part way down the cliff. They sat down on the edge of the cliff to watch 

 the woman dance and were there turned to stones. 



Little men called, as ascertained by Mr. McEvoy, Ts/i-in-l-iem, are reported to exist in 

 several places. The most noted locality is Bighorn Mountain (La-te'-kwU-e-ken), situated 

 twenty miles down Okanagan Lake, on the west side. They hunt with bows and arrows ; 

 and while represented as being only two feet high, yet they are able to carry a deer 

 easily. In contrast to this, when a scjuirrel is killed they skin it and take only a part, 

 as the whole is to heavy for them. The Indians are very much afraid of them. 



The bluff rocky point which comes out on the north side of the South Thompson 

 River, nineteen miles above Kamloops, is named Sk-a-mâ-mtnk, or " big belly." It is said 

 to represent a woman with child who was tiirned to stone by Kwil-T-elt'. Paul's Peak, 

 near Kamloops, is similarly said to have been a man who was turned to stone by the same 

 old hero. The name of the man was Tk-kul-li-knht. The smaller hill in front of the main 

 summit was a woman. The two prominences represent her breasts, and the name of the 

 hill is Skuk-a-d'n, or "the breasts." 



The Indians say that on the mountain named Tshiu'-a-kin, or " shoulder-blade," with 

 notable, broad, bare surfaces of white limestone, on the east side of Adams Lake fourteen 

 miles from its lower end, they often see the footprints of a child when they hunt, but can 

 never follow these up so far as to ascertain what makes them. 



The curious and prominent point on the plateau south of Bonaparte Lake named Sko'- 

 ichoatl (Skoatl on map) is the object of some superstitious veneration or dread. Indians 

 going to fish in the lakes near it blacken their faces to propitiate the local evil influence. 

 Its name simply means " the pointed" or " upstanding." It is further supposed that an 

 approach to this place is likely to produce rain and stormy weather. The same idea 

 attaches also to Vermilion Bluff, on the Tulameen River, already mentioned. 



It is stated that somewhere in the high mountainous country not far from Za-kwâs-ki, 

 there is to be found the perfect representation of a boat in stone, with three Indians sit- 

 ting erect in it, also in stone. None of those I spoke to seemed to know exactly where 

 this was, but one man A^olunteered the suggestion that there must at some time have been 

 a great flood, after which the boat stranded. 



The west branch of the Barrière River is named Sas'-kum or " open mouth," from a 

 story which relates that a dog was there turned to stone, and may still be seen somewhere 

 with mouth open. 



The Kamloops Indians affirm, that the very highest mountain they know is on the 

 north side of the valley at Tête Jaune Cache, about ten miles from the valley. This is 

 named Yuh-hai-has'-kun, from the appearance of a spiral road running i^p it. No one has 

 ever been known to reach the top, though a former chief of Tsuk-tsuk-kwâlk', on the North 

 Thompson, was near the top once when hunting goats. When he realized how high he 

 had climbed he became frightened and returned. 



Pavilion Mountain was so named after a chief of considerable renown, whose author- 

 ity was widely acknowledged. He flourished about the time of the first gold excitement, 



