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. Nalmuʼqtse 55 fell and was nearly dead, and nevertheless | he named one more place. |
Now I have told you how Nałmuʼqtse, our great-great-grandfather generations back, died. |
53. Ya.ukueʼika.m
Well, I'll tell about Chief Ya.ukueʼika.m,| the Kutenai, long ago.|
(a) the birth of ya.ukueika.m
Frog was living in a tent. There was her granddaughter, named Young Doe. | Young Doe went picking berries. Frog said to || her 5 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 10 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.ukueʼika.m. His 15 father and | his mother called him Ya.ukueʼika.m. 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, 20 the younger one, was not angry. He had a strong | mind. Then Ya.ukueʼika.m was like stones striking together (?). | Gray Stone made noise inside. Then when he went around, | Ya.ukueʼika.m was told by his mother: || "Your father's brother, Gray Stone, does not 25 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 30 will always play there." |
Then Ya.ukueʼika.m started for the tent. He arrived and | looked in. He saw an old woman | sitting there in the rear with her back