728 TSIMSHIAN MYTHOLOGY [kth.ANK.31 



lie himself is way up in the sky. He talks too much. Finally the bird Tsxtskna'sp 

 (a flicker) becomes the sun. By far the fullest version has been recorded from the 

 Kutenai. hi this tale the Transformer, Coyote, Chicken Hawk, and others try to be 

 the Sun. The Transformer proves to be too red, because he is painted with ocher. 

 Coyote talks too much. The Chicken Hawk is too yellow. Finally the two sons of 

 Lynx prove satisfactory. One of them becomes the Sun; the other, the Moon. In 

 an UU'mqt version Coyote is asked to be the Moon, but is too talkative. Then 

 Child Of Hog Fennel becomes the Moon U 226. 



The Red-Headed Woodpecker is tried. He is too hot. Crane goes too slowly. 

 Coyote gossips too much. Finally Coyote's son is selected and becomes the Sun, 

 Okanagon Hill-Tout. 



In the Wishram talc Coyote becomes Sun's slave, but is deposed because he be- 

 trays everything he sees Wish 47. 



Distantly related to this group of tales is the Wasco myth, which tells of two 

 brothers who went east, killed Sun and Moon, and became themselves the heavenly 

 bodies Wasco 308. I doubt if the Comcx tale of the sons of Pitch, who become Sun 

 and Moon, belongs here (see p. 683) Co 5.65. 



(b) Origin of the Seasons (p. 114) 



(11 versions: Ts 114; Sha626; Sh6 738; Tla20; T16 107; Skll8; Shoshoni 274; Hare 



Petitot 7.299; Assiniboin 101; Fox; 1 Ojibwa. 1 See also Ts 106) 



The animals hold a council, and the Dogs advise that each moon shall last forty 

 days. The Porcupine strikes his thumb while he is holding up his hands counting, 

 and says, "There shall be only thirty days." For this reason the dog's thumb stands 

 opposite his other fingers, and for this reason there are tirelee months. 



Evidently this part of the story belongs with the meeting of the wild animals (Ts 

 106). The Grizzly Bear calls a council, intending to protect the animals against the 

 hunters, and asks that the winter shall be cold and long. The large animals agree. 

 Porcupine objects, because the cold will freeze the small animals. When Grizzly 

 Bear overrules him, Porcupine says that the large animals will not be able to live, 

 because all plants will die in the long and cold winter, while the small animals will 

 be able to live on bark. Porcupine bites off his thumb in order to emphasize his 

 speech. Then the animals agree that there shall be ice and snow in winter, rain in 

 apring, warm weather in summer, when the fishes go up the river, and that the leaves 

 shall fall off in the autumn. It is ordained that the animals are to be in their dens for 

 six months. During the council Porcupine strikes the animals with his tail, therefore 

 all animals are afraid of porcupine. 



In the Shuswap version Grizzly Bear and Coyote quarrel first on account of the 

 length of night and day. After this has been settled, they discuss the length of the 

 season. Grizzly Bear wants the winter (or the year) to have as many months as there 

 are feathers in the tail of the blue grouse ( ruffed grouse Shi). Coyote finds that there 

 are twenty-two of these, and wants only one-half that number. Grizzly Bear objects. 

 Then Coyote says that the year shall have as many months as there are feathers in the 

 tail of the flicker. To this Grizzly Bear assents, and finds that there are twelve. 

 Therefore there are six months winter, and six months summer Sho. In another ver- 

 sion Grizzly Bear accepts half the number at first suggested by Coyote Sh6.' 



The Shoshoni tell that Wolf asks the animals to meet in council. Coyote demands 

 that spring shall last ten months. The small bird To'tsegwe wants spring to last 

 three months. Coyote is enraged and tries to kill it, but is pursued by the bird and 

 his friend Rattlesnake. 



The Assiniboin tell that after the Flood I n kto n 'ni' ordained that there should be 

 as many months summer as there are hairs on a wolf skin. Frog says seven months 



1 According to a communication from Dr. Truman Michelson, a manitou wants summer and winter each 

 to have the same number of months as there are feathers in the tail of a turkey. The culture-hero de- 

 cides that tlie number of months is to be the same as that of the stripes on the back of a chipmunk, 

 Fox. The same story occurs in Jones's Ojibwa tales. 



