The Duci’ne originated from a boy of evil disposition who killed people. His mother was an Indian woman, and his father unknown. As he grew, he progressed from shooting small animals to eventually killing a dog, for which his mother punished him. After fatally shooting another boy during a game, he fled to the mountains, where he crafted numerous obsidian arrowheads, discarding those he deemed imperfect. The unfinished arrow and spearheads found scattered across the land are believed to be his discarded creations.
Source:
Tahltan Tales
by James A. Teit
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.32, No.124, pp.198-250
April-June, 1917
Vol.34, No.133, pp.223-253
July-September, 1921
Vol.34, No.134, pp.335-356
October-December, 1921
► Themes of the story
Transformation: The boy undergoes a significant change from a mischievous child to a wild, malevolent figure isolated from society.
Tragic Flaw: The boy’s inherent violent tendencies lead to his downfall and complete estrangement from his community.
Ancestral Spirits: The boy’s actions and transformation may reflect themes of ancestral influence or the consequences of defying cultural norms.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Tahltan people
The Duci’ne originated from a boy of evil disposition who killed people. His mother was an Indian woman, and his father unknown. When just a tiny boy, he made arrows. As he grew up, he made the arrows larger and put stone heads on them. He shot first at marks, and then at small animals, such as mice. Later he shot larger animals, and finally a dog. His mother thrashed him for this. After this he made stronger arrows. One day he was playing a shooting-game with other boys, and shot one of them. The people were angry, and blamed the mother for not correcting him and for allowing him to behave badly. The boy ran away, and his mother followed him. She held out her breasts to him, and entreated him to come back, saying, “Come, here are your breasts!” He shot her through the breasts. He became completely wild now, and never returned. He went to the mountains where obsidian is abundant, and made many arrow-heads.
► Continue reading…
Whenever he made one which did not suit him, he threw it away. He spent all his spare time making arrow and spear heads. All the unfinished arrow and spear heads found here and there scattered over the country were made by him. They are the “heads” he discarded in his travels around the country and when hunting. He used no flakers of any kind. He flaked the arrow-heads with the palms of his hands, which were of bone.
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