During a harsh winter on the Copper River, a village faced starvation, leaving only one man alive after many perished from hunger and cold. As he journeyed alone, grieving his losses, he discovered a mystical “Self-burning Fire” that revived the dead villagers. Together, they thrived, easily finding food at the river’s mouth, marking a miraculous renewal of life and sustenance.
Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909
► Themes of the story
Rebirth: The villagers are brought back to life by the self-burning fire, symbolizing a cycle of death and renewal.
Supernatural Beings: The mystical fire acts as a supernatural entity with the power to revive the dead.
Loss and Renewal: The community experiences profound loss due to starvation and cold, followed by a miraculous renewal of life and sustenance.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Tlingit people
Myth recorded in English at Wrangell, Alaska, in January-April 1904
One winter the people at a certain place on Copper river were left with nothing to eat and began dying off. About the middle of that winter all of the children and some of the adults were dead, and only about half of the former population remained. When only eight men were left they said to one another, “Let us leave. Let us walk down this side of the river.” So they started off down the bank, and, after a long time, one of them died of cold. They buried him and went on. [The words of the narrator, but corpses were usually burned.] By and by another froze to death and was also buried. This kept on until there were only four. One day three of the remainder succumbed in succession, the last at evening, leaving but one man from all that village. This man was very sickly looking, but he felt strong, and when his last companion fell, he left him lying there and went on rapidly. He thought he would drop with grief, however, at the loss of his last comrade.
► Continue reading…
As he was going on quite late in the evening he suddenly heard some one shout right ahead of him. He followed the voice, which kept on calling continually. Finally he came to a great fire and stood near it to warm himself. It was that that had been calling him.
When the man had become thoroughly warmed he was about to start on again. Suddenly, however, he heard the bushes breaking behind him, and, looking back, he saw all the men who had frozen to death and all of the village people standing around the fire. This fire is called Self-burning Fire (Wayi’k ga’ni), and it was that that had brought all of those people to life. From that time on they were able to get their food very easily at the mouth of the river.
Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page
Dreamtime Whispers 