The wolverene unexpectedly taunts a rock into chasing him by rolling, only to be trapped and injured when the rock crushes him. Calling his animal kin fails, so he summons lightning to shatter the rock, stripping his own pelt. He then seeks his sisters, the frog and mouse, to mend his torn coat; the mouse succeeds, teaching the origin of his protective fur’s design.
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: Explains the origin of the wolverene’s distinctive, patched coat after it’s torn and resewn.
Trickster: The wolverene uses cunning to provoke the inert rock into chasing him.
Revenge and Justice: The rock punishes the wolverene for tormenting it, and lightning avenges both.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Naskapi people
A wolverene was out walking on the hillside and came upon a large rock. The animal inquired of the rock, “Was that you who was walking just now?” The rock replied, “No, I can not move; hence I cannot walk.” The wolverene retorted that he had seen it walking. The rock quickly informed the wolverene that he uttered a falsehood. The wolverene remarked, “You need not speak in that manner for I have seen you walking.” The wolverene ran off a little distance and taunted the rock, challenging it to catch him. The wolverene then approached the rock and having struck it with his paw, said, “See if you can catch me.” The rock answered, “I can not run but I can roll.” The wolverene began to laugh and said, “That is what I want.” The wolverene ran away and the rock rolled after him, keeping just at his heels.
► Continue reading…
The animal finally began to tire and commenced to jump over sticks and stones until at last the rock was touching his heels. At last the wolverene tripped over a stick and fell. The rock rolled over on him and ceased to move when it came upon the hind parts of the wolverene. The animal screamed, “Get off, go away, you are hurting me; you are breaking my bones.” The rock remained motionless and replied, “You tormented me and had me run after you, so now I shall not stir until, some one takes me off.”
The wolverene replied, “I have many brothers and I shall call them.” He called to the wolves and the foxes to come and remove the rock. These animals soon came up to where the rock was lying on the wolverene and they asked him, “How came you to get under the rock?” The wolverene replied, “I challenged the rock to catch me and it rolled on me.” The wolves and foxes then told him that it served him right to be under the rock. They endeavored, after a time, to displace the rock but could not move it in the least. The wolverene then said, “Well, if you cannot get me out I shall call my other brother, the lightning and thunder.” So he began to call for the lightning to come to his aid. In a few moments a huge dark cloud came rushing from the southwest, and as it hurried up it made so much noise that it frightened the wolves and foxes, but they asked the lightning to take off the coat of the wolverene but not to harm his flesh. They then ran away. The lightning darted back to gather force and struck the rock, knocking it into small pieces and also completely stripped the skin from the back of the wolverene, tearing the skin into small pieces. The wolverene stood naked, but soon began to pick up the pieces of his coat and told the lightning, “You need not have torn my coat when you had only the rock to strike.”
The wolverene gathered up his pieces of coat and said he would go to his sister, the frog, to have her sew them together. He repaired to the swamp where his sister dwelt and asked her to sew them. She did so. The wolverene took it up and told her she had not put it together properly and struck her on the head and knocked her flying into the water. Ho took up the coat and went to his younger sister, the mouse. He directed her to sew his coat as it should be done. The mouse began to sew the pieces together and when it was done the wolverene carefully examined every seam and said, “You have sewed it very well; you will live in the tall green grass in the summer and in grass houses in the winter.” The wolverene put on his coat and went away.
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Dreamtime Whispers 