A cunning wolverene lures waterfowl ashore with the promise of honeycomb, then decapitates and cooks them after tricking them into dancing blindfolded. A lone loon escapes and warns the wildlife, while a whiskey-jack betrays the wolverene to local hunters, who devour the cooked birds. The wolverene awakens to find only bones and curses the jay for its impudence, reflecting on greed and deception.
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
Trickster: The wolverene deceives the birds into dancing blindfolded, then murders them, showcasing classic trickster behavior.
Moral Lessons: The tale warns against gullibility and greed, teaching that deceit brings dire consequences.
Conflict with Nature: The predator-prey dynamic between the wolverene and the waterfowl highlights the harsh realities of nature.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Naskapi people
A wolverene was running along the seashore and perceived a number of geese, brant, ducks, and loons sitting in the water a short distance off. The wolverene addressing them said, “Come here, brothers. I have found a pretty bees’ nest. I will give it to you if you will come on shore and have a dance.” All the birds went on land. The wolverene said, “Let us have a dance and I will sing. Shut your eyes and do not open them until we are done dancing. He began to sing, “A-ho’umu-hou-mu’-mu’-hum’.” The last word was so often repeated (accompanied with the act of the wolverene snipping off the heads of the birds) that the loon opened one eye and saw the headless ducks kicking. The loon ran to the water and exclaimed, “Our brother has killed us!”
► Continue reading…
The wolverene ran after the loon but the loon dived under the water and came up a distance off and cried out, “A ho ho ho ho ho ho!” The wolverene screamed, “Hold your tongue, yon red-eyed fowl.” The wolverene returned to where the ducks had been killed; plucked their feathers off and cleaned them; put them into a large kettle and boiled them.
While attending to the cooking he saw a whisky-jack (Us’ ka teon) (Perisoreus canadensis) flying about. The wolverene took a firebrand and threw it at the bird, exclaiming, “You will be telling on me, you long-tongued bird!” The jay flew away and told the Indians that “Our brother (wolverene) has killed a lot of ducks and has them cooked,” adding, “I think he is sleeping. I’ll show you where he is if you will come.” The Indians replied, “We will go, for we are very hungry.” They went and found the wolverene asleep alongside the pot. The Indians ate all of the meat of the ducks. After they had finished the meat they put the bones back into the kettle and went away. The wolverene awakened after a time, took his dish and said to himself, “Now, I shall have my dinner.” He poured all the broth into his dish and found nothing but the bones remaining. In his surprise he said, “Surely, I have been sleeping a long time; the meat is all boiled away.” The jay told him that he had told the Indians. The wolverene said, “Why did you tell? you stupid bird; I was keeping a nice piece of fat for you. [The jay is well known to be particularly fond of fat of any kind, hence the tempting morsel withheld was a source for future reflection.] You will not, now, get it for your impudence.”
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Dreamtime Whispers 