98 BRITISH COLUMBIA.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MYTHS AMONG TRIBES
OF THE INTERIOR.

Myths among tribes of the Interior differ noticeably from those on the Coast.
They are largely concerned with the doings of animals, and there is constant
reference to the metamorphosis of men and animals into rocks.

Most of their myths and tales are rather long and relatively few men appear
in them; but Grizzly Bear and Beaver, Black Bear, Deer, Frog, Squirrel, Rabbit,
and Wolf all play active parts, though “ Skil’ap ”—the wily Coyote—is in all
cases the prominent figure, and Owl, Skunk, Chicken-hawk, Dog, and Moose
must not be omitted.

The belief that men and the animals which they hunted constituted one big
family was generally held, with the result that certain restrictions were imposed
in hunting, and the remains of the bear, deer, and beaver were often treated with
veneration.

Incidents were usually disconnected in the Shuswap, Thompson, and Lillooet
myths, but those current among the Kootenay and Okanagan were mostly welded
into groups.

‘The Chilcotin traditions are of special interest as showing the influence of
both coast and inland neighbours. Their chief myth deals with their Culture
Hero as Trickster in the form of a being half man and half dog, who came to
the Chilcotin country from the north-west. As he and his three sons journeyed
along they overcame many animals who had previously been dangerous to men,
on whom they took pity, teaching them hunting and other useful arts; thus
raising them from their previously wretched state of ignorant misery.

The following fable of Kootenay origin with the moral lesson it conveys on
the infectious quality of groundless fear will fitly close this meagre sketch of a
wide and fascinating subject. i

“There sat Coyote. All at once he saw Rabbit coming. He said to him,
‘Why are you running?’ Rabbit said, ‘I am scared, I am running away.’ He
went past Coyote, on and on. Coyote still sat there. "Then he thought ‘ Oh,
something must have happened, I might almost have been in trouble myself.’
Coyote started to run, he went along and along. There was a little prairie.
There sat Wolf. Wolf was there and saw Coyote coming. Coyote arrived and
Wolf said, ‘ Why are you running?’ ‘Iam running away’; Coyote went past.
Wolf sat there, he thought ‘ Something must have happened and I might almost
have been in trouble myself.’ Wolf started to run. He went along and along.
There was a little prairie. There stood Grizzly Bear. He saw Wolf coming.
He was coming along; when he arrived Grizzly Bear said to him, ‘ Now, why
are you running?’ He was told ‘I am running away.’ Wolf went past.
Grizzly Bear stayed there and thought ‘ Oh, something must have happened and
I might almost have been in trouble myself.’ Grizzly Bear then started to run.
He went along and along. There was a prairie. ‘There he saw the three
friends. He saw Wolf sitting there; a little farther along Coyote, a little
farther along Rabbit. Grizzly Bear said to Wolf, ‘ Now, why did you run
away, there is hardly anything to run away from?’ Wolf said, ‘I was staying
there and saw Coyote coming. When he arrived I said to him “ Why are you
running?’ He said to me “J am running away.”’ ‘Then Grizzly Bear put
the same question to Coyote, who made the same reply. The Rabbit was asked,