Page:Kutenai Tales.djvu/104

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Boas]
Kutenai Tales
89

he also fell. He said when he fell: "The place where | my hat falls is to be called Ear." || Then the chief fell and died. Nałmu′qtse fell and was nearly dead, and nevertheless | he named one more place. |

Now I have told you how Nałmu′qtse, our great-great-grandfather generations back, died. |

53. Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m

Well, I'll tell about Chief Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢkaˑm | the Kutenai, long ago.|

(a) The Birth of Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢka·m

Frog was living in a tent. There was her granddaughter, named Young Doe. | Young Doe went picking berries. Frog said to || her granddaughter: "Don't go and drink at the water hole in the ice. | When you come into the house, drink here." For a few days | her granddaughter did so. One day Young Doe was picking berries again. | She came to be thirsty, and thought: "Let me drink | from the water hole." She drank. Then a man put out his hand || to pull her into the water. She thought she would die. She saw, however, there was | a tent where she had been taken into the water. | The man took her and married her. | The name of this man was White Stone. She staid there. | Then her husband went hunting. In the spring of the year she had a child. || Then the child was called Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢkaˑm. His father and | his mother called him Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢkaˑm. That man knew that his son would be | a chief, therefore he gave him this name. |

Then White Stone had an elder brother. That man was bad. | He was quick-tempered. He was named Gray Stone. Then among these || brothers, Gray Stone, the one, was always angry; | the other, the younger one, was not angry. He had a strong | mind. Then Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢkaˑm was like stones striking together (?). | Gray Stone made noise inside. Then when he went around, | Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢkaˑm was told by his mother: || "Your father's brother, Gray Stone, does not feel good when you are here. Now you are large, go to your | great-grandmother's tent. Her name is Frog. She loves all | children and all big people who are her grandsons | and her granddaughters. Frog is my grandmother. When you get there and she sees you, | she will say to you: 'My grandchild, let me see you and love you.' || You will always play there." |

Then Ya.ukᵘe′ᵢkaˑm started for the tent. He arrived and | looked in. He saw an old woman | sitting there in the rear with her back