Salish Indian Legends
A chief had many horses, and among them a stallion which his wife often rode. The woman and stallion became enamored of each other. The woman grew careless of her household duties and always wanted to look after the horses.
When the people moved camp, and the horses were brought in, it was noticed that the stallion made right for the woman and sniffed about her as stallions do with mares. After this she was watched. When her husband learned the truth, he shot the stallion. The woman cried and would not go to bed.
At daybreak she was gone, no one knew where. About a year after this it was discovered that she had gone off with some wild horses. One day when the people were traveling over a large open place they saw a band of horses, and the woman among them. She had partly changed into a horse. She also had much hair on her body, and the hair of her head had grown to resemble a horse’s mane. Her arms and legs had also changed considerably; but her face was still human, and bore some resemblance to her original self.
The chief sent some young men to chase her. All the wild horses ran away, but she could not run so fast as they, and was run down and lassoed. She was brought into her husband’s lodge; and the people watched her for some time, trying to tame her, but she continued to act and whinnie like a horse. At last they let her free. The following year they saw her again. She had become almost entirely horse, and had a colt by her side. She had many children afterwards.
Another Salish legend…..
Along the river there was a camp where lived many birds. They lived on land and in the trees, and eat berries, bugs, and worms. Sometimes they talked about others who did not live as they did, and said things about them. About Kingfisher they said: “He is a careless bird, flying away from home all the time. He surely can’t take care of his family.” One day- Kingfisher heard this and he stopped and said: “You only feed yourself; see, I bring home a fish every day for my wife and family, and never have trouble at home. That is my way of living.”
One more…..
The chief had a daughter who was old enough to marry. He informed the young men that one with the strongest legs could have her. Coyote showed how long and fast he could run and clamed the girl. Bear flexed his leg muscles to show how big and strong they were, and he claimed the girl. Jay sneaked off into the woods where he gathered some black moss that hangs from trees. He wrapped the moss around his legs to make them look large. The chief was fooled by his trick and proclaimed him the winner. Jay had to carry his new wife across a stream in order to reach his teepee, and the water softened the moss so it fell off his legs. When he climbed the bank on the opposite side of the stream, everyone saw his little skinny legs and they all laughed.