Blue Jay and Sweat-House – Thompson Indians
Blue Jay is related to Sweathouse. He was the greatest joker of the ancients, and was always poking fun at the people. If any one made fun of him, or imitated him, his mouth became twisted. He was the originator of the twisted-mouth disease, and introduced it into the world. Before that persons with twisted mouths were unknown.
Blue Jay and Sweathouse lived among the people, and slept in a corner of the house. Sweathouse took the form of the bent stick of a sweathouse, and slept by day. At night he changed into an old man, and wandered about, while Blue Jay slept in his place. The people did not know that Sweathouse was a man. Finally the people became tired of Blue Jay's mockery, and fearful of his magic, and made up their minds to desert him. They kept away for four years, living in a different place each summer and each winter. At the end of that time Blue Jay was still alive, and continued to live in the same place. Then they agreed to leave for food, and settled in another country.
At last a Transformer came along and transformed Blue Jay, saying, "Henceforth you will be a bird, and a chatterer and mocker forever, able to talk incessantly, and to imitate the cries of the eagle and other birds and animals." This is the reason why the blue jay is able, at this present day, to imitate the cries of all kinds of birds and animals. Then he transformed Sweathouse, saying, "You, old man, will be the spirit of the sweathouse, and, until the world ends, people, by sweat-bathing, and praying to you, will lose their lice, and become healthy, clean, successful, and rich. You will be very powerful, and able to help the people, and grant their prayers."
Taken from: Myths and Tales from Nicola Valley and Fraser River collected by
James Alexander Teit, 1911 and is now in the public domain.
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