An old man owned a hunting dog, which was actually a wolf adept at hunting moose. A young man borrowed the dog but ignored instructions to reward it with the moose’s tongue, offering the liver instead. Angered, the dog killed the young man. The old man lamented his loss, but the dog eventually returned, and they continued hunting together.
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
Moral Lessons: The tale imparts the importance of following instructions and respecting established customs.
Conflict with Nature: The young man’s failure to adhere to natural laws or customs leads to his demise.
Ancestral Spirits: The old man’s relationship with the wolf-dog may symbolize a connection to ancestral knowledge or guidance.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Dane-zaa people
An old man had a hunting dog which was very good for moose. That was because it was not an ordinary dog but a wolf. A young man saw a moose track, but did not succeed in killing the moose. He came to the old man and said, “Grandfather, I saw a moose track, lend me your dog and I will go after it.” “My dog is mean,” the old man replied, “you must promise to treat the dog exactly as I tell you.”
The young man agreed to do so. “If you kill a moose the first thing you must do is to give the dog the end of the tongue. He is only pleased when I do that. You must do the same. Do not fail to do as I do, my grandson.”
► Continue reading…
The young man went hunting with the dog and killed a moose. Instead of doing as the old man had told him he cut off the liver and threw it to the dog. The dog was angry and did not eat the liver but went off and left it there. The young man cut up the moose and started home. Being thirsty he went to get a drink. The dog which was lying there jumped on the man as he drank and disemboweled him, killing him. He ate all the man’s ribs.
Neither the man nor the dog returned. The Indians at the camp were going to bed, but the old man said, “There must be some reason my dog is not here. He has been howling and he does not do that without some reason. I told the young man repeatedly not to treat the dog in any way differently from the way I treat him. I loaned him the dog because he asked me for him so many times. The dog has probably killed him. I fear he is not living. Look for him and see if you can find out what has happened.”
They went out to look for him and came upon his tracks where he had been approaching the camp. They saw his body lying there in front of them. The dog had killed him. The dog was not there and they did not know where he had gone.
The old man who had been living by the dog’s aid said, “How shall I live? The dog with which I got my living has left me alone.” He was much displeased. He called the dog and the next morning it came back to him. He lived with the help of the dog again. The dog did not kill the old man who was able to live on good meat again. They say that was a very good dog.
They tell this story about the time the world was beginning.
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