A young man disobeys a white trader’s orders and returns to his community. Angered, the trader poisons him. In retaliation, the young man’s kin kill the trader and ambush his returning crew, eliminating them all. They seize the store’s goods, living off them for years. Once depleted, they revert to traditional hunting, avoiding white settlements out of fear, and relying solely on bows and arrows.
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
Revenge and Justice: The community seeks retribution for the young man’s death by killing the trader and his associates.
Conflict with Authority: The young man’s initial disobedience and the subsequent violent response from his community represent a challenge to the trader’s authority.
Community and Isolation: Following the conflict, the community isolates themselves, avoiding contact with white men out of fear.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Dane-zaa people
A white man gave the young man orders but notwithstanding, he went back to his people. The trader was angry and killed the boy with medicine (poison). His friends knew this had happened and went to the post [this refers to the trading post at Fort St. John, called by the Beaver gtitkwe, “Spruce House.” The first post stood on the east side of North Pine River, near where it enters the Peace] and killed the trader. The young men attached to the post had gone for wood in a boat. The Beaver were lying in wait for them. When they returned and the white men stepped ashore they shot them and killed them all. The steersman jumped into the water. He came to the surface far out in the stream. They shot at him and killed him.
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They took the goods from the store and lived many years on them. When they were gone they lived with “their bows and arrows. They remained in the woods and did not visit a white man’s house because they were afraid. From that time they increased, living with their bows and arrows, not having gunpowder.
Second version. It seems that the white traders first had a trading post at Pine River. The Beaver Indians killed the man in charge of the post, and all his servants. After that these Indians kept away from white people, and were afraid to go near them thinking they would be killed. Some time after they built another post which has remained until the present time.
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