In a village where men vanished each winter, the chief asked Raven to investigate. Raven discovered a giant responsible for the disappearances, using a stone axe to kill the men. After confronting the giant, Raven seized the axe, killed the giant, and returned to inform the villagers, revealing the fate of their lost men.
Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914
► Themes of the story
Trickster: The Raven embodies the trickster archetype, using cunning to overcome the giant.
Cultural Heroes: The Raven acts as a foundational figure, protecting and shaping the fate of his society.
Revenge and Justice: The Raven delivers justice by avenging the deaths of the village men.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Koyukon people
Told by Walter
There was a big village, full of people, with only one kashime. A Raven man lived there, too. Every winter the people hunted for deer, and every summer they fished for salmon, for a winter supply. Now, every winter one man disappeared from the village, and at last there was nobody left but women. Then the Chief said to the Raven, “Well, Raven, can you find out what has become of all the people?” And the Raven said, “I think that is too hard for me.” But afterwards he went off for seven days, and he came to a great earth house. He went in, and saw a giant. “Halloo!” said the giant. “Halloo!” said the Raven. “Well, Raven,” said the giant, “will you stay with me?” “Yes, sir!” said the Raven. So he went out of the house again, and looked around and saw a big cache. He went up on the cache and went inside, and saw plenty of dead men.
► Continue reading…
Then he went down again and went into the house, and said to the giant, “I went up into your cache and saw plenty of dead men. How did you kill all those people in your cache?” And the giant became angry with the Raven, and caught up a big stone axe to kill him; but he did not kill him, and the Raven took the big stone axe and cut off his neck, and ran out, and the house was full of blood. So he went back home with the big stone axe, and went into the kashime and said to the chief, “Tell all the women to come in; I want to tell them what I have seen.” So the women came in, and the Raven went out and got the big stone axe, and put it down in the kashime, and said, “A big giant killed all the men of this place with this stone axe, and every one of them is dead.”
(The storyteller closed with the English words, “And after, every women get cry.”)
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