———————————————————— << LLC 
ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, 563 
After this great gift to them the Indians thought very highly of 
Beaver, and he was usually called by them ‘our head brother’ because of 
his wisdom and goodness. 
Painted Blanket Myth. 
When Beaver had finished his instructions to the ‘Stalo’ Indians he 
returned tothe Thompson River, and hearing there that a young medicine- 
man possessed a remarkable figured blanket which his father, a very great 
and wise Shaman, had made for him, he determined to secure this treasure 
for himself. Accordingly he and all the people of his village started off 
to find the young Shaman’s dwelling. After travelling a great way they 
finally discovered his home, and having told him the object of their journey 
was to see his wonderful blanket, begged to be allowed to look at it. But 
this the young Shaman was unwilling to do, knowing they would take it 
from him if they once saw it. Disappointed by his refusal to show it, 
some of them determined to kill him, and afterwards steal and make off 
with the blanket. Their designs were revealed to him in a dream by his 
guardian spirit, and he resolved to outwit and punish them for their evil 
intentions. Leaving his house he went and camped on the edge of a steep 
precipice, taking with him the bladders of several animals he had lately 
killed, and which he seems to have kept for the purpose. He also took 
with him his snow-shoes. He wetted the bladders and blew them out and 
secured their mouths. He had not been settled long when several of the 
men came over to him with the intention of murdering him and then 
securing his magic blanket for themselves. But he, knowing their inten- 
tions, was prepared for them. Taking his snow-shoes and the bladders of 
wind, he placed them under his blanket in such a manner as to make them 
appear like a dog at his side. He sat with his face towards the precipice, 
between him and which there was but a narrow strip of ground. In the 
dusk the edge of the precipice was not discernible. As the men 
approached he cried out to them not to come too close to him, as his dog 
was very savage and fierce. They therefore went and sat down some little 
way from him, just on the edge of the precipice with their backs towards 
it, and their faces towards him. As they seated themselves the young 
Shaman shifted his seat so that he sat upon one of the bladders, from 
which he now permitted the wind to escape in sudden jerks and gusts, 
which made a noise like the angry growlings of a fierce dog. The men grew 
alarmed ; the more so as he now pushed forward the toes of his snow-shoes, 
which to them seemed the dog’s fore-paws. At the same time the youth 
cried out, ‘Take care now, take care! You have made my dog angry and 
dangerous,’ and at the same moment he pushed the snow-shoes farther 
towards them. In their fear of the dog they moved back a little, and the 
young Shaman moved witn them as if he were trying to restrain the dog. 
Opening a second bladder, and pushing the snow-shoes again towards 
them, the two things together caused them to retreat still farther until, 
all unknown to themselves, they sat upon the very brink of the preci- 
pice. He now opened the third bladder, which made a horrible noise as 
the wind escaped, and at the same time pushed forward the snow-shoes 
again. Thinking to avoid the supposed dog they all moved backward, and 
before they had realised their danger were over the brink and falling 
headlong down the precipice, at the bottom of which they were dashed to 
pieces. Thus did the young Shaman outwit his would-be murderers and 
robbers. He now determined to run away and hide himself from the 
02 
