In a time of famine, a group of Indigenous people discovered buffalo but lacked the means to hunt them. A boy named Atcecq took initiative, despite the community’s anger and threats against him. He skillfully hunted the buffalo, distributing the meat based on family size, thereby saving the community from starvation. This tale highlights themes of courage and resourcefulness.
Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912
► Themes of the story
Hero’s Journey: Atcecq embarks on a transformative adventure, taking initiative to hunt the buffalo and ultimately becoming a hero to his people.
Conflict with Authority: Atcecq defies the community’s decision to wait until the next day to hunt, challenging their authority by acting on his own.
Sacrifice: Atcecq risks his life and faces the community’s wrath to provide food for his people, sacrificing his safety for their well-being.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Dane-zaa people
One time when a band of Indians were without food, someone saw some buffalo. They did not have guns and since the buffalo were in an open place without cover they did not know how they could get them. They decided to wait until the next day when they could make a fence and drive them into a corral.
A boy, named Atcecq, started after the buffalo by himself, and the people were all angry. “Let us kill him,” they were saying. They went after him. They prepared a large fire for him and sat down by it waiting for him. As he was coming back he found his grandmother who had raised him, sitting behind the fire crying.
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“Why are you crying, grandmother?” he asked. “These people say they are going to kill you,” she replied. “Show me which one of them says that of me,” he asked of his grandmother. They were afraid of him.
Then they started after the buffalo and found them still where they had been seen. “Be careful, they might see us,” they said. The boy followed along after the others. They also told him to take care the buffalo did not see him. This boy had killed all the buffalo. From a man who had many children he had taken two of his arrows, but if there was only one child he took only one arrow. With these arrows he had killed all the buffalo, allotting them one or two animals according to the number of children. They were all saved from starving.
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