38 GEOEGE M. DAWSON ON" THE 



when the whites entered the country in large numbers. His true name was Kivcm- 

 /s/w/tew, or " rainbow," and Sir Matthew Begbie is credited with having given him his 

 " English name." Pavilion. « 



Superstitions. 



The Shuswaps, like all other tribes, practised " medicine " or sorcery for the cure of 

 disease. They had recognized medicine men named Tluh-kwï'-Uh. These sang and danced 

 round the patient, and endeavoure d by sucking and manipulation to extract the cause of 

 the illness or suffering. At times they would produce some small object as being the 

 cause. 



The custom of leaving little offerings of some kind at certain places, already men- 

 tioned, is not uncommon. There is, I was informed, a heap of stones on Whipsaw Creek, 

 not far below Powder Camp and on the route between the Similkameen and Hope, to 

 which everyone must "pay" something when passing, by putting a stone or twig upon 

 the cairn. 



The Indians aver that unknown beings sometimes throw stones at them, particularly 

 at night, when stones maybe noticed occasionally falling into the fire. A Kamloops 

 Indian, long since dead, once saw a white object following him by night. He drew back 

 from the trail and shot an arrow at it as it passed. In the morning he returned and found 

 his arrow buried in a human shoulder-blade. 



It is believed that burning wood from a tree which has been struck by lightning- 

 brings on cold weather. This appears to be based on the fact that cold follows a thuuder 

 storm. Thus, in the spring, when Indiaus may be travelling over the snow on high 

 ground, splinters of such wood are thrown into the fire to reduce the temperature in order 

 that the crust may remain unmelted on the snow. A small splinter of such wood wrapped 

 up with the bullet in loading a gun greatly increases the deadly effect of the bullet. 



Parnassia Jimbriala is accounted good " medicine " for the deer-hunter. The plant is to 

 be worn in the hat or rubbed on it and on the soles of the feet, which makes it certain that 

 the deer will be seen and caught. ' The rattle of a rattle-snake worn in the hat is a pre- 

 ventiA^e against headache. 



"With reference to a small lizard the Indians have a singular superstition, viz , that a 

 man seeing one of them is afterwards followed by it wherever he may go during the day, 

 till at length, when asleep during the following night, it finds him, and, entering his body 

 by the fundament, proceeds to eat oixt his heart, which naturally results before long in 

 his death. 



The late Mr. Bennett of Spallumsheen told me, in 1877, that the Indians employed by 

 him in making a ditch for purposes of irrigation, on coming into camp in the evening 

 would jump several times over the fire in order to lead the possibly pursing lizard to 

 enter the fire and be destroyed in attempting to cross. He also noticed that they carefully 

 tied up the legs of their trousers when retiring. If while at work during the day they 

 saw one of these little lizards, which appeared to be abundant in this locality, it would 

 be caught in a forked twig, the ends of which were then tied together with a wisp of 

 grass and the butt end of the twig afterwards planted in the soil. Thus treated the lizard 

 soon died and became a natural mummy. If during the progress of the work 



