73 
75 
77 
79 
81 
288 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 59 
2. THE WaR ON THE SKY! AND Nazmvu/atse (3 versions: Nos. 50, 52, and VALU 
23:165). First Version.—Muskrat wants to marry 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 Sky people have killed the woman, and decide to make 
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. When 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, which he puts under his own belt. When somebody thinks he 
recognizes him, he says that he is hunting squirrels.—Muskrat has made a large lake 
in the sky and put up many tents around it. When the people attack the village, 
a left-handed man comes out. This happens in every 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 drinking-place of 
Thunderbird, kill him, and.distribute his feathers. While these are being distributed, 
two bats expect to be given the best feathers, but finally nothing is left for them. 
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. When 
his brother’s widow touches him, he is cured.—The warriors Flicker, the Woodpeckers 
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 and not to stay over night 
in the woods. They 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 
crawls under Woodpecker’s blanket and sticks to his body. The others go on and 
meet Naimu/qtse, who was crawling along Kootenai River naming the country. He 
asks the Woodpeckers, his nephews, for some food. They put a red-hot stone into the 
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 
Fish, telling them that the lake will be dried up if they should not come. The birds 
dance at every bay, inviting the Fish. The chief of the Fish, K!c’k!om’, is the last — 
to arrive. ,He is given a pipe; and Woodpecker, his brothers, and the Fish smoke. 
The 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, which 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 Water. 
Woodpecker hits it on the foot. Its blood makes the water red. At Long-Water Bay 
1 Lillooet (JA FL 25:311). 
Okanagon (Hill-Tout JAI 41:146; Gatschet, Globus 52:137; Teit MAF LS 11:85). 
Pend d’Oreilles (Teit MAFLS 11:118). 
Shuswap (Teit JI 2:749). 
Thompson (Teit JE 8:246; Boas, Sagen 17). 
See also Sanpoil (Gould MAF LS 11:107, 108). 
2 Lillooet (Teit JA FL 25:326). 7 
Shuswap (Teit JE 2:679). 
Thompson (Teit JE 8:361, 362). 
3 See discussion in Boas RBA FE 31:864. 
4 See discussion in Boas RBA 1 31:611, 659, 687, 718, 868. 
5 See discussion in Boas RBAE 31:682; also Alsea (personal communicatio: from Leo J. Frachten- 
berg), Hidatsa (Matthews 67). 
Ee 
