Childless Eme’mqut encounters a community of Bumblebee people while fishing and marries a Bumblebee-Woman, who bears him numerous children. His first wife Kilu’, consumed by jealousy, follows him upstream and brutally kills his new wife. As she tramples the Bumblebee-Woman, fly-eggs scatter, transforming into Bumblebees, and the entire fishing community metamorphoses, leaving Eme’mqut helpless.
Source
Koryak Texts
by Waldemar Bogoras
American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume V
(edited by Franz Boas)
E. J. Brill – Leyden, 1917
► Themes of the story
Transformation: The Bumblebee people metamorphose into actual bumblebees following the tragic events.
Revenge and Justice: Kilu’s envy of Eme’mqut’s new wife leads her to commit a violent act, resulting in dire consequences.
Family Dynamics: The complex relationship between Eme’mqut, his first wife Kilu’, and his new Bumblebee-Woman wife highlights familial tensions.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Koryak people
Collected in the village of Kamenskoye, on Penshina Bay, with the help of Nicholas Vilkhin, a half-Russianized Koryak, Decmber 1900 – April, 1901.
Eme’mqut lived with his people. He married Kilu’, but they were childless. One time Eme’mqut went into the open (country). He followed a river upstream. Then he saw numerous people. Some of them were women. Their bodies were resplendent with the reflection of light. All the men wore jackets of broadcloth, all the women wore calico overcoats.
Eme’mqut hurried to them. He fell in love, and began to help those people. They were fishing with drag-nets. Very soon he married a Bumblebee-Woman. Those people were Bumblebee people. His new wife brought forth numerous children.
Then Kilu’ became restless, and could not sleep. She came to the river, and followed it up-stream. Then she looked around, and saw those fishermen.
► Continue reading…
Eme’mqut was there with them pulling in the nets. Kilu’ approached them. She trampled to death Eme’mqut’s new wife, who scattered around a large quantity of fly-eggs. All the eggs became Bumblebees. The fishermen also turned to Bumblebees. Eme’mqut could do nothing, so he went home.
That is all.
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