A man and his wife camped by a vast lake. While he was hunting, someone abducted her, leaving a trail of disturbed vegetation. Following the signs, the husband reached the lake’s edge and saw his wife being taken across by canoe. Utilizing beaver teeth, he conjured a canoe, enlisted his brothers-in-law, and pursued them. Guided by feathers his wife dropped, they located the abductor’s camp, confronted him, and successfully rescued her.
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
Quest: The husband’s journey to retrieve his abducted wife represents a classic quest, involving a challenging journey to achieve a significant goal.
Love and Betrayal: The narrative centers on the husband’s love for his wife and the betrayal he feels due to her abduction.
Conflict with Authority: The confrontation with “Rabbit-tail,” who appears to be a figure of authority or power in the context of the story, highlights a struggle against an oppressive force
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Dane-zaa people
Obtained in English from Ike through John Bourassa
A man left a large camp in which he had many brothers and camped alone with his wife. As they moved about they came to a large lake that one could not see across and camped by it. One day while he was away, hunting, someone stole his wife. He could see where she had been taken along, for as she resisted being pulled along she pulled out herbs and tore off brush which she dropped by the way. The husband followed until he came to a place where he could see across the sea. When the man who had captured the women came there with her she had asked him to shoot some partridges which were in sight for her. The man shot them and gave them to her. They got into the canoe to cross the sea on the further shore of which the man lived. The canoe was still in sight when the husband came to the shore. He called to him, “Agia, my partner, bring my wife back.”
► Continue reading…
The man in the canoe shot several arrows at the husband saying, “These are all you will get.” They went on until they were out of sight. The husband resolved to do something about it; he was not going to lose his wife without an effort to recover her.
He had with him some beaver teeth which he always carried, for according to his dream, he could do anything he wished with them. He put them by the water’s edge and said, “I want these to turn into a good canoe tonight.” Then he went back to the large camp where his brothers-in-law were and told them someone had stolen his wife. He asked them to go with him and help him fight to get her back. They went with him and when they came to the shore of the lake a fine canoe was floating there, where he had left the beaver teeth. They paddled out on the lake in it. The woman knowing her husband would come after her, had strewed the partridge feathers along the way they had gone. Where they stopped for the night she put the wing feathers. This she did until they were across. The men who were coming behind them followed the trail of the feathers stopping for the night where the long feathers were found. When they came near the shore they saw many canoes drawn up on the beach. There was no camp there, only a small shelter of poles from which smoke was coming out. The pursuers went in and found an old man there and an old woman. There were fish hanging there which the hosts roasted for their guests. After they had eaten they asked the old woman if a stranger had brought a woman there. “Oh yes,” the old woman replied, “a man named ‘Rabbit-tail’ (gatce) brought a fine woman from the other side of the lake. This morning the camp was moved a little way over where there is plenty of wood.” Hoping to deceive the old woman who did not know them, they asked if this man’s tipi was different in any way from the others. “Yes,” she said, “an otterskin is always hanging at the top of it. When you see that you will know it is his tipi.” Seeing a number of fine spears behind the old woman’s lodge they asked her about them. She replied that they belonged to Rabbit-tail who used them to kill people. The strangers asked to be allowed to examine them and the old woman passed them over. Having examined them they killed the old man and old woman with them.
They went to the new camp where they found the tipis already up but the women were still cutting wood. The husband hid near his wife and called her to him. She said the chief would be hard to kill for he had horns on his head. The husband said they would remain there that night. He told her to get her captor to sharpen her knife which was dull. When they went to bed she was advised to play with her husband for a long time so that he would sleep soundly. Just at daybreak they would rush the camp and when she heard them coming she was to cut the man’s throat with the knife he would have newly sharpened for her. Then she was to rush out before Rabbit-tail’s mother, a medicine woman, sleeping on the other side of the fire, could do anything. Just as day was breaking the next morning they rushed the camp and the stolen wife cut the man’s throat and ran out. The old woman asked what dog was lapping up blood. It was the blood gurgling from her son’s throat she heard. The attacking party killed the old woman and everyone else in the camp, using the spears they had taken. The man started back with his wife. When they came to the lake they broke all the canoes they found there before they recrossed.
It was explained that since the horns were on the sides of the man’s head he had to sleep on his back and it was easy to cut his throat.
They crossed the lake in three days traveling fast with supernatural power.
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Dreamtime Whispers 