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History and Folklore of the Cowichan Indians
Chee-Chee-Ka




I now give the translation of the above story: CHEE-CHE-KA.

Chee-che-ka was once upon a time a man who could change himself into mink shape. One day he had set his trap in the river and was watching the stick that held the door open. Presently the stick moved, and he let down the door and pulled up the trap. Instead of fish he caught a fine young wolf.

“Now, then, what are you doing in my trap?”

“Oh, I was looking for salmon trout. Please let me go.”

“No, indeed; you have been stealing from me long enough, and now I will punish you.”

So the poor wolf was killed, the fur and head taken off and stuffed.

By and bye the wolf’s father came down to the river and asked Chee-che-ka if he had seen his son pass that way.

“No, I have not,” answered Chee-che-ka, telling a lie. So the wolf asked all his friends, the bears, deer, sea lions, panthers—everyone he asked, and all the birds. But no one knew where his son was. He asked the blue-jay to find the child, so this boaster said: “Oh, yes, I will try, but it will be hard.” So off he flew to look.

Then Chee-che-ka came forward and said: “Perhaps I can find your son.”

“Very well,” said the wolf; “if you bring him to me alive, I will be your slave.”

So Chee-che-ka began to sing with his sisters, the snakes and mice. They beat the sticks and sang, and he called his spirits to help. He told his sisters to go all about the grass and woods, and to pretend to find the young wolf. Then they came back, empty-handed, and then he, with a great show of noise, brought out the head and skin, stuffed, of the poor young wolf.

“Here is your son, Stikya.”

Then the crying and mourning began, and some of the animals made a dash to catch Chee-che-ka, but

he had turned into a mink and disappeared down a mouse-hole and ran along their roads and came up outside. Just then the land-otter caught him, and the animals all came to hold a court and try him for killing their friend’s son. After much talking, the panther said in the court:

“Chee-che-ka must die. He has killed our young friend, so must give up his life.”

The death sentence was pronounced, but the coon and the raven begged to be heard. The coon said.

“Don’t kill him, for he is my friend.”

The raven, who is a great lawyer and knows well how to tell lies, said:

“Don’t kill him, for he is useful to us; when we go digging clams, oysters and mussels, he orders the tide to keep away, so that it is dry for us to walk on. If you kill him there will be no one left to order the tide water back. If you must punish him, cut off his tail. So, after much considering, they agreed to cut off his tail. So the tail was cut off and tied like a hoop, and given to the children to roll about. What fun they all had out of the tail ! Poor Chee-che-ka ran away to his grandmother and asked her to see if she could not get back his tail. So she called her spirits and told them what she wished. So off she and her grandson went to the place where they were shooting arrows at the hoop. The spirits rolled the hoop to them, and Chee-che-ka seized it and ran off with it to try to stick it on again. He put pitch on the end and stuck it on; but he was so fat that the tail would not stick on, so he threw it away in great disgust. He ran off to the woods and mountains, ashamed to show himself any more to people.

He has since then lost the power of becoming a man, and remains a mink.


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