The boy who was cared for by the wolf

Source: 
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

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► Themes of the story

Guardian Figures: The wolf acts as a protector and caretaker for the boy during his time of need.

Loss and Renewal: The boy experiences the loss of his caretakers but finds renewal through the wolf’s guardianship and his eventual reintegration into human society.

Ancestral Spirits: The narrative reflects the belief in animal spirits or ancestors taking care of humans, a common motif in indigenous cultures.

► From the same Region or People

• North America
  • Sub-Arctic Region
    • Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

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This story was affirmed to be true by the narrator, John Bourassa, one of the most intelligent of the mixed-bloods in the vicinity of Vermilion. Lowie has a story of a bear who gave suck to a grown man.

One time there was a man who with many children was living by himself. In the middle of the winter his wife died, and he went to join the other people. He had been taking care of an orphan child, but now could do nothing for him, so he deserted him, leaving him alone in the camp.

When he passed by the next spring, he found the child was still alive and took him along, “How did you get through the winter without freezing?” he asked the child. “A wolf took care of me. He slept with me and made a fire for me. That is why I did not freeze to death. He also fed me with meat,” the boy said.

The boy lived long after this, until he was of middle age and finally died of some ailment.