Two brothers unknowingly marry animal spirits. While hunting, they release a giant from a bag, kill him, and cook his body. Their wives, upon discovering they’ve eaten their lover, pursue the brothers. The men create valleys and canyons to hinder the chase, leading to the formation of mountains. Eventually, a horned monster kills the vengeful wives, and the brothers return home.
Source:
Traditions of the Ts’ets’a’ut
by Franz Boas
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.9, No.35, pp. 257-268
October-December, 1896
Vol.10, No.36, pp. 35-48
January-March, 1897
► Themes of the story
Origin of Things: The narrative explains the creation of mountains and valleys, detailing how the brothers’ actions led to the formation of these natural features.
Supernatural Beings: The tale includes encounters with extraordinary creatures, notably the ‘adeda,’ a monster resembling a bear with huge claws and horns, and another horned monster, both playing pivotal roles in the brothers’ journey.
Cunning and Deception: The brothers employ clever tactics to evade their pursuers, using the transformed contents of the caribou stomach to create obstacles and seeking protection from formidable creatures.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Tsetsaut people
A woman had two sons. She died, and her sister took charge of the boys. When they had grown up, they built their huts next to that of their aunt. One day the latter saw that each of the young men had a wife. She did not know whence they had come. I suppose the women were animals who had taken the shape of men. Once upon a time, the men went hunting. When going up the hill, they saw a large bag hanging from the branch of a tree. They cut it open. A large man fell out of it, whom the men killed with their clubs. He had an immense membrum virile, which they cut off and took home. Then they chopped it, mixed it with caribou meat, and boiled it. The women had gone up the mountains to bring home meat that their husbands had hidden in a cache.
► Continue reading…
When they came home, their husbands gave them of the dish they had boiled. The women ate heartily. After a while the men took a stomach of a caribou, left their home, and when they had gone a short distance they shouted: “Our wives have eaten the membrum virile of their sweetheart.” When the women heard this, they ran to look after the bag in which the man had been hidden. When they found the mutilated body, they took their clubs and pursued their husbands. When they drew near, the men threw part of the contents of the caribou stomach over their shoulders. It was transformed into valleys and canons, which obstructed the progress of the women. While fleeing from their wives, the men came to the monster adeda, which looks like a bear with huge claws and horns. They said: “Please, protect us. We are fleeing from our large wives.” The adeda asked them to stand behind it, but when the women reached it they killed it with their clubs. The brothers ran on, and continued to throw parts of the caribou stomach in the way of the women. After some time they reached another horned monster. They said: “Please, protect us! We are fleeing from our large wives.” The monster replied: “Hide behind my body.” Soon the women approached laughing. They struck the monster with their clubs between its horns, and they had almost killed it. But finally it gave a jump, gored the women, and threw them about until they were dead. The head of the monster was full of blood, which the brothers washed off. They returned home, but it took them a long time to cross all the mountains and valleys that had originated from the contents of the caribou stomach.
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