A woman, captured by enemies, escapes and discovers copper near the ocean. She shares this find with her community, who begin using the metal for tools. However, after multiple expeditions, the copper vanishes following inappropriate behavior towards a mysterious woman associated with the metal. Subsequent attempts to retrieve the copper fail, and the woman is eventually left undisturbed.
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
Origin of Things: The tale explains the origin of copper usage among the Dane-zaa people.
Forbidden Knowledge: The woman’s discovery of copper introduces new knowledge to her community, but subsequent attempts to obtain more are hindered by mysterious circumstances, suggesting that this knowledge may be restricted or comes with consequences.
Loss and Renewal: The initial discovery of copper brings prosperity, but its subsequent loss due to the mysterious woman’s actions forces the community to adapt and seek renewal in other ways.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Dane-zaa people
This myth was recorded by Samuel Hearne in 1771.
One time a man’s wife who had been left alone was stolen by the people who live beyond the ocean (the Eskimo) and taken away to their country where she was held as a captive. The life was hard on her and she went away alone and came to the shore of the ocean. While she was there, unable to cross, a wolf came walking through the water toward her. He told her the passage was a good one and that she had better cross by means of it. She went up from the shore with the intention of abandoning her one child which had a large belly as a result of his greed. She killed a caribou and boiled the blood in the second stomach of the animal. She deserted the boy whose attention had thus been diverted.
There by the shore of the ocean metal was lying under the ground. The woman was passing by there and saw some of it.
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She took a load of it and carried it to her relatives. They came to know the metal in this manner. The men all went for the metal and had a hard time bringing their loads home. They used it for arrow points; it was of great value to them for it was all they had to use. It was metal but not very strong for it was copper.
They went for it again and when they came there, there were many men and only’ one woman. All the men had intercourse with the woman who sat down on the copper and it disappeared so that it could not be secured.
They went for it again after that, but it was not to be seen, and they could not secure it. The woman had sunk into the ground until it came halfway up her body. Those men who had kept her jointly were unable to secure any metal. They went for it again after that and found only the woman’s head projecting above the ground which now came up around her neck. She was seen again after two years, she was still alive. That was the last time they saw her. After that they left her alone.
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