Long ago a clan of giant beavers journeyed down the Mackenzie River, where one’s roasted flesh was stolen by a wolverine—prompting the first flame—then that thief was petrified in the cliffs. The beaver raced over rocks to form a swift rapid and outwitted a pursuing giant whose overturned canoe became an island. The beaver painted the giant’s likeness on the gorge walls before he departed.
Source:
Athabascan Myths
by Frank Russell
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.13, No.48, pp. 11-18
January-March, 1900
► Themes of the story
Origin of Things: The story explains the creation of natural features like perpetual fires, rapids, islands, and stone formations along the Mackenzie River.
Quest: The beaver embarks on a long, purposeful journey downriver, encountering challenges and shaping the landscape.
Mythical Creatures: The anthropomorphic beaver, cunning wolverine, and giant frame the tale in a realm of legendary beings.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Slavey people
Told by Tenegorley. (Simpson, winter of 1897-98)
A family of very large beavers lived on the Great Slave Lake, long ago, and the lodge is still there. Well, they all started down the Mackenzie River, and when they had gone a long distance, one of them killed one of his companions and roasted the flesh, but left it hanging before the fire while he fell asleep. While he slept a wolverine came along and took the roasted beaver and left a roll of moss in its place. After a time the sleeping beaver awoke. When he found that the roasted flesh was gone he was vexed, so he took the bark dish that he had placed under the roasting meat to catch the fat and emptied it into the fire, saying, “Burn, and never go out.” And so the fire burns to this day.
[Beds of lignite along the banks of the Mackenzie a few miles above Bear River, have been burning for a century at least.]
► Continue reading…
Then he went down-stream until he came to some high rocks, where he met a wolverine, with whom he wished to fight; but the wolverine said, “No, I will not fight with you, and you cannot catch me.” He then tried to escape by running up the face of the cliff. Then the beaver said, “Stay there, and never come down.” And the wolverine was turned into stone, and can be seen there to this day. [Roche Carcajou, an anticlinal uplift of Devonian limestone, 1000 feet high.]
As he continued his journey down the river he went so fast at one place that he created the “Sans Sault” Rapid [the only rapid in the Mackenzie River of any consequence, and one that is easily passed by the steamers in any but the lowest stages of water]. As the beaver went on down the river he was discovered and pursued by a giant, to whom he said, “If you can clear all the rocks from the river, you may kill me, but if you cannot clear the river you will never kill me.” In his efforts to clear the channel the giant overturned his canoe, which turned into stone, and to this day forms an island in the bed of the stream. [An island at the Sans Sault Rapid divides the stream into an eastern and a western channel, the latter being “the steamboat channel”.] Failing to accomplish his task, the giant said, “I cannot kill you; but never mind, there will soon be plenty of men here who will always hunt you and all your tribe.” The beaver replied, “Since you cannot kill me, keep still a while, and I will paint your picture.” Then the beaver painted the picture of the giant on one side of the ramparts, where it may be seen to this day. [At the ramparts the Mackenzie, much contracted in width, flows between vertical cliffs of Devonian limestone varying from one hundred to two hundred and fifty feet in height. This gorge is but a few miles south of the Arctic Circle, and is one of the most interesting features of the great river] After this the giant left the country.
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