Marten-axe, a remarkable man, frequently traveled among his friends and harbored a deep animosity toward the Cree people. On one journey, he encountered a group of Cree and, being fluent in all languages, deceived them by claiming to be a fellow Cree whose kin had been slain by the Chipewyan. Gaining their trust, he accompanied them to a mountaintop. During the night, as the Cree slept, Marten-axe tied their legs to a rock and rolled it down the mountain, killing them all.
Source:
Chipewyan Tales
by Robert Harry Lowie
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 3
New York, 1912
► Themes of the story
Trickster: Marten-axe embodies the trickster archetype, using deception to achieve his goals.
Revenge and Justice: Marten-axe’s actions can be interpreted as a form of retribution against the Cree, whom he claims have wronged him.
Conflict with Authority: By deceiving and killing the Cree, Marten-axe challenges another group’s power and authority.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Chipewyan people
Marten-axe was a wonderful man. He used to travel among his friends. Whenever he found Cree, he would always kill them. He was in the habit of staying with the Chipewyan. Once he started out to travel, and came to a band of Cree. He knew all languages. So he told the Cree that he was a Cree himself and that the Chipewyan had killed all his friends. He traveled with the Cree to the top of a high mountain, where he lay down. In the night, while the Cree were sleeping, he tied all their legs with a cord, to the same rock. Then he rolled the rock down the mountain, killing all the Cree.
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