A young man embarks on a lengthy canoe journey, encountering several empty kashimes (communal houses) along the river. After reaching the sea, he discovers another kashime and meets two girls. He offers a dog-skin parka to one, who declines, while the other accepts and becomes his wife. They settle together, with the man providing abundantly through seal hunting. Despite his suggestion to visit her home, she fears losing him to her friend, so they remain where they are.
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
Quest: The young man’s extended journey down the river in his canoe signifies a quest, as he explores unknown territories and encounters new experiences.
Love and Betrayal: The young man’s proposal to the two girls, followed by one girl’s rejection and the other’s acceptance, introduces elements of love and the potential for betrayal.
Community and Isolation: The narrative contrasts the young man’s initial isolation during his solo journey with his eventual establishment of a new community with his wife.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Koyukon people
Told by Walter, of Anvik
There was a young man travelling down the river with his canoe full of his belongings. After about twenty-five days he saw a big kashime on the shore; so he got out and went up, but found nobody there. He lay down on the shelf and slept that night; and in the morning he got up and went on down the river for about ten days, when he saw another big kashime. Again he went up; but he found nobody, and he went in and slept on the shelf that night. In the morning he got up and went on down the river in his canoe for about fifteen days, until he came to the sea. “Where shall I go now?” thought he. So he went ashore to take a walk, and saw another big kashime, and went in and lay down, and went to sleep. Soon he heard a noise, and he got up to listen, and heard two girls talking outside; so he went back and lay down again.
► Continue reading…
One of the girls said, “See that canoe, all full of things! Let’s look in the kashime!” So the two girls went into the kashime, and saw the young man asleep on the shelf; and one of them said, “Oh, my! what a fine young man! That’s the one for you.” But the other girl said nothing; and the one who spoke first said, “Let’s go out and look at his canoe!” So the two girls went out; and soon the young man followed them, -and found them looking at his canoe. “Well,” said he, “what are you looking at my canoe for?” “That is not your canoe, it is mine.” Then he said to the girls, “I’d like to marry one of you.” And the girls said, “Yes, sir.” And he went to his canoe and took out a bag full of something, and drew out from it a little dog-skin parka, and handed it to one of them; but she said, “I don’t care to wear a dog-skin parka. The other one, however, said, “I’d like to wear it;” and the one who refused ran away. So the young man said to the one who remained, “Do you want to go home too?” but she said, “I don’t want to go home, because I like you.” So he took her, and that night they slept in the kashime; and early in the morning the young man got up and took his canoe, and went off to hunt for seals. And he killed plenty of seals, and brought them all to the shore; and then he went back to the kashime and found that his wife had not waked up yet, so he went back to bed.
After a while his wife woke up and went outside and saw plenty of seals on the shore. So she went in and asked her husband who killed all the seals on the shore. “I killed them this morning,” said he. “Oh, my!” said she, “that’s plenty of seal.” “You better get up: it will take you all day to dress them.” So they got up and went out, and worked over them all day, and they had plenty of seal-oil. When they had finished, the man said, “Who is that girl that came with you before I got married to you?” And she said, “That’s my friend.” Then he said, “Let’s go to your home!” But she said, “I don’t think I care to go back home, because, if you find my friend there, I think you will send me away, and then I shall be sorry.” And her husband said, “No, I couldn’t do that.” So they did not go to the girl’s home, but settled down where they were.
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Dreamtime Whispers 