Ktunaxa Creation Story
In ancestral times referred to by the Ktunaxa as the animal world, there were references made many tmes by the Creator to when there will be ʔaqⱡmaknik̓( people).
At that time, there was some disturbance caused by a huge sea monster known as Yawuʔnik̓, who killed many of the animals. A council was called by the Chief animal, Naⱡmuqȼin. Naⱡmuqȼin was huge. He was so tall that he had to crawl on is hands and knees, for if he stood up his head would hit the ceiling of the sky.
It was decided that Yawuʔnik̓ had to be destroyed. A war party was formed. Yawuʔnik̓ plied the Kootenay and Columbia River System including Columbia Lake and Arrow Lakes.
Yawuʔnik̓ was sighted in the Columbia Lake near Yaqa · n Nuʔkiy and the chase was on. At that time, the Kootenay River and the Columbia Lake were joined. As the chase proceeded, Naⱡmuqȼin gave names to many locations along the Kootenay River, Kootenay Lake, Arrow Lakes and the Columbia River.
Yawuʔnik̓ was pursued down the Kootenay River past the Wasa sloughs, now called Wasa, BC. Skinkuȼ got into trouble here when he fell into the river and had to be rescued by Wasa,( horse-tail).
The chase went by where the St. Mary̓s River empties into the Kootenay River. ʔaq̓am, where the St. Mary̓s Reserve is now located, then on down river to Kank̓ak( spring) where Mayuk( weasel) joined the war party. There were animals on both sides of the river as the chase continued, and among the party was a parasite, ʔa · kukⱡakuwum, who had to be carried on the backs of other animals. His name was Ȼ̓umtus and he was mean and bossy. The other animals grew tired of his nagging and dumped him into the river at a place now known as Yaqakiⱡ wat̓mitquⱡiⱡki Ȼ̓umtus.
Leaving the land of the Eagle, ʔa · knuqⱡuⱡam̓ʔamak̓is and into the land of the woodtick, Ȼam̓na ʔAmakis, past Wasaʔki( Waldo) then on past the now 49th Parrallel and then past Kaxax( Turtle), now underwater, near Rexford, Montana. The chase went on by ʔa · kiʔyi( jennings) and on by ʔaqswaq( libby) then into Skinkuȼ ʔAmakis( the land of Coyote), past ʔaq̓anqmi( Bonners Ferry, Idaho) then northerly past the now international boundary into ʔaȼpu ʔamakis, the land of the Wolverine, past Yaqa · n Nuʔkiy( Creston, BC) then up the Kootenay Lake past ʔaq̓asqnuk,( Kuskannok, BC). The chase went on by ʔAkuqⱡi( Akokli Creek), past Ksanka Creek. The Yawuʔnik̓ chose to follow the Kootenay River past ʔaqyamⱡup( Nelson, BC). The chase was now in Miȼ̓qaqas ʔamakis( the land of Chickadee).
At Kik̓siⱡuk,( Castlegar, BC) Yawuʔnik̓ went north into the Arrow Lakes, past ʔakink̓aʔnuk( Arrow Rock) where arrows were shot into a crevice in the rock. If the arrow was true, the journey continued, if the mark was missed, beware, danger ahead. The arrow was true and the journey continued past Ȼaⱡnuʔnik̓( Nakusp) then up past Ktunwakanmituk Miȼ̓qaqas