NATIVE TRIBES. eH

Another and another brother going to the rescue shared his fate. ‘Che survivor,
perceiving the impossibility of overcoming so powerful an enemy, spread his wings
and flew off to the Clayoquot Mountains, where he made his home in security.
The accumulation of whale bones discovered after the passing of many years
demonstrated however, that, with the able assistance of the Lightning Snake,
kept under his wing to use as a harpoon, he continued his habit of feasting upon
his favourite food. Mr. W. A. Newcombe suggests that this legend possibly
originated in some remote tribal warfare, in which the Thunder-bird tribe over-
came and enslaved the Whales, and is thus based upon a thread of fact.

TRICKSTERS AND CULTURE HEROES ON THE COAST
AND INTERIOR.

‘The most popular tradition of the North Pacific Coast is that of the Raven.
Its most characteristic form existed among the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian;
moving southward the connection between the adventures became looser and the
number less.

In one form or another myths in which the leading incidents remained con-
stant spread over a wide area, details of names and motives varying in each
locality. A good illustration of this fact is exemplified by the thirty variations
listed by Dr. Boas in the myth accounting for the origin of daylight. He also
traced and classified more than forty-eight episodes in the sequence of Raven’s
adventures; but in no case were the whole number found in one tribe. Most
numerous in the north, the episodes gradually dwindled in number until they
petered out among the Salish of the Fraser River delta. Throughout the
Interior ‘“ Skil’ap,” the Coyote, superseded in prominence ‘“‘ Yelth’”’ the Raven.

Salmon myths offer an excellent illustration of this process of diffusion. One
type centres about the Kwakiutl on Vancouver Island and spreads to the opposite
coast. A second centres about the Puget Sound and a third among the Interior
Salish tribes and south to California. The first belongs to the Raven cycle; one
episode spreading through the Bella Coola to the Chilcotin and Lillooet and north
to the Haida and Tsimshian. ‘The third type, in which Coyote receives credit
for the coming of salmon, is found among the Thompson, Shuswap, Lillooet,
Kootenay, and tribes to the south; though he became known under several names
_ during the process of diffusion from one tribe to another.

Most prominent of all “ Tricksters”” is Raven. In his place of origin he was
sometimes “the Great Chief” or the “ Great Inventor,’ because of the many
gifts he gained for mankind, though often by base and underhand methods.

‘To the Kwakiutl, Nootka, and Salish he was their Culture Hero, “ the Trans-
former,” who gave names to their rivers, mountains, and lakes, and instructed
them in many useful arts; his conduct becoming less disreputable as his exploits
travelled farther south, though his chosen companion, Mink, was guilty of many
unfair tricks. Eagle and Bear, Beaver and Porcupine, take an active part in
many of Raven’s adventures, and Deer and Tomtit must not be omitted from
his friends or his dupes. References to him in the dual role of Trickster and
Culture Hero are still found, though rarely, in the myths of the Interior Salish,
where he is given credit for the gift of tobacco. Finding that the leaves of the
tobacco-tree were poisonous, he cut the tree down with arrow flakes and ordained
that no more should its leaves be harmful to mankinde Among the Chilcotin,
this role of benefactor was assigned to Coyote, who first made stone pipes for the
people. He plucked various leaves to smoke in his pipe, and changed one kind
into what became known as tobacco.

a