MOON
Thompson River
Moon used to be an Indian. He would be as bright as Sun if his sister Frog did not sit upon him. At one time when Moon had invited the Stars to his house, it was so crowded there was no room for his sister Frog to sit down. She jumped on his face and stuck there.
Whenever it threatens to snow or rain, Moon builds a house and enters it. White men call it a halo. The cirrus clouds are the smoke of his pipe, and he always holds his pipe in his hand. You can see it in the moon today, and the basket which he uses as a hat. Moon seems to change from night to night, sometimes being larger and sometimes smaller, but that is all because of Frog’s shadow.
WAR WITH THE SKY PEOPLE
Thompson River
The people of Sky Land stole Swan’s wife. Swan at once called all the Earth People to a great council. They agreed to make war on the Sky People.
Now they gathered their bows and arrows. Swan was their chief. Each man began to fire his arrows at the sky. Every one came down. Every man tried to shoot an arrow into the Sky Land, until at last only Wren was left.
Then Wren shot an arrow. The people watched, but it did not come back to earth. They watched a long time. It had stuck in the sky. Wren fired another arrow. That did not come down. It had stuck in the notch of the first one. Wren fired many arrows. Not one came back, though all the birds and animals were watching carefully. They at last could see the chain of arrows, and Wren shot more arrows until the chain reached the earth.
Now all the Bird People and the Animal People climbed over the arrow chain and went up into Sky Land and fought the Sky People. Grizzlies lived there, and Black Bear and Elk. And the Sky People won the fight. The Earth People began to retreat in great haste. They came down over the arrow chain, but when about half the people had reached the ground, the chain broke. Those who could not get down had to go back to Sky Land. Some of them were made prisoners and some were killed.