Inuit/Eskimo Lore: the Book

Collector’s Edition

The volume contains over 300 stories from famous monographs like “Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo” by Henry Rink, “Eskimo Folk-Tales” by Knud Rasmussen, “The Labrador Eskimo” by E.W. Hawkes, “Tales of the Smith Sound Eskimo” by Alfred L. Kroeber, “The Central Eskimo” by Franz Boas, “Ethnology of the Ungava District” by Lucien M. Turner, “The Eskimo around Bering Strait” by Edward W. Nelson, etc. Many of the stories are published in our site. Yet, the book contains extensive studies, notes and comments from the authors, critical for understanding the Inuit culture, that are not published online.
Free access to all our supporters.

50% DISCOUNT ! Use code: 2025DREAM

Get it on BuyMeACoffee

Get it on Patreon

Origin of the people of Diomede Islands and at East Cape, Siberia

Two origin myths from Arctic regions describe the beginnings of their communities. On Big Diomede Island, it’s believed the first humans descended from the sky. A man carved ten figures from ivory and wood, which transformed into men and women, ancestors of the islanders. Similarly, Siberian Eskimos trace their lineage to a man and woman arriving in stone-transformed kaiaks, with their descendants populating East Cape.

Source:
The Eskimo about Bering Strait
by Edward William Nelson
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eighteenth Annual Report
Washington, 1900

► Themes of the story

Creation: These tales explain the origins of the first humans in their respective regions, detailing how life began for their communities.

Origin of Things: They provide explanations for natural phenomena and cultural practices, such as the transformation of carved figures into humans and the petrification of kaiaks into stones.

Supernatural Beings: The involvement of mystical transformations and otherworldly events highlights interactions with supernatural elements in these origin myths.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

An old man from the Diomede islands told me that it was believed among his people that the first human beings who came to Big Diomede island were a man and a woman who came down from the sky and lived on the island a long time, but had no children. At last the man took some walrus ivory and carved five images of people. Then he took some wood and made five more images from it and put all of them to one side.

The next morning the ten dolls had become transformed into ten people. Those coming from the ivory dolls were men, being hardy and brave, and those from the wood were women and were soft and timid. From these people came the inhabitants of the islands.

► Continue reading…

An Eskimo living at East cape, Siberia, told me that the first Eskimo who lived on East cape were a man and a woman who came there in two kaiaks from St Lawrence island. The kaiaks turned to stone when, the pair landed, and two peculiarly shaped stones, one on each side of the cape, are pointed out as being these kaiaks. From this pair of people came all of the Siberian Eskimo.

In those days there were two kinds of people on East Cape, who could not understand each other, but after a time the other people went away and only the Eskimo were left, as they are today.

Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page

Migration legend

Long ago, the Eskimos migrated from the east to the Yukon River, building a large village. Internal conflict divided them, leading to wars with surrounding groups. Survivors dispersed to locations like Kushunuk, Nunivak Island, and Bristol Bay. Over time, they faced conflicts with Kodiak and Aleut forces, relocating repeatedly. Language differences emerged as groups settled in distinct areas, with descendants eventually resettling near Goodnews Bay.

Source:
The Eskimo about Bering Strait
by Edward William Nelson
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eighteenth Annual Report
Washington, 1900

► Themes of the story

Conflict with Authority: The internal conflicts and wars among the Eskimo groups and with surrounding communities highlight struggles against oppressive forces.

Community and Isolation: The dispersal of the Eskimo people into separate groups and their eventual resettlement illustrate themes of belonging and estrangement.

Echoes of the Past: The narrative reflects on ancestral migrations and conflicts, emphasizing their influence on the present settlements and cultural differences.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

The following legend was obtained from an old man at Ikogmut, on the Lower Yukon. I had no opportunity of verifying any part of it, which was given as a statement of fact.

Very long ago the Eskimo lived far away from the Yukon, and were continually moving from place to place; traveling from the far east to the west. After long wanderings some of them built a village on the bank of Yukon river, just below where Ikogmut now stands, which increased in size until there were thirty-five kashims. The ruins of this village can be seen at the present time, with large pits where the kashims stood.

Finally the villagers quarreled, formed two parties, and made war against each other. The inhabitants of the surrounding villages had hated these people for a long time on account of their overbearing manner, and when they began to quarrel among themselves the out side people united to make war upon them. These enemies were so powerful that they were able to defeat the divided forces of the villagers in a battle, and those who survived became separated into three parties and dispersed.

► Continue reading…

One party stopped at the village of Kushunuk, near Cape Vancouver; another party went to Nunivak island, and another traveled on until it reached Bristol bay, and settled near where Nushagak now stands. The people on the great island of Kodiak, having heard of the strangers near Nushagak, sent a war party across from the island to attack them, but the newcomers on Bristol bay succeeded in almost exterminating them. After this the Aleut, on the island of Uminak, heard of the strangers, and of their having defeated the Kodiak men, so they sent out a war party against these people. This time the Yukon men were defeated and lost half their number. Those who were left then joined with some of their friends from Nunivak island and attacked the people living at Goodnews bay, below the mouth of Kuskokwim river, killing them and burning their village.

The victors then built themselves a village in the same locality, where they were living at the time the Russians came to the country. When the Russians came the people on Goodnews bay resisted them for some time, but finally they scattered, some going back to Bristol bay and others settling with their people on Nunivak island. Since then the descendants of these people have gradually returned to Goodnews bay, where they are now living. During the last few years the people on Bristol bay have been gradually working along the coast toward the mouth of the Kuskokwim.

During the time of the migration from the Yukon all of these people spoke one tongue, but having settled at three widely separated places, their languages gradually became different, the people living at Bristol bay and on Nunivak island being nearest alike in speech.

The Man-Worm

In ancient times, a Man-Worm and his son, also a Worm, lived together. The son, guided by his father, used magic to find a wife. He married a beautiful woman but was later killed by a shaman Worm. The father sought revenge, killing villagers with magic until an old woman’s charm caused the sea and ice to destroy him, ending his terror.

Source:
The Eskimo about Bering Strait
by Edward William Nelson
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eighteenth Annual Report
Washington, 1900

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The protagonists are Man-Worms with magical abilities, highlighting interactions with otherworldly entities.

Revenge and Justice: The father seeks vengeance for his son’s murder, demonstrating the pursuit of retribution.

Conflict with Nature: The old woman’s charm invokes natural forces—rising seas and breaking ice—to defeat the Man-Worm, illustrating a struggle against nature.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

from Kotzebue Sound

In very ancient days there lived a large Worm who was married to a woman, and they had a son who was also a Worm. When the son was fully grown the father told him to go to the middle of the earth plain and there in a small house he would find a wife. The son then used his magic powers and made himself small, so that he could travel faster, and journeyed away. When he came near the small house of which his father had told him, he felt the earth shake and tremble under his feet, and he feared that he would be killed. This happened several times, until finally he reached the house. Here he found that the cause of the shaking of the earth was the talk of an old woman who lived in the house with her daughter. These people received him hospitably, and finding that the girl was very beautiful, he married her.

► Continue reading…

After he had lived there four years he remembered his parents and started to go back to visit them, but on the road he was killed by another Man-worm, who was a shaman. In a short time after this the father felt a strong desire to see his son, so he started to go to him. On the way he found the body of his son, and looking about saw a large village close at hand. He went to the spring where the villagers got their water, and making himself small, hid in it, where, by the use of magic, he killed nearly all the people in revenge for his son’s death. When there were only a few people left, an old woman in the village, knowing that some magic was employed against them, worked a strong charm which caused the sea to rise and break the ice upon its surface and carried it over the land until the spring was covered; then the floating ice blocks were dashed together until the Man-worm was ground to pieces and destroyed, so that the people were freed from his magic.

The Shaman in the Moon

A Malemut shaman shared a fascinating cosmology where a moon-dwelling chief governs earthly animal abundance, granting animals to shamans who visit him in pairs with offerings. The sky is imagined as an inverted land, its grass releasing snow during storms. Stars are seen as shining lakes in this sky-land, while the winds are attributed to a northern giant and a southern woman shaping their environments.

Source:
The Eskimo about Bering Strait
by Edward William Nelson
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eighteenth Annual Report
Washington, 1900

► Themes of the story

Divine Intervention: The moon-dwelling chief, a divine figure, influences earthly animal abundance by granting animals to shamans who visit him with offerings.

Supernatural Beings: The narrative involves interactions with supernatural entities, such as the chief in the moon and the personifications of the north and south winds.

Sacred Spaces: The sky and the moon are depicted as sacred realms that shamans can access, with the sky imagined as an inverted land and the moon as the dwelling place of a powerful chief.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

from Kotzebue Sound

A Malemut shaman from Kotzebue sound near Selawik lake told me that a great chief lives in the moon who is visited now and then by shamans, who always go to him two at a time, as one man is ashamed to go alone. In the moon live all kinds of animals that are on the earth, and when any animal becomes scarce here the shamans go up to the chief in the moon and, if he is pleased with the offerings that have been made to him, he gives them one of the animals that they wish for, and they bring it down to the earth and turn it loose, after which its kind becomes numerous again.

The shaman who told me the foregoing said he had never been to the moon himself, but he knew a shaman who had been there.

► Continue reading…

He had been up only as high as the sky, and went up that high by flying like a bird and found that the sky was a land like the earth, only that the grass grew hanging downward and was filled with snow. When the wind blows up there it rustles the grass stems, loosening particles of snow which fall down to the earth as a snowstorm.

When he was up near the sky he saw a great many small, round lakes in the grass, and these shine at night to make the stars. The Malemut of Kotzebue sound also say that the north wind is the breath of a giant, and when the snow falls it is because he is building himself a snow house and the particles are flying from his snow shovel. The south wind is the breath of a woman living in the warm southland.

The Raven and the Marmot

A Raven, mocked by sea birds for eating carrion, flies to a mountain, where he encounters a Marmot. The Marmot tricks the Raven into dancing with flattery and mock praise. As the Raven dances with closed eyes, the Marmot escapes into his burrow, mocking the Raven’s foolishness. Humiliated, the Raven flees in anger, learning a lesson in pride and gullibility.

Source:
The Eskimo about Bering Strait
by Edward William Nelson
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eighteenth Annual Report
Washington, 1900

► Themes of the story

Trickster: The Marmot exemplifies the trickster archetype by cunningly deceiving the Raven, highlighting the use of wit to outsmart others.

Cunning and Deception: The story centers on the Marmot’s deceptive tactics to evade being eaten, showcasing the effectiveness of cleverness in overcoming threats.

Moral Lessons: The narrative imparts a lesson on the perils of pride and gullibility, illustrating how vanity can lead to one’s downfall.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

a woman’s tale, from Norton Bay

Once a Raven was flying over a reef near the seashore, when he was seen by some Sea-birds that were perched on the rocks, and they began to revile him, crying, “Oh, you offal eater! Oh, you carrion eater! Oh, you black one!” until the Raven turned and flew away, crying, “Gnak, gnak, gnak! why do they revile me!” And he flew far away across the great water until he came to a mountain on the other side, where he stopped.

Looking about he saw just in front of him a marmot hole. The Raven stood by the hole watching, and very soon the Marmot came back bringing home some food. When the Marmot saw the Raven in front of his door he asked him to stand aside, but the Raven refused, saying, “They called me carrion eater, and I will show that I am not, for I will eat you.”

► Continue reading…

To this the Marmot answered, “All right; but I have heard that you are a very fine dancer; now, if you will dance, I will sing, and then you can eat me, but I wish to see you dance before I die.” This pleased the Raven so much that he agreed to dance, so the Mar mot sang, “Oh, Raven, Raven, Raven, how well you dance! Oh, Raven, Raven, Raven, how well you dance!” Then they stopped to rest, and the Marmot said, “I am very much pleased with your dancing, and now I will sing once more, so shut your eyes and dance your best.” The Raven closed his eyes and hopped clumsily about while the Mar mot sang, “Oh, Raven, Raven, Raven, what a graceful dancer! Oh, Raven, Raven, Raven, what a fool you are!” Then the Marmot, with a quick run, darted between the Raven’s legs and was safe in his hole. As soon as the Marmot was safe he put out the tip of his nose and laughed mockingly, saying, “Chi-kik-kik, chi-kik-kik, chi-kik-kik! You are the greatest fool I ever saw; what a comical figure you made while dancing; I could hardly keep from laughing; and just look at me; see how fat I am. Don’t you wish you could eat me!” And he tormented the Raven until the latter flew far away in a rage.

The Land of Darkness

A woman trapped in an abusive marriage uses magic to escape, embarking on a perilous journey that leads her to a mysterious land of darkness. There, she builds a new life with a strange man, amasses wealth, and later returns to her village. Though briefly reconciled with her first husband, his old ways resurface, prompting her to leave forever, leaving her son enriched and empowered.

Source:
The Eskimo about Bering Strait
by Edward William Nelson
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eighteenth Annual Report
Washington, 1900

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The protagonist undergoes significant changes, both in her circumstances and personal growth, as she escapes her abusive marriage and builds a new life.

Quest: Her journey to the mysterious land of darkness represents a quest for freedom and self-discovery.

Conflict with Authority: The story highlights her struggle against the oppressive control of her jealous husband.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

from Sledge Island

Very long ago there lived on Aziak (Sledge) island a man with his wife and little son. The husband loved his wife very much, but was so jealous of her that frequently without cause he treated her very badly.

After a time the wife became so unhappy that she preferred to die rather than live with him longer. Going to her mother, who lived near by, she related all her troubles.

The old woman listened to the complaints and then told her daughter to take a sealskin and rub it with the excrement of three ptarmigans and three foxes; then to fill a wooden dish with food and with her child upon her back to go and meet her husband, and perhaps all might be well with her.

► Continue reading…

Doing as she was directed, she went down to the shore to meet her husband. When he came within hearing, however, he began to scold and abuse her as usual, telling her to go home at once and he would give her a beating as soon as he got there. When the poor woman heard this she ran to the edge of a low bluff overhanging the sea, and as her husband drew his kaiak upon the shore she cast her sealskin into the water and leaped after it. Her husband saw this with alarm, and ran quickly to the top of a hill to see what had become of his wife. He saw her sitting upon the extended sealskin, which was supported at each corner by a bladder, floating rapidly away from the shore, for when the woman leaped into the sea, the sealskin she threw in had suddenly opened out and a float appeared at each corner. This caught her upon its surface and held her up safely. Very soon after she began to float away a storm arose and night shut her from her husband’s sight, and he went home scolding angrily, blaming every one but himself for his loss.

On and on floated the woman, seated on the magic sealskin, and for several days no land could be seen. She used all her food, but still she floated on until it became unbroken night. After a time she became so exhausted that she fell asleep, and was awakened by several sharp shocks and could hear the waves breaking on a pebbly shore. Realizing this, she began to try to save herself; so she stepped from the seal skin and was greatly pleased to find herself standing on a beach made up of small rounded objects, into which her feet sank ankle deep at every step.

These round objects made her curious, so she stopped and picked up two handfuls of them, putting them in her food dish, after which she went slowly on into the deep blackness. Before she had gone far she came to a house, and, feeling along its side, found the entrance and went in. The passageway was dimly lighted by an oil lamp, showing many deerskins piled on one side, and on the other were pieces of flesh and bags of whale and seal oil. When she entered the house there were two oil lamps burning, one on each side of the room, but no one was at home. Over one of the lamps hung a piece of seal fat, and over the other a piece of reindeer fat, from which the oil dropped and fed the flames, and in one corner of the room was a deerskin bed.

She entered and sat down, waiting for what would come to her. At last there was a noise in the entrance way, and a man said, “I smell strange people.” Then the man came into the room, frightening the woman very badly, for his face and hands were coal black. He said nothing, but crossed the room to his bed, where, after stripping the upper part of his body, he took a tub of water and washed himself. The woman was relieved to see that his chest was as white as her own. While sitting here she saw a dish of some cooked flesh suddenly placed inside the door by an unseen person, from which the man helped his guest and then took his own meal. When they had done eating he asked her how she came there, and she told him her story. He told her not to feel badly, and went out and brought in a number of deer skins, telling her to make clothing from them for herself and her child, for she had kept her child safely upon her back all the time. When she told him that she had no needle, he brought her one of copper, which pleased her very much, for until then she had never seen any but bone needles.

For some time they lived thus, until at last the man told her that as they were living alone it would be better for her to become his wife, to which she agreed. The husband then told her not to go outside the house, and they lived quietly together.

While her little boy was playing about one day, he cried out suddenly with delight, and when the woman looked at him she saw that he had spilled the things which she had put in her dish when she stepped on the shore. Examining them, she found they were large, handsome, blue beads. [Beads of this kind are still highly prized by the Eskimo of this coast.]

In time she gave birth to a fine boy, of which her husband was very fond, telling her to be very careful of him. In this way they lived for several years, and in time the boy she had brought with her became a youth. His foster father made him a bow and arrows, and when the boy had killed some birds with them he was allowed to accompany him when hunting. One day the boy killed and brought home two hares, which, like all the animals and birds in this country, were coal black. They were skinned and left outside, and shortly after, freshly cooked and steaming, they were placed just inside the door in a wooden dish, as was always done with their food. The woman noticed for the first time that when the dish was pushed inside the door it was held by two hands.

This remained in her mind until she became suspicious that her husband was not faithful to her. Finally he saw that something troubled her; he asked what it was, and she told him. After sitting and thinking for a short time he asked her if she did not wish to go back to her friends, to which she replied that there was no use in wishing for any thing that she could not do. So he said, “Well, listen to my story, I am from Unalaklit, where I had a handsome wife whom I loved, but who had a very bad temper, which troubled me so much that I lost heart and was in despair, and from being a good and successful hunter I could no longer succeed. One day I was paddling in my kaiak far out at sea, filled with heavy thoughts, when a great storm broke upon me and I was unable to return to the shore. The high wind forced my kaiak through the water so fiercely that at last I lost consciousness and remembered no more until I found myself lying bruised and lame upon the shore where you, too, were cast. Beside me was a dish of food, of which I ate, and feeling strengthened, I arose, thinking that the food must have been placed there by some one, and started to search for the people, but could find no one. While my wants were still supplied with food every time I became hungry, the thick dark ness hid everything from me; but I could find no people, and when my eyes became accustomed to the unbroken darkness, so that I could see a little, I built this house and since then I have lived here, being cared for by the inua who, as you have seen, serves my food. This inua usually takes the form of a large jelly fish, and although I go hunting it is this being that secures my game for me. I became accustomed to the darkness after a time, but the exposure to the continual blackness has made my face and hands as you see? and that is the reason why I told you not to go outside.”

Her husband then told her to follow him, and he led her into the entrance way of the storeroom, which was full of furs, and then he opened a door into another room full of tine furs of the rarest kinds. He then told her to take the ear tips from these skins and put them into her dish with the, beads she had found on the shore, and she did so. Then the man said, “You wish to see your old home and I also wish to see my friends, and we will part. Take your boy upon your back, shut your eyes, and take four steps.” She did as he told her, and so soon as she had opened her eyes she was obliged to close them, for they were dazzled by the bright sunshine about her. When her eyes became used to the light, she looked about and was greatly surprised to see her old home close by. She went at once to her mother’s storehouse and placed in it her wooden dish containing the beads and ear tips she had brought with her. Then she entered the house and was received with great joy, and the news of her return quickly spread through the village. Very soon her former husband came in and she saw with pity that his eyes were red and inflamed from constant weeping for her. He asked her to forgive him for being so harsh, and promised if she would return to him as his wife that he would always treat her kindly. When she had considered this for a long time she finally consented, and for a time she lived happily with him. At length, however, his old habits returned and his wife became unhappy.

Her son became a young man and his mother showed him the beads she had brought from the land of darkness, and also a great pile of rich furs, for every ear tip she had brought back with her had now become a full-size skin. These she gave to her son and then went away and was never seen again by her people. Her son afterward became a headman of the village from his success as a hunter and the wealth of furs and beads given him by his mother.

The fire ball

In the village of Kin-i’-gun, a mistreated orphan reported a fiery apparition that led to a terrifying encounter with a skeleton-like tunghak, which killed the villagers who followed it. A fisherman later faced the tunghak but escaped using enchanted items that turned into protective dogs. Guided by a mysterious black man and a magical woman, he received an amulet, became a shaman, but ultimately vanished seeking the woman.

Source:
The Eskimo about Bering Strait
by Edward William Nelson
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eighteenth Annual Report
Washington, 1900

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The appearance of the fiery apparition and the skeleton-like tunghak highlights interactions with otherworldly entities.

Divine Punishment: The villagers’ mistreatment of the orphan leads to their demise, suggesting retribution from higher powers for their transgressions.

Transformation: The fisherman’s enchanted items turning into protective dogs symbolize physical changes aiding in his escape from the tunghak.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

from Sledge Island

In the village of Kin-i’-gun (Cape Prince of Wales), very long ago, there lived a poor orphan boy who had no one to care for him and was treated badly by everyone, being made to rim here and there at the bidding of the villagers. One evening he was told to go out of the kashim and see how the weather was. He had no skin boots, and being winter, he did not wish to go, but he was driven out. Very soon he came back and said there was no change in the weather. After this the men kept sending him out on the same errand until at last he came back and told them that he had seen a great ball of fire like the moon coming over the hill not far away. The people laughed at him and made him go out again, when he saw that the tire had come nearer until it was quite close. Then the orphan ran inside telling what he had seen and hid himself because he was frightened.

► Continue reading…

Soon after this the people in the kashim saw a fiery figure dancing on the gut-skin covering over the roof hole, and directly after a human skeleton came crawling into the room through the passageway, creeping on its knees and elbows. When it came into the room the skeleton made a motion toward the people, causing all of them to fall upon their knees and elbows in the same position taken by the skeleton. Then turning about it crawled out as it had come, followed by the people, who were forced to go after it. Outside the skeleton crept away from the village, followed by all the men, and in a short time everyone of them was dead and the skeleton had vanished. Some of the villagers had been absent when the skeleton, or tunghak, came, and when they returned they found dead people lying on the ground all about. Entering the kashim they found the orphan boy, who told them how the people had been killed. After this they followed the tracks of the tunghak; through the snow and were led up the side of the mountain until they came to a very ancient grave, where the tracks ended.

In a few days the brother of one of the men who had been killed went fishing upon the sea ice far from the village. He stayed late, and it became dark while he was still a long way from home. As he was walking along the tunghak suddenly appeared before him and began to cross back and forth in his path. The young man tried to pass it and escape, but could not, as the tunghak kept in front of him, do what he might. As he could think of nothing else, he suddenly caught a fish out of his basket and threw it at the tunghak. When he threw the fish it was frozen hard, but as it was thrown and came near the tunghak, it turned back suddenly, passing over the young man’s shoulders, and fell into his basket again, where it began to flap about, having become alive.

Then the fisherman pulled off one of his dogskin mittens and threw it. As it fell near the tunghak the mitten changed into a dog, which ran growling and snarling about the apparition, distracting its attention so that the young man was able to dart by and run as fast as he could toward the village. When he had gone part of the way he was again stopped by the tunghak, and at the same time a voice from overhead said, “Untie his feet; they are bound with cord;” but he was too badly frightened to obey. He then threw his other mitten, and it, too, changed into a dog, delaying the tunghak as the first one had done.

The young man ran off as fast as he could, and fell exhausted near the kashim door as the tunghak came up. The latter passed very near without seeing him and went into the house, but finding no one there, came out and went away. The young man then got up and went home, but did not dare to tell his mother what he had seen. The following day he went fishing again, and on his way came to a man lying in the path whose face and hands were black. When he drew near, the black man told him to get on his back and close his eyes. He obeyed, and in a short time was told to open his eyes. When the young man did this he saw just before him a house and near it a fine young woman. She spoke to him, saying, “Why did you not do as I told you the other night when the tunghak pursued you?” and he replied that he had been afraid to do it. The woman then gave him a magic stone as an amulet to protect him from the tunghat in the future, and the black man again took him on his back, and when he opened his eyes he was at home.

After this the young man claimed to be a shaman, but he thought continually of the beautiful young woman he had seen, so that he did not have much power. At last his father said to him, “You are no shaman; you will make me ashamed of you; go somewhere else.” The next morning the young man left the village at daybreak, and was never heard of again.

The discontented grass plant

This tale from the Yukon mouth follows a grass stalk’s transformation through various forms—herb, plant, mouse, owl, and finally man—each motivated by dissatisfaction and a desire for security or freedom. As Chun-uh-luk, the final form, he discovers strength and skill but faces betrayal by a newfound brother. Their separation marks the origin of the wolverine and gray wolf, eternal wanderers in the same land.

Source:
The Eskimo about Bering Strait
by Edward William Nelson
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eighteenth Annual Report
Washington, 1900

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The protagonist undergoes multiple physical changes, each reflecting a quest for a better existence.

Quest: The grass stalk’s journey through various forms represents a pursuit of security and fulfillment.

Good vs. Evil: The narrative explores the struggle between opposing forces, culminating in betrayal and the emergence of the wolverine and gray wolf.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

from Sledge Island

Near the village of Pastolik, at the Yukon mouth, grows a tall, slender kind of grass. Every fall just before winter commences the women from the villages go out and gather great stores of it, pulling or cut ting it off close to the ground, and making large bundles which they carry home on their backs. This grass is dried and used for braiding mats and baskets and for pads in the soles of skin boots.

One of these Grass-stalks that had been almost pulled out of the ground by a woman, began to think that it had been very unfortunate in not being something else, so it looked about. Almost at first glance it spied a bunch of herbs growing near by, looking so quiet and undisturbed that the Grass began to wish to be like them.

► Continue reading…

As soon as this wish had been formed the Grass-stern became an Herb like those it had envied, and for a short time it remained in peace.

One day it saw the women coining back carrying sharp-pointed picks, with which they began to dig up these herbs and eat some of the roots, while others were put into baskets and carried home. The change ling was left when the women went home in the evening, and having seen the fate of its companions, it wished it had taken another form; so looking about, it saw a small, creeping plant which pleased it, being so tiny and obscure; without delay it wished and became one of them. Again passed a time of quiet, and again came the women tearing up its companions but overlooking the changeling. Once more the latter was filled with fear and by wishing became a small tuber-bearing plant like others growing near. Scarcely had this change been made when a small tundra mouse came softly through the grass and began digging up one of the tubers of a similar plant near by, holding it in its forepaws and nibbling it, after which the mouse went on again. “To be secure I must become a mouse,” thought the changeling, and at once it became a Mouse and ran off, glad of the new change. Now and then it would pause to dig up and eat one of the tubers as the other mouse had done, or it would sit up on its hind feet to look around at the new scenes that came in view. While traveling nimbly along in this manner, the Mouse saw a strange, white object coining toward it, which kept dropping down upon the ground, and after stopping to eat something would fly on again. When it came near the Mouse saw that it was a great white owl. At the same moment the owl saw the Mouse and swooped down upon it. Darting off, the Mouse was fortunate enough to escape by running into a hole made by one of its kind, so the owl flew away.

After a while the Mouse ventured to come out of its shelter, though its heart beat painfully from its recent fright. “I will be an owl,” thought the Mouse, “and in this way will be safe.” So again it changed with the wish into a beautiful white Owl, and with slow, noiseless wing flaps set off toward the north, pausing every now and then to catch and eat a mouse. After a long flight Sledge island came in view, and the Owl thought it would go there. When far out at sea its untried wings became so tired that only with great difficulty did it manage to reach the shore, where it perched upon a piece of driftwood that stood up in the sand. In a short time it saw two fine-looking men pass along the shore, and the old feeling of discontent arose again. “I will be a man,” it thought, and, with a single flap of the wings, it stood upon the ground, where it changed immediately into a fine young Man, but was without clothing. Night came over the earth soon after, and Man sat down with his back against the stick of wood on which, as an Owl, he had perched, and slept there until morning. He was awakened by the warm sun, and upon rising Chun-uh-luk, as he called himself, felt stiff and lame from sitting in the cold night air.

Looking about, he found some grass, which he wove into a kind of loose mantle, which helped to keep out the cold, after which he saw some reindeer grazing near by and felt a sudden desire to kill and eat one of them. He crept closely on his hands and knees, and springing for ward on the nearest one seized it by the horns and broke its neck with a single effort, threw it over his shoulders, returned, and cast it down near his sleeping place. Then he felt all over the reindeer’s body and found that its skin formed a covering which his fingers were unable to penetrate. For a long time he tried to think of a way to remove the skin, and finally noticed a sharp-edge stone, which he picked up and found that he could cut through the skin with it. The deer was quickly skinned, but he felt the lack of a fire with which to cook the flesh. Looking around, he found two round, white stones upon the beach and, striking them together, saw that they gave out numerous sparks. With these and some dry material found along the shore he succeeded in making a fire, upon which he roasted some of the meat. He tried to swallow a very large piece of the meat just as he had eaten mice when he was an Owl, but found that he could not do it; then he cut off some small fragments and ate them. Another night passed, and in the morning he caught another reindeer, and the day following two others; both of these last deer he threw over his shoulders, and at once carried them back to his camping place on the shore. Chun-uh-luk found the nights very cold, so he skinned the last two reindeer and wrapped himself from head to foot in their skins, which dried upon him very soon and became like a part of his body. But the nights grew colder and colder, so that Chun-uh-luk collected a quantity of driftwood along the shore, with which he made himself a rough hut, which was very comfortable.

After finishing his house he was walking over the hills one day when he saw a strange black animal among some blueberry bushes eating the berries. Chun-uh-luk did not at first know whether he should interfere with this unknown animal or not, but finally he caught it by one of its hind legs. With an angry growl it turned about and faced him, showing its white teeth. In a moment Chun-uh-luk caught the bear by the coarse hair upon each cheek and swung it over his head, bringing it down to the ground with such force that the bear lay dead; then he threw it across his shoulders and went home.

In skinning the bear Chun-uh-luk found that it contained much fat, and that he might have a light in his house if he could find something to hold the grease, for he had found it very dark inside and trouble some to move about. Going along the beach he found a long, flat stone with a hollow in one surface, and in this the oil remained very well, so that when he had put a lighted moss wick into it he saw that his house was lighted as well as he could wish.

In the doorway he hung the bearskin to keep out the cold wind which sometimes had come in and chilled him during the night. In this way he lived for many days, until he began to feel lonely, when he remembered the two young men he had seen when he stood on the shore as an Owl. Then he thought, “I saw two men pass here once, and it can not be far to where others live. I will go and seek them, for it is very lonely here.” So he went out in search of people. He wandered along the coast for some distance, and at last came to two fine new kaiaks, lying at the foot of a hill, upon which were spears, lines, floats, and other hunting implements.

After having examined these curiously he saw a path near by, leading up to the top of a hill, which he followed. On the top of the hill was a house with two storehouses in the vicinity, and on the ground in front of him were several recently killed white whales, with the skulls of many others grouped around. Wishing to see the people in the house before showing himself, he crept with noiseless steps into the entrance way and up to the door. Lifting cautiously one corner of the skin that hung in the doorway, he looked in. Opposite the door was a young man sitting at work on some arrows, while a bow lay beside him. Chun-uh-luk dropped the curtain and stood quite still for some time, fearing that if he entered the house the young man would shoot him with the arrows before he could make known his good will. He ended by thinking, “If I enter and say, I have come, brother, he will not hurt me,” so, raising the curtain quickly, he entered. The householder at once seized the bow and drew an arrow to the head ready to shoot, just as Chun-uh-luk said, “I have come, brother.” At this the bow and arrow were dropped and the young man cried out with delight, “Are you my brother? Come and sit beside me.” And Chun-uh-luk did so very gladly. Then the householder showed his pleasure and said, “I am very glad to see you, brother, for I always believed I had one somewhere, but I could never find him. Where have you lived? Have you known any parents? How did you grow up?” and asked many other questions, to which Chun-uh-luk replied that he had never known his parents, and described his life by the seashore until he had started on the present search. The householder then said that he also had never known any parents, and his earliest recollection was of finding himself alone in that house, where he had lived ever since, killing game for food.

Telling his brother to follow him, the householder led Chun-uh-luk to one of the storehouses, where there was a great pile of rich furs, with an abundance of seal oil and other food. Opening the door of the other storehouse, the newcomer was shown a great many dead people lying there. The householder said he had killed them in revenge for the death of his parents, for he felt certain that they had been killed by these people, so he let no one pass him alive.

When they returned to the house, the brothers fell asleep and slept till morning. At daybreak they arose and, after breakfast, the house holder told Chun-uh-luk that as he had no bow and arrows, he should stay at home and cook for them both while he went out himself to kill the game. Then he went away and came back at night, bringing some reindeer meat. Chun-uh-luk had food ready, and after eating they both went to bed and slept soundly. In this manner they lived for several days, until Chun-uh-luk began to tire of cooking and of staying in the house.

One morning he asked permission to go out to hunt with his brother, but the latter refused and started out alone. Soon after, when he began to stalk some reindeer, Chun-uh-luk came creeping softly behind and grasped him by the foot, so that without alarming the game his brother should know he was there. Turning, the hunter said angrily, “What do you mean by following me? You can not kill anything without a bow and arrows.” “I can kill game with my hands alone,” said Chun-uh-luk; but his brother spoke scornfully, and said: “Go home, and attend to your cooking.” Chun-uh-luk turned away, but instead of going home he crept up to a herd of reindeer and killed two of them with his hands, as he had done while living alone. Then he stood up and waved his hands for his brother to come. The latter came, and was very much astonished to see the two reindeer, for he had killed none with his arrows. Chun-uh-luk then lifted both of the reindeer upon his shoulders and carried them home.

His brother followed with dark brow and evil thoughts in his heart, until jealousy and anger replaced all the kindly feelings he had for Chun-uh-luk, and there was also a feeling of fear after having seen his brother manifest such great strength. During all the evening he sat silent and moody, scarcely tasting the food placed before him, until finally his suspicions and evil thoughts began to produce the same feelings in Chun-uh’-luk’s breast. Thus they sat through the night, each watching the other and fearing some treachery.

The following day was calm and bright, and the householder asked Chun-uh-luk if he could paddle a kaiak, to which the latter answered that he thought he could. Then the householder led the way to the kaiaks upon the shore, into one of which he got, and telling Chun-uh-luk to follow him in the other. At first Chun-uh-luk had some trouble in keeping his kaiak steady, but he soon learned to control it, and they paddled far out to sea. When the shore was very distant they turned back, and the householder said: “Now, let us see who can gain the shore first.” Lightly the kaiaks darted away, and first one, then the other, seemed to have the advantage, until at last, with a final effort, they ran ashore, and the rivals sprang up the beach at the same moment. With scowling brow the householder turned to Chun-uh-luk and said: “You are no more my brother. You go in that direction, and I will go in this,” and they turned their backs to each other and separated angrily. As they went Chun-uh-luk changed into a Wolverine, his brother becoming a Gray Wolf, and until this day they are found wandering in the same country, but never together.

Tale of Ak-chik-chu-guk

A family of eight faces a storm’s wrath in a coastal village, leading to the separation of a daughter and brother on drifting ice. Ak-chik-chu-guk, the eldest son, displays superhuman strength and cunning, battling hostile villagers and a wicked shaman to rescue his sister. Despite victories, a cursed oversight transforms the siblings and their boat into stone, leaving their tale immortalized in the landscape.

Source:
The Eskimo about Bering Strait
by Edward William Nelson
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Eighteenth Annual Report
Washington, 1900

► Themes of the story

Quest: Ak-chik-chu-guk embarks on a perilous journey to rescue his sister, facing numerous challenges along the way.

Transformation: The siblings’ eventual metamorphosis into stone serves as a poignant conclusion to their saga.

Supernatural Beings: The narrative features interactions with a wicked shaman, highlighting the influence of supernatural entities in Inuit folklore.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

from Sledge Island

At the village of Kal-ul’i-git [Point Rodney, on the eastern shore of Bering strait] a terrible wind was blowing, which filled the air with flying snow and kept everyone in the house. One house in the village was occupied by a family of eight – the parents, five sons and a daughter. The eldest son, named Ak-chik-chu-guk, was noted for the great breadth of his shoulders, and the strength of his hands was greater than that of the most powerful walrus flippers. The daughter was well known for her kindness and beauty. As the day passed, one of the brothers asked his mother for some food, and she replied that none had been prepared, nor did she have any water with which to cook meat. Turning to the daughter, she told her to take a tub and go down to the water hole in the ice and bring some sea water that she might boil meat.

► Continue reading…

The girl hesitated about going on account of the storm, and the brothers joined with her in trying to persuade the mother to give up the idea of having water brought at that time, but all to no purpose.

Then Ak-chik-chu-guk told the youngest brother to go and help his sister, and the pair left the house. After some difficulty in getting to the water hole they rested for a time, and then slowly filled the tub; when it was full they turned back and, with bowed heads, struggled toward the shore in the face of the wind. As they were moving along the path, they suddenly started back in tear, for, in place of the shore, they saw the black, open water in a rapidly widening crack where the ice had broken and was drifting away from the land. Dropping the water tub they ran wildly back and forth along the edge of the ice until they were exhausted. After waiting for some time, the people in the house became alarmed, and one of the brothers ran down to the shore where, by the open water, he saw what had taken place. He hastened back and told his family and, as soon as the storm ceased, the brothers searched the sea as far as they could, but saw nothing of the missing ones. Then one of the brothers traveled along the coast to the north and another went to the south, informing the villagers they met of their loss, but both returned without any tidings.

Spring came, and their mother told the brothers that they must search for their lost ones far along the coast, for it was likely that they had been driven on shore somewhere. The brothers then set to work to build a fine, large umiak; when it was finished they decided to try it before they started on their voyage. Launching the umiak the three younger brothers rowed while Ak-chik-chu-guk sat in the stern with the broad-blade steering paddle. They had gone only a short distance when a wild goose came flying by, and the three brothers strained their arms in trying to equal the bird in swiftness, but in vain. Suddenly Ak-chik-chu-guk raised the broad paddle and the first stroke caused the umiak to leap forward so suddenly that his brothers were thrown from their seats into the bottom of the boat; after this, he bound them firmly to their seats and had them take in their oars. Then, under his strokes, the umiak darted through the water like an arrow, throwing a streak of foam away on both sides. Very soon they were close along side the goose, and the bird tried hard to escape from its strange companions, but was quickly passed by the umiak and left far behind.

On another short preparatory trip they made along the coast they landed near a great rock. Ak-chik-chu-guk told his brothers to take up some small drift logs on the beach and follow him; then, taking up the rock, he placed it upon his shoulders and carried it up the shore, although his feet sank deep in the earth at every step, so heavy was his burden. At some distance from the water he stopped and had his brothers form a platform of their logs, on which he placed the stone, saying: “Now I will not be forgotten, for the people who come after us will point out this rock and remember my name;” and this is true, for the villagers say that the rock lies there until this day and Ak-chik-chu-guk’s name is not forgotten.

Then the brothers returned home and completed their preparations for the journey. When everything was ready, Ak-chik-chu-guk had his brothers remove all their clothing and, taking his knife, with a single stroke he cut off the head of each. Alter this he made their mother carry the bodies outside and dismember them, putting the fragments into a great earthen pot, where they were boiled. At first his mother refused, but Ak-chik-chu-guk compelled her to obey him. When she had done as she was bid, she came in and told him; then, ordering her to remain in the house and upon no account to come out side until he gave her permission, he went out and, by the aid of a powerful inua that did his bidding, restored his brothers to life again.

When all her sons entered the house alive once more, the mother was very glad. At the bidding of Ak-chik-chu-guk she put some decayed fish roe and some bird-skin coats into the umiak, and they started on their search, leaving their parents alone. The brothers journeyed on until they reached a large village, where they stopped, and, going into the kashim, asked for tidings of their sister.

The people answered in an unfriendly way, and soon after one of the villagers cried out, “We must kill these men,” and everyone seized his weapons and started toward the brothers. Ak-chik-chu-guk seemed not to notice the treacherous villagers until they were close to him; then, raising his right arm and placing the elbow against his side, drew the entire arm into his body; as he did this everyone of the villagers was compelled to do the same, and they stood helpless, without the use of their right arms.

“Why do you not kill us? Why do you wait?” and similar mocking taunts were directed to them by Ak-chik-chu-guk. When the villagers had promised to let them go in peace, he thrust forth his own arm again, and at once everyone of the villagers was able to do the same; the people then told them that they might hear of their sister in the next village.

After journeying for several days they came to the village and went into the kashim, where again they made inquiries for their sister. As before, the people answered in an unfriendly tone and rushed at the strangers to kill them. Ak-chik-chu-guk paid no attention to his enemies until they were close to him, when he suddenly closed both eyes and the villagers were forced to do the same, after which he taunted them as he had taunted the men at the other village, then made them promise not to try to injure himself or his brothers, and restored their sight by opening his own eyes. These people told them that possibly they might get tidings at the next village, so the brothers went on.

When they reached that place they made inquiry, and, as at the other villages, the people wished to kill them, and were quite near the brothers with their weapons raised when Ak-chik-chu-guk put his hands on each side of his face and turned his head about on his shoulders so that his face looked backward. Instantly the heads of all the villagers turned around on their shoulders and the backs of their heads rested where their faces should have been, while their bodies were in the position of rushing forward. On getting the usual promise from them, Ak-chik-chu-guk replaced the villagers heads, and the brothers were directed to make inquiries at the next place.

In that village they were attacked again, and the villagers were forced to put their hands behind their backs by the strong magic of the elder brother. Here the people told the brothers that their sister was in the next village, but that she was the wife of a very powerful and wicked shaman, and they tried to keep the brothers from going on, saying that harm would come to them if they did. No heed was given to this, and they went on until they came in sight of the village.

There they stopped while Ak-chik-chu-guk smeared his hands and face with the decayed fish roe and changed his fine deerskin clothing for the old bird-skin garments his mother had put in the boat. Then he coiled himself up in the bottom of the boat, bending down his shoulders until he looked like a feeble old man. His brothers were instructed what to do, and, rowing on, they soon landed at the village. Then the brothers started to carry Ak-chik-chu-guk into the village, when they were met by several people, among whom was the bad shaman. He asked them why they carried with them such a miserable old man; to which they replied that he did not belong to them, but they had found him on the shore and brought him along with them.

Asking about their sister, they were told that they could see her when they had carried the old man in the kashim. Ak-chik-chu-guk was placed in the kashim, where they left him lying apparently helpless. Then they were taken to another house and shown a young woman dressed in fine furs, and were told that she was their sister. The two elder brothers believed this, but the youngest one was suspicious of some wrong, but said nothing and went back to the kashim with the others.

When the brothers were inside the kashim, the shaman went down to the beach, where he untied the lashings of the umiak, rolled the framework up in the cover, and hid it. When night fell and everyone was asleep, the youngest brother crept out and went to the shaman’s house. In the passageway he heard a hoarse, choking sound, and at first was frightened, but soon felt stronger and asked, “Who is there?” No reply came, and he went forward carefully until he reached the door beyond which he had heard the strange sound. He listened a moment, and then pushed the door open and went in.

There on the floor lay his sister dressed in coarse, heavy sealskins and bound hand and foot, with a cord drawn tightly about her neck and another fastened her tongue. Very quickly she was released, and then told him that the wicked shaman had kept her in this way and treated her very cruelly; her brother put his hand on her breast and found her so emaciated that the bones were almost through the skin. Leaving her there, he closed the door and soon brought the next elder brother to the girl; after which both went back and, awakening the others, told them what they had seen.

After this all the brothers kept awake and watchful until morning. As dawn appeared the bad shaman came to the window in the roof and cried out, “Now it is time to kill those strangers.” Going into the kashim, he sent a man for a large, sharp-edge piece of whalebone, while he had another take away loose planks from the middle of the floor, which left a square open pit several feet deep, and about the edge of this the shaman bound upright the piece of whalebone with the sharp edge. The brothers were then challenged to wrestle with him. Ak-chik-chu-guk whispered that they should wrestle with him without fear, as he had killed and restored them to life again before leaving home, so that men could not harm them.

One of the brothers stepped forward, and after a short struggle the shaman stooped quickly, caught the young man by the ankles, and raising him from the floor with a great swing, brought him down so that his neck was cut off across the edge of the whalebone. Casting the body to one side, the shaman repeated the challenge and killed the second brother in the same way. Again the shaman made his scornful challenge, but scarcely had he finished speaking when Ak-chik-chu-guk wiped the fish roe from his face and hands, and with a wrench tore the bird-skin coat from his body and sprang up as a powerful young man with anger shining in his eyes.

When the shaman saw this sudden change he started back, with his heart growing weak within him; he could not escape, however, and very soon Ak-chik-chu-guk caught him in his arms, pressed in his sides until the blood gushed from his mouth, and, stooping, caught him by the ankles and whirled him over his head and across the whale bone, cutting his neck apart; then he brought the body down again and it fell in two. Throwing aside the fragment in his hand, he turned to the frightened villagers and said, “Is there any relative, brother, father, or son of this miserable shaman who thinks I have done wrong? If there is, let him come forward and take revenge.”

The villagers eagerly expressed their joy at the shaman’s death, as they had been in constant fear of him, and he had killed every stranger who came to their village. Then Ak-chik-chu-guk sent everyone out of the kashim, and soon, by help of his magic, restored his two brothers to life; after this they went out and released their sister, and clothed her in fine new garments. She told them of her long drifting on the ice with her brother and of their landing near Uni-a’shuk [a village near St Lawrence bay, on the Siberian shore of Bering strait], the village at which they then were; also how the shaman had killed her brother and kept her a prisoner.

The brothers were now treated so kindly by the people in the village that they lingered there from day to day until a considerable time had elapsed, during which two of them made fine bows and quivers full of arrows, and another made a strong, stone-head spear. One day nearly all the men were gathered in the kashim when the youngest brother hurried in and said that the sea was covered with umiaks, so that the flashing of their paddles looked like falling rain drops in the sun. The villagers told the brothers that the umiaks were from a neighboring place and that the men in them meant no harm to the people of Uni-a’shuk, but were coming to kill the strangers. Hearing this, Ak-chik-chu-guk told the villagers to stay within their houses and sent his brothers out to meet the enemy. The umiaks soon came to the shore and a fierce battle ensued. The umiak men tried in vain to kill or wound the brothers, while the latter killed many of them. Finally the youngest brother returned to the kashim, saying that his arrows were exhausted, but that their enemies were nearly all dead. Soon afterward the next younger brother came in and said that all his arrows were gone and only a few of the enemy were left. He had scarcely finished speaking when the third brother came in, his spear all bloody, and told them that only one man had been spared to carry home news of the fate of his comrades. Going out the villagers saw the shore covered with the dead men and were astonished, but they said nothing.

Still the brothers lingered, disliking to begin the long homeward journey, and at last another fleet of umiaks, larger than the first, bearing the friends and relatives of the men slain in the first battle, came in sight; these, the villagers said, were people coming for blood revenge. Again Ak-chik-chu-guk sent all of the villagers to their homes, telling them not to leave their houses. When they were gone he sat side by side with his brothers in the kashim and awaited the enemy.

The umiaks came to the shore very quickly, and the warriors, fully armed, hurried to the kashim to seek their victims, coming in such numbers that the last had hard work to get into the house. The brothers sat still in the midst of their enemies, who became quiet when they were all in the house and seemed to be waiting for something. In a few moments two extremely old women came in, each carrying a small grass basket in her hands. One of them sat quietly in a corner while the warriors made room for the other to come up in front of the brothers. She looked at them with an evil eye and drew from the basket a finger bone of one of the men killed in the first battle, setting it up on the floor in front of the youngest brother; then taking out a human rib, she looked fixedly at the young man and struck the bone with the rib, saying at the same time, “He is dead.” Instantly the young man fell over from his seat dead. Quickly she placed the second bone in front of another brother and he, too, fell dead from his seat. At this Ak-chik-chu-guk uttered a cry of anger, and springing upon the witch, before anyone could move, caught both her hands and crushed them to a shapeless mass. Then he caught up her basket and scattered about him in a circle all the finger bones it contained. Without a moment’s delay he took the rib and striking the bones as quickly as possible, repeated, “He is dead. He is dead. He is dead.” And his enemies fell as he moved until not one of them was left alive. Then he exercised his magic power and restored his brothers to life again, after which the villagers were called in. When the latter came and saw the kashim filled with dead men, they were full of fear and told the brothers that so many people had been killed by them that they feared to have them remain there any longer.

The brothers consented to go, and preparing their umiak, they embarked with their sister. Just as they were leaving, the villagers told them to be sure to stop and build a large fire on the beach as soon as they came in sight of their native village. They traveled slowly back as they had come, and finally they were pleased to see their village just ahead of them. At this time the sister was walking along the shore with a dog, towing the boat by means of a long, walrus-hide line. When she saw the houses she remembered the directions of the villagers about building a fire when they came in sight of their home, and reminded her brothers of it, but Ak-chik-chu-guk was eager to complete the journey, and said impatiently, “No, no, we will not trouble ourselves to do that; I wish to hurry home.” When the sister turned and started to go OH she had scarcely taken a step forward when her feet felt so heavy that she could not raise them. She shrieked in fear, and said, “My feet feel as if they were becoming stone.” As she spoke she changed into stone from head to foot. Then the same change occurred with the dog, and out along the line to the boat, changing it and its occupants into stone. There until this day, as a rocky ledge, is the boat where it stopped, the brothers facing their home, and a slender reef running to the land where the towline dropped, while on shore are the stony figures of the girl and the dog.