Disguised as a brant, a wolverene summons waterfowl, dons their feathers, and joins their spring migration flight. Warned not to peer below over a point of land, he obeys once but looks down a second time upon hearing cries of Indians, tumbling to earth. Mistaken for a rotten goose by natives who strip his feathers, the creature is revealed dead and the lesson of curiosity forever marked.
Source:
Ethnology of the Ungava District,
Hudson Bay Territory
by Lucien M. Turner
Smithsonian Institution
Bureau of American Ethnology
Annual Report 11, 1889-1890
Washington, 1894
► Themes of the story
Origin of Things: The tale explains why brant geese fall when frightened by the clamor of Indians during spring migrations.
Trickster: The wolverene uses cunning disguise to infiltrate the flock of birds for its own aims.
Illusion vs. Reality: The animals and later the Indians are deceived by the wolverene’s outward appearance as a brant.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Naskapi people
A wolverene calling all the birds together addressed them thus: “Do you not know that I am your brother? Come to me and I will dress you in feathers.” After having dressed them up he made wings for himself and said: “Now, brothers, let us fly.” The brant told the wolverene, “You must not look below while we are flying over the point of land when you hear a noise below. Take a turn when we take a turn.”
The first turn they took the wolverene did not look below, but at the second turn they took, when they came over the point of land, the animal looked below when he heard the noise of the shouting Indians and down he came like a bundle of rags.
► Continue reading…
When the Indians perceive a flock of these brant they make a loud clamor, which frightens the birds so much that they lose their senses, fall to the ground and are thus killed. These birds are only seen in the spring migrations and then in great multitudes, while in the fall it is rare to see even a single individual, as they have a different return route than in spring.
All the Indians ran up to him and exclaimed “There is a brant fallen down.” One of the old Indian women got hold of him and began to pluck his feathers off, then to disembowel him. She of course smelled the horrible stench and exclaimed, “This goose is not fit to eat as it is already rotten!” She gave the carcass to one of the children to throw away. Another old woman came up and inquired, “Where did you throw the brant goose to? How could it be rotten? It is not long since it was killed.” The former old woman replied to her, “Go and see, if you do not believe.” She went and found nothing but the dead wolverene.
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Dreamtime Whispers 