Middle Pool and Lower Pool of Three Falls

Frequent Photo

Coyote Makes the Salmon Creek Falls

as told to Pliny Earl Goddard by Briceland Charlie (see probable photo of Charlie) July 15, 1908, at the Falls in Salmon Creek

Translated by Ben Schill

Coyote was living at Sel so, the big rock up on the ridge above Salmon Creek.

He was a Handsome man and Powerful.

The People were living down by the creek. They worried about Coyote.

They had to be careful of their women.

They could not trust “That One”. Tcun dut Tcun, “That One”, they called him so as not to speak his name.

If they spoke His name, He would hear them and he might come.

He might think they were calling Him.

To dinner.

Or to gamble.

They watched him.

One day the People saw that Coyote was gone.

He had left his house and gone west.

The people followed Coyote west and found him down at the Falls.

to dji o i

They saw him roll a rock and put it in.

On both sides he put rocks.

Coyote said thus:

“Water stop  flowing!”

Together he pushed the rocks. He was pushing them together.

When he was pushing together, the People came.

The People hollered: “Stop!”

They yelled: “Stop!”

Coyote stopped.

First, He finished the bottom rock.

Water flowed down over it.

He was pushing.

He quit.

He went back.

Coyote went back. He was mad.

He went back to the village, a de gun dun.

Three People there said:

“Why don’t you stay?”

Coyote took out his bow.

He shot.

The People, they shot back.

Coyote is shot.

After two days, He died.

Soon, He came back.

When the man saw Coyote was back.

He shot again.

The man killed Coyote again.

This time, Coyote didn’t come back.

The People built a big fire.

They burned Coyote up.

Everyone went down to Salmon Creek.

Grizzly lived there.

Grizzly came. He said:

“Why did you kill Coyote?”

“We did it, We killed Him.”

they told Grizzly.

Grizzly said:

“You did well. The Falls are bad.

I think the Falls won’t be.”

Grizzly went back.

The People also went back.

Back to their town by the Falls.

They want to undo it.

They will undo it.

Five went down and worked.

They quit.

They went down Salmon Creek

to rest by a rock.

The rock fell on them.

They were under it.

All the People died in pain.

Coyote did it.

He rolled in that rock.

Now water goes down a bend.

Coyote made a bridge for that.

The water flows down.

Coyote says:

“This Way It Will Be!”

He makes Trout.

Trout, He put in the water above the Falls.

They swim down.

Good!

He put Trout below the Falls.

The water flows.

They jump. Fall back.

Again, they jumped.

Again, they fall back.

They can’t go up that way.

It’s too long.

Then come Salmon.

They jump, fall back.

Jump, fall back.

Can’t go.

Steelhead, he swims along.

They say to him:

“Don’t go, Salmon can’t jump!”

Steelhead went on.

He made it.

Steelhead never has a sore tail.

Only Salmon has a sore tail.

Hookbill has a sore tail.

They say: That is the way it will be!”

They say.