Lillooet

(map)

A great rain came, making the rivers and lakes overflow the country. A man named Ntcinemkin took refuge with his family in his very large canoe. The others fled to the mountains, but the flood rose to cover them, too. The people begged Ntcinemkin to save at least their children. He didn't have room enough to hold all of them, so he took one child from each family, alternating males and females. The flood covered all land except the peak of Split Mountain (Ncikato) on the west side of Lower Lillooet Lake. When the waters dropped, the canoe grounded on Smimelc Mountain. Each stage of the water's dropping is marked by a terrace on the side of the mountain, which can be seen today.

Frazer, 1919, 321-322.

The three Frog sisters lived together in a house in a swamp. One night Snake went there wanting to marry one of them. He put his hand on her face, and she awoke and asked who was there. When Snake answered, she sent him away, calling him hard names such as "slimy fellow" and "small eyes."

Next night young Beaver went there with the same intent and put his hand on the face of one of the sisters. When she found out who it was, she told him to be gone, calling him names such as "short legs" and "big buttocks." Beaver went home and began to cry. His father, after Beaver told him what the matter was, said, "That is nothing. Don't cry, or it will rain too much." But Beaver insisted on crying.

As he cried, much rain fell, and the swamp flooded. The water covered the top of the tall swamp grass, submerging the Frogs' house. The Frogs got cold and went to Beaver's house. They said, "We wish to marry your sons." But old Beaver said, "No! You called us hard names."

The water was now running in a stream. The Frogs swam down it until a whirlpool suck them in, and they descended to the house of the Moon. Moon invited them to sit by the fire, but they said, "No, we wish to sit there," pointing at him.

"Here?" he asked, pointing at his feet.

"No, not there."

He kept pointing to different parts of his body asking, "Will you sit here?" Finally he pointed at his face, and the sisters cried out, "Yes," and jumped on his face, spoiling his beauty. The Frog sisters may be seen on the Moon's face to this day.

James Teit, "Traditions of the Lillooet Indians of British Columbia," Journal of American Folk-Lore 25 (1912): 298-299.