Category: Chipewyan

The Dog-Rib legend of Ithenhiela; or, the creation of the Rocky Mountains

The Dog-Rib legend of Ithenhiela, as recounted by James Mackintosh Bell in 1903, tells of Naba-Cha, an enormous and cruel man from Canada’s Northwest. He mistreats Ithenhiela, a young Wood-Cree boy known as the Caribou-Footed. The tale explores themes of power, cruelty, and the natural world’s mysteries, offering insight into the Dog-Rib people’s rich oral traditions.

Source: 
The Fireside Stories of the Chippwyans
by James Mackintosh Bell
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.16, No.61, pp. 73-84
April-June, 1903

► Themes of the story


Creation: The narrative explains the origin of the Rocky Mountains.

Hero’s Journey: Ithenhiela embarks on a transformative adventure to confront Naba-Cha.

Cultural Heroes: Ithenhiela serves as a foundational figure shaping the natural landscape.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

The first religious ceremony at which I was present with the Dog-Ribs and Hare-Skins remains vividly in my memory, and shows how thoroughly they mix the picturesque of their old religion with that of the new. It was at the celebration of the midnight mass at a northern Roman Catholic mission. The Indians had travelled long distances across the snow, from the depths of the forest to the southward, from the wind-swept Barren Lands to the eastward, and from the lonely lake country to the northward, to be present at the ceremony. Some 600 in all had assembled, and, dressed in fur costumes, knelt upon the floor of the rude log church as the priest, a Frenchman of old France, sang the majestic service. When he reached the Adeste fideles, he sang one verse through in his rich Gascon voice, and then all the Indians joined with him, and finished the beautiful hymn in Dog-Rib.

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I stood at the door of the church as the Indians came out and noted the impression the service had left on their countenances. The sky was bright with a thousand colors, the ever-changing beauty of the northern lights, which flickered and faded and relighted as the Indians passed me. Looking up to the heavens, they saw that strange phenomenon which is to them the most mysterious thing of nature. “Ah,” they said with their faces bowed before this great light, “’tis the fingers of Ithenhiela beckoning us to the home beyond the sky. Now some of us will pass to that great country which we know not.” Later I heard the story of Ithenhiela, and to me it was the most beautiful of all the Dog-Rib stories. It is as follows:

In the great Northwest of Canada there flows one of the mightiest rivers of the earth, known to the whites as the Mackenzie, and to the Northern Indians as the Too-cha-Tes or Big Water. On the very border of the Arctic Circle another great river joins the Big Water from the southwest. This river the Dog-Ribs still know as “the river that flows from the country of the Big Man.”

Naba-Cha, or the Big Man, was one of the most enormous men who ever lived. His wigwam was made of three hundred skins of the largest caribou that could be killed on the vast plains far to the northward. It had taken the bark of six huge birch-trees to make the onogan from which he daily ate his meals. And it took one whole moose, or two caribou, or fifty partridges, to feed him each day. Famous indeed was Naba-Cha throughout the whole North Country, and many were the expeditions of war he had made into distant lands to the north, east, south, and west. He had travelled northward to the mouth of the Big Water to fight the Snow Men or Eskimo, eastward across the Great Lake of Many Slaves to the country of the Yellow Knives, where he had seen the pure copper shining in the sands of mighty rivers, southward away on to the great plains to the country of the Crees, where there were so many large animals, — but westward he had never ventured far, because in that direction it was said that a bigger man than Naba-Cha dwelt. Now Naba-Cha was not only big, but he was also cruel and wicked, especially to a young Wood-Cree boy whom he had brought back from the South once when on the warpath, and who had neither father nor mother nor sister nor brother to help fight. Ithenhiela, the Caribou-Footed, as the boy was called, had, however, one great friend at the wigwam of Naba-Cha. This was Hottah, the two-year-old moose, the cleverest of all the northern animals. Truly he was clever, for he had travelled all the distance from the mouth of the Too-Cha-Tes to the wigwam of Naba-Cha in three days, and this was very far indeed. Now Hottah had long thought of a plan by which he might help Ithenhiela. He knew that far to the westward, much beyond where Naba-Cha had ever gone, flowed another river almost as great as Too-Cha-Tes, and that safety for a hunted man or beast lay on its farther side, because there dwelt Nesnabi, the Good Man.

One day Hottah came to Ithenhiela, and said to him, “We will go away. You get a stone, a clod of earth, a piece of moss, and a branch of a tree, and we shall escape from the cruel Naba-Cha.” Ithenhiela got what he was told to get, and soon they were ready to be off. Hottah took Ithenhiela upon his back, and before long they were out on the great plains which lie many days beyond the Too-Cha-Tes. Hardly had they started when they saw coming behind them Naba-Cha on his great caribou. Then said Hottah, “Fling out behind you your clod of earth.” Hottah did so, and immediately there rose up behind them, and between them and Naba-Cha, great hills of earth so wide and so high that it was many days before Naba-Cha again came in sight. And during this time Ithenhiela ate the ripened berries, while Hottah chewed the sweet grass which grew beyond the hills.

When Naba-Cha once more appeared in sight, Ithenhiela flung out behind him the piece of moss, and a great muskeg-swamp lay behind them. And for days the great man and his caribou floundered in the thick sphagnum. Meanwhile, on and on towards the country of the Setting Sun passed Hottah and Ithenhiela. And when once more Naba-Cha appeared, Ithenhiela dropped the stone, and great indeed were the high rocky hills which intervened between them and Naba-Cha, Up to the very clouds rose the hills, white with snow, and magnificent, such as had never been seen before. Long was it before the fugitives again saw Naba-Cha and the great caribou, and far had they gone towards the West before Ithenhiela had to throw the branch of the tree from him. Then arose a great and mighty forest of which the trees were so thick that Naba-Cha could not pass between them, and had to cut his way through, while the caribou was left behind because his horns had stuck in the branches, and he could not pass on. All this delay helped Ithenhiela; and when he once more saw the cruel Naba-Cha, he and his moose-friend had already crossed the Great Western River which they had tried so hard to reach. Away into the Northwest wound Tes-Yukon, through the high rocky hills to the northward, foaming as it flowed. Soon came Naba-Cha to the other side of the Tes-Yukon, and called aloud, “Help me, Hottah, across this mighty river. Help me to reach the country that lies beyond, and I shall do no harm to Ithenhiela.” Then across for him went Hottah; and as he brought him back across the great Tes-Yukon, he overturned him, and down he swept through the swirling rapids of the river, and was lost. This was the last of the wicked Naba-Cha.

Then came Hottah to Ithenhiela standing upon the bank, and, turning to him, he said, “Ithenhiela, I must leave you now, and return whence I came. Go you and follow this great river, and soon you will come to a great tepee. This is the home of Nesnabi, the Good Man. Great indeed is he, and far has he travelled, into our country to the eastward, among the golden rivers lost in mountains to the southward, to the great water which has no ending to the westward, and to the silent plains, all snow-covered, to the northward, where live the Snow-Men. He, like Naba-Cha, is big, but he is not cruel, and harms no one. He will aid you.” Then departed Ithenhiela, and following the bends of the great Tes-Yukon through the high spruce forest, he came to the wigwam of Nesnabi, who stood silent beside his home. “Whence have you come, young man,” said he, “and where are you going?” At this, up spoke Ithenhiela, “Great Chief, I have come from far. I have neither father nor mother nor brother nor sister. My home was with my own people away in the South Country, and there I lived happily until the coming of Naba-Cha, who took me away with him to the cruel North Country, where the snow lasts long in winter, by the sweeping waters of the Too-Cha-Tes. Hard indeed was Naba-Cha to me, and many a season passed I in misery with him, until I came away with Hottah, the two-year-old moose who brought me to your country, O Great Nesnabi, and but now has he left me.” To this answered the kind Nesnabi, “Ithenhiela, I have long known that you would come to me. Stay with me as long as you like, but if at the end of the week you wish to journey away, I will then prepare you for your journey farther into the West Country.”

Thus it was that Ithenhiela stayed at the wigwam of Nesnabi; but when the week was done, he came to his protector, and said to him, “I must now leave you, and travel farther. Give me that preparation for my journey that you have promised me.” Then took Nesnabi seven arrows from his wigwam, and said to him, “This is enough to help you, Ithenhiela, but should you shoot at any bird or beast in a spruce-tree and the arrow stick in the branches, take you care that you go not after it, for if you do, surely something will happen to you.” Hardly had Ithenhiela left the good Nesnabi, when he saw a squirrel in the branches of a red spruce-tree, and, raising his bow, he shot an arrow at it, Down fell the squirrel, but the arrow lodged in the branches. At once, Ithenhiela, forgetting what Nesnabi had told him, started to climb after the arrow. As he mounted, the arrow went up, too. Up, up, they went, until at last they came to the sky, and the arrow passed through, and he after it. Great was Ithenhiela’s surprise when he entered the Sky Country. It was so different from what he had expected. He had imagined a glorious country, where the sun always shone, and where herds of musk oxen, caribou, and moose roamed at large in plenty, with many of his own people camped in large wigwams here and there. But instead, the air was damp, dreary, and cold; no trees or flowers grew; no herds of animals ran on the silent plains; the smoke of no wigwam greeted his anxious eyes; the war-whoop or hunting-cry of no Indian of his own people was heard; only, far in the distance against the sky shimmered a great white mass, like a pile of snow, when the sun shines upon it in the early summer. Towards this great white thing ran a winding path from the very spot where Ithenhiela stood. “I will follow it,” thought he, “and see what I come to, and find out what lies in that blazing wigwam over there. As he passed along, he met an old woman who said to him, “Who are you, and where are you going?” “I have come from far,” said Ithenhiela. “I am the Caribou-Footed, Can you tell me who lives over there in that big white wigwam?” “Ah,” said Capoteka, “I know you, Ithenhiela. Long have I thought you would come here. But you have done wrong; this is no country for man. In that great wigwam over there lives Hatempka; and unhappy is he because he has lost his belt of medicine, and until he gets it again, no one will be happy in the Sky Country. The belt is at the tepee of the two blind women who live far beyond the wigwam which shines so white, and no one can get it from them. Whoever finds it, and gets it from the bad blind women, will have the daughter of Hatempka, the beautiful Etanda, for his wife.” Off then started Ithenhiela, and, travelling hard, soon came he to the home of the two old blind women. And as he entered the wigwam, he saw hanging upon the side the belt of Hatempka, and many indeed were the skulls which hung about it, for many had gone to seek the belt, but none had returned. The blind women bade him welcome, and said to him, “When you leave, Ithenhiela, tell us, so that we may bid you good-by.” Now Ithenhiela had noticed that each of the two old women had behind her back a knife of copper, long and sharp. “Ah!” thought he, “when I leave, they mean to kill me,” for one sat on either side of the door in readiness, “but I shall fool them.” In one part of the wigwam lay a muskamoot (or bag) of bones and feathers. To this he tied a string, which he pulled over the pole above the door. Then said he, “I am going now, blind women. Remember I am old and fat, and when I leave, I make much noise.” At this he pulled the string, and towards the door passed the bag of bones and feathers. Immediately the two old blind women stabbed; but striking only feathers, the long knives passed through them into each other, and both were killed. Then took Ithenhiela the belt of medicine, and went he unto the shining white home of Hatempka, and said to him, “Great chief, be you happy now, I have brought to you your healing” belt. Give me now my wife, your daughter, the beautiful Etanda, that I may leave you.” Then said Hatempka, “Oh! much pleased am I, Ithenhiela. You have saved my people. Now shall the sun shine again. Now shall musk oxen, caribou, moose, and bear live once more in our country. Again shall we see the smoke of many wigwams. Once more shall we hear the voice of many hunters. Take you now my daughter, the fair Etanda, but leave me not. Stay with me, and be a great man after me.” So Ithenhiela remained at the shining white home of Hatempka.

Hence was derived the name and country of the Big Man. Still the Indians in that distant country, when the northern lights flit across the sky, see in them the fingers of Ithenhiela, beckoning them to the home he has found for them so far away.

The influx of fur-traders into the Mackenzie River region, and even to Great Bear Lake within the last two years, since my return, has, I believe, very much altered the character of the Northern Indians.

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White Bear story

White Bear punishes Fox by taking his shoulder, causing Fox to fall ill. Fox enlists Crow’s help to retrieve it. Crow deceives White Bear, steals the shoulder, and returns it to Fox. Angry, White Bear hides the sun, plunging the world into darkness. Crow, in disguise, tricks White Bear again, restoring the sun to the sky. This story explains the separation of white and black bears and portrays white bears as wicked.

Source: 
The Fireside Stories of the Chippwyans
by James Mackintosh Bell
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.16, No.61, pp. 73-84
April-June, 1903

► Themes of the story


Trickster: The crow embodies the trickster archetype, using cunning and deception to achieve its goals.

Cosmic Order and Chaos: The story addresses the disruption and restoration of cosmic order, particularly through the crow’s actions in returning the sun to the sky, thereby restoring light to the world.

Conflict with Authority: The crow challenges the authority of the White Bear, who holds power over other animals and controls essential elements like the sun.

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Learn more about the Chipewyan people

The following story explains the reason for the ferocity of the white bear and why his habitat is different from others of his own species

Once upon a time there was a White Bear, and his nephew, Black Bear, was staying with him, with several other animals, including the fox. As the fox was always up to mischief, the white bear took away his right shoulder, and in consequence the former was very ill. White Bear took the fox’s shoulder, and tied it along with a bunch of claws which he always carried. Now fox being very sick, and not able to get along very well without his shoulder, sent for the crow, who was full of cunning, to devise some means of getting his shoulder back. After a long talk, the crow went to visit White Bear, who was very old and infirm and troubled with rheumatism. He was sitting at the fire, warming his back, when the crow came in, and the bunch of claws and the fox’s shoulder were hanging from the roof above his head. The crow began to talk to him, and occasionally he would touch the bunch of claws, and the white bear would wake up with a start, at which the crow would explain that he was only touching the claws to see what they were made of.

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At last White Bear took no notice of the noise, and soon was half asleep, and the crow, seeing his chance, caught hold of the fox’s shoulder, and pulled it off, and ran out of the camp. White Bear then woke up, and asked his nephew. Black Bear, what was the matter, and the latter, who stuttered, explained that the crow had run away with the fox’s shoulder. He took so long in telling it, that White Bear got angry, and told Black Bear to get out and find a home for himself. So ever since the white and black bears have lived apart.

White Bear, to show his rage, took down the sun and put it along with the claws. Now, as everything was in darkness, the other animals could not hunt, and were starving. So they applied to the crow to get them out of their new trouble. In the mean time White Bear’s daughter went for water, and as she was having a drink, something black was floating in the water, which she swallowed. Some days afterwards a child was born to her, and the infant grew so fast that soon he could walk about; and when he saw this bright thing hanging among the bunch of claws, he began to cry for it. After much persuasion White Bear gave it to him to play with in the camp. After a while he wished to play outside with it, but White Bear would not at first allow it. But as the child kept continually crying to be allowed to do so, he at last consented, but told him not to go far from the camp, and if he saw anybody coming, to run into the tepee at once. This the child promised to do, but as soon as he got out, he threw the sun up into the sky, and flew away, for he was the crow in still another disguise. When White Bear saw that he was cheated again by the crow, he was furious, and since then white bears have been always wicked.

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Big Bird story

A widow named Big Bird seeks a wealthy husband for her daughter. One day, her son spots a magnificently dressed stranger by the river. Big Bird welcomes him, but after he requests the removal of their dog during dinner, she discovers the dog dead with peculiar three-toed footprints nearby. Suspecting the stranger, she insists he remove his shoes, revealing he has only three toes. The stranger persuades Big Bird’s daughter to accompany him upstream. During the journey, rain washes away his disguise, exposing him as a crow. The daughter cleverly ties his tail to the canoe and escapes, returning safely to her family.

Source: 
The Fireside Stories of the Chippwyans
by James Mackintosh Bell
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.16, No.61, pp. 73-84
April-June, 1903

► Themes of the story


Trickster: The stranger uses deception, disguising himself to appear as a suitable husband, embodying the trickster archetype.

Cunning and Deception: The story revolves around the stranger’s deceit and the daughter’s cleverness in uncovering his true nature and planning her escape.

Moral Lessons: The tale imparts lessons about the dangers of deception and the importance of discernment in choosing companions.

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Big Bird was a widow of a famous chief who lived with her son and beautiful daughter on the banks of a large stream. Her great ambition was to secure a rich husband for her daughter, suitable to her birth. So she told her little boy to go to the bank of the river, and to watch unceasingly to see if he could discover anybody passing suitable for a son-in-law. One day the boy ran to his mother, and with a face beaming with joy told her there was somebody passing, whom he at least would like for a brother-in-law. Big Bird was delighted and immediately took some bark, and went down to the river to meet the expected bridegroom, whom she was pleased to see was magnificently dressed in a white skin costume covered with shell-like beads.

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Walking before him, she put pieces of bark on the ground all the way to her camp for him to step on. There she and her daughter, having prepared a meal of unusual splendor, set it before their guest. It happened there was an old dog in the camp, and the man said he could not eat until the animal was removed. Big Bird, wishing to show her new son-in-law every hospitality, complied with his request, and, taking the dog out, killed him, and left him in the bush. The man then ate his supper, and they all went to sleep.

Next morning Big Bird got up to make a fire, but, finding no wood in the tepee, went out to get some, and was surprised to see the dog lying with his eyes removed, with his flesh pecked all over, and with the footprints of a three-toed animal all around him. On going back to the camp, she told them all to take off their shoes to see who had only three toes. They all did so, save the stranger who told her that it was a thing he never did. However, Big Bird kept begging him to remove them, telling him she had a pair of new moccasins for him, which would exactly match his handsome costume. Evidently his vanity was at last touched, and he consented, and, while taking them off, said “kinno, kinno” (look! look!) and quickly put them on again. The boy then called out, “He has only three toes.” The stranger denied this, and said, “I did it so quickly that you imagine I have only three toes, but you are mistaken.”

After breakfast he told his wife that he wanted to go for his clothes which were at his camp some distance up stream, and that he wished her to accompany him. Thinking her husband’s conduct rather strange, she at first objected, but, on hearing of the numerous gewgaws at his camp, at last consented to go. So they got into their canoe, and started off, the man sitting in the bow, and the woman in the stern. They had not proceeded far up stream, when rain began to fall heavily, and the girl soon noticed that the rain was washing the shining white stuff off her husband’s back, and then black feathers began to appear. “Ah,” she thought to herself, “I have married a crow.” When he was not looking, she tied his tail, now grown to visible proportions, to the bar of the canoe, whereat he turned around, and asked her what she was doing. She replied, “Your coat is so fine I am working with the beads.” “Oh,” said he, “I see I have married an industrious wife,” and resumed his paddling. She then tried to find an excuse to make her escape, and told him that the point they were just passing was a famous locality for wild duck eggs, and that she would like to go ashore and hunt some for his supper. He readily consented, and as soon as she got ashore, she ran up the bank, and disappeared into the forest. The crow tried to get out to follow her; but as his tail was tied to the canoe, this was impossible, and he contented himself with calling out after her, “Caw, caw; once more I have tricked you people.” He then leisurely proceeded to untie his tail, and flew off ready for another escapade.

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Wisaketcak

In Chipewyan lore, Wisaketcak, anticipating a great flood, built a canoe and refused to share it, leading to the drowning of others. After the flood, he enlisted a duck to retrieve mud from beneath the waters, recreating the earth. In another tale, Wisaketcak, after getting his head stuck in a deer skull, transformed into a deer, narrowly escaping hunters. Later, he deceived a bear into eating berries to fatten it, killed it, and overindulged in its fat, resulting in his own discomfort.

Source: 
Chipewyan Tales
by Robert Harry Lowie
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 3
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story


Creation: The narrative describes a great flood that submerges the land, leading to the reconstruction of the earth from mud brought up by a diving duck.

Trickster: Wisaketcak exhibits cunning behavior, such as preventing the beaver from damaging his canoe and deceiving the bear to ultimately kill and eat it.

Conflict with Nature: The incessant rain causing a flood and Wisaketcak’s interactions with animals highlight struggles against natural forces.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

Long ago it commenced to rain. It rained incessantly. The Indians fled to higher ground. They gathered on the highest mountain. Wisaketcak, who had expected a flood, built a canoe. When the land was nearly submerged, he embarked. The other Indians were having the water up to their knees. Wisaketcak did not permit anyone to get into his boat.

The Indians asked the beaver to punch a hole into the canoe with his teeth. When the beaver got near the boat, Wisaketcak asked, “What are you coming for?” “Just to look at your canoe.” “Let me see your teeth, I think they are sharp.” Wisaketcak threw a stone down the beaver’s throat so that he could not injure his canoe. When the mountains were flooded, all the Indians were drowned.

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Wisaketcak called a kind of long-tailed duck. “Brother, come here! It has ceased to rain. Dive down, and see whether you can find any mud.” It dived for a long time. At length it came up with some mud on its feet. It dived again and again, and every time it rose to the surface it brought up some mud until the earth was entirely rebuilt.

* * *

Wisaketcak was traveling about. He got to a deer skull. There were many maggots inside. He addressed them as follows: “Brethren, let me eat with you.” They consented. He shoved his head inside; it stuck fast, so that he could not get it out. He turned himself into a deer, and continued to travel along. He got to a river. Not seeing any one near by, he began to swim across. When more than half way across, he caught sight of four birchbark canoes coming down. The people in the canoes were saying, “There’s a deer crossing the river ahead of us, let us shoot him.” They hurried towards him. The deer got ashore on a rocky bank. Falling down, he struck his head against the rock and broke his skull. He turned into his natural shape, and ran into the brush. The people cried, ‘This is Wisaketcak!’

He was traveling alone through the brush when he heard a bear running. “Brother, why are you running away from me? Stop there.” The bear stood still. Wisaketcak began to feel about his ribs. “You are very lean, how is that?” “There are no berries around here, that is the reason.” Wisaketcak said, “I know a place not very far from here, where there are lots of berries, let us go there.” They started out, Wisaketcak leading. They got to the place, and the bear began to eat. When he had eaten his fill, he lay down in the sun, then he ate again. Wisaketcak noticed that the bear was fattening. He felt his ribs again. The bear asked, “What are you doing this for? “Oh! I always do that to my brother.” Wisaketcak began breaking some sticks. “What are you doing this for?” “Oh, I just feel like working.” Wisaketcak continued breaking sticks. While the bear was eating, Wisaketcak from time to time felt his ribs, saying this was but an old trick of his. Finally, the bear lay down, and fell asleep. Wisaketcak went up close to him, took a stick and struck him over the head, ears, and stomach until he had killed him. Then he cut him open, and feasted on him. He ate so much fat that he began to have pains in the stomach. Looking around, he caught sight of two juniper trees growing together. “Brethren, spread apart, I have pains in the stomach.” They obeyed, and he got between them. The trees closed, and jammed him tight. While he was in this position, some whiskey-jacks came and began to eat of the bear meat. “Little brethren,” said Wisaketcak to the trees, “let me go to watch my food.” However he could not get out. In the meantime, the birds devoured all the food, leaving nothing but bones. “Brethren,” he said again, “separate and let me get out.” After a long time, he succeeded in freeing himself. Being angry at the trees, he began to twist them about. Since then junipers have had irregular trunks.

When he got down, he found nothing but the bear bones. Pounding these, he extracted the marrow and put it in a bladder, because it was too hot to be eaten. He got to a creek, sat down, and caught sight of a muskrat swimming there. “My brother, come here,” and cool this grease for me in the water.” The muskrat replied, “My tail is too big, I can’t swim well with it.” “Come here, and I will fix it for you.” He pulled the muskrat’s tail and made it small. The muskrat said, “My brother, I feel quite well now, let me have the bladder now, I will cool it.” “Be careful, so that it will not burst.” The muskrat dived down. The bladder burst, and the grease began to float down stream. Wisaketcak ran along, dipping it up with his hands.

Wisaketcak traveled along night and day. He found fresh tracks; they were those of a moose-cow and two young moose. “My brethren, why are you running away? Wait for me.” They stood still, and he caught up to them. “My brethren, you are foolish to stop like this. The Blackheads (Chipewyan) are following your tracks and will kill you. Keep traveling in a circle, back and forth, turn about, and lie down on the leeward of your path. Then they will not know which tracks to follow, and you will be able to scent them and make your escape.” This is what the moose do today, because Wisaketcak taught them.

Wisaketcak started off again. He found that his eyes were getting weak. When he came to a big lake, he said, “I will try to get new eyes.” He cut out his eyeballs, and went about blind. Whenever he struck a tree, he would ask it, “Brother, what kind of a tree are you?” And the tree would answer, “Poplar” (or whatever other species it belonged to). At last he got to a pine, and the tree answered, “I am a pine, I have plenty of gum.” Wisaketcak found the gum, chewed it, rolled it between his palms and put the gum balls into his sockets. Thus he got new eyes.

He traveled on, and got to a big lake, where he found many Cree Indians. The Cree recognized him, and asked him whether he knew of any Chipewyan near by. “I did not come here to tell you about my brethren.” He left them, and went towards the Barren Grounds. There he espied a great many lodges in the open country, and encountered a large band of Chipewyan. “My brethren, don’t stay here too long, for many Cree are looking for you.” He started off again. After a long time, he reached another band of Chipewyan, who were starving. “My brethren, why are you starving? There are plenty of deer not far from here, you ought to go and live there.” In those days they had no guns. They started in the direction indicated, and got the deer. They constructed a deer pen and set snares near its opening. Some began to drive deer, and many were dispatched with bows and arrows. At that time the Indians had no clothes.

Wisaketcak said, “It will not be always like this. You will not wear deer raiment forever. Some time you will wear another people’s clothes.” And this has come true.

Wisaketcak left the Indians. He got to a range of rocky mountains. “My brethren, you are too high, you had better come down into the valley, then I shall walk better.” They came down, and he continued his journey. He reached a creek. Being thirsty he stooped to drink. He saw some fish. “Little brethren, what are you doing here?” “We are eating.” “Where is your father?” “We don’t know, he is just traveling.” “If you see any Chipewyan Indians with nets, enter the nets and feed them.”

He started off again. He got to two mountains, where there were many birches, all without a single branch. “Brethren, you look too pretty without branches, you can’t live long that way.” He picked up brushes, threw them on the birches, and thus made numerous holes. That is why birches are striped nowadays, and Indians find it hard to make birchbark canoes.

He went on traveling. He reached a little lake. He saw ducks swimming there. “Brethren, come ashore here.” There was a female with young ones. “This little one looks like you,” he said. “There are lots of you. If you see any Chipewyans, or Crees, fly around them, so that they may kill you and feast on you.”

He went on. He got to a little river, where he slaked his thirst. He saw two otters swimming towards him. “Brethren, what are you doing? You have exceedingly short legs, they are not good for walking on land.” “We are meant to live in the water.” “Live wherever there are fish. There are plenty of. Chipewyan and Cree Indians going around starving. Go, and put fish on top of the ice to help them.” The otters consented.

Late in the fall, Wisaketcak reached a little river. He saw two beavers eating. “What are you doing here?” “We are just eating.” “Why don’t you build a house? Stick birches and poplar branches around, use mud for plastering, and put branches at the bottom. Thus you may live in the winter. Build a dam. If you don’t do this you will have no water to swim in.” He taught them. Since then they have always built dams. He further told them not to swim about before sunset, or the Indian huntsmen would kill them.

Wisaketcak continued his journey. He came to a herd of buffalo. Some of them began to run away. “Brethren, don’t run away, I have come to see you.” Then he asked, “What are you eating?” They said they were eating branches and trees. He told them to eat nothing but grass. “If you see starving Indians, let one of you lag behind so that the Indians can feed on you.”

He traveled on. He got to a clump of pines.[I am using, of course, my interpreter’s designation.] All the trees looked alike. “You all look alike, I will make one of you different.” Addressing one of them, Wisaketcak said, “Brother, be stickier than the rest. You shall have more gum than the others.” Thus originated the balsam fir, of which the gum is still used by the Cree.

He started off again. His buttocks were getting blistered. He tore off the scabs and threw them on birch trees. Thus originated touchwood. Wisaketcak came to a lake. There he saw a flock of geese, some old, some young. “Brothers, come here for a little while. I am making a dance not far away, and I should like you to accompany me.” He erected a lodge, and bade the geese enter. He called all kinds of other birds inviting them to join. He bade all shut their eyes. They began to drum. Wisaketcak, as the leader of the dance, sat on one side. They danced around. Whenever a fat bird got near him, Wisaketcak pulled it over, killed it, and threw it aside. At last one young goose opened one eye and saw Wisaketcak pulling its father by the leg. “Wisaketcak is killing us!” it cried. The surviving birds all fled. As the water-hen and the loon were running out, Wisaketcak stepped on their feet. That is why their feet are not fit for walking on land. Wisaketcak cooked the fattest geese, and had a great feast. Of the rest he took out the gizzards and put them aside, then he went in search of a stick to put them on. He forgot all about them, however, and traveled on. He reached a place where there were plenty of ants. “Little brethren how do you live in the winter? You have a very low dwelling.” “That is why birds are killed.” (?) He showed them how to build ant-hills.

* * *

Wisaketcak was traveling in the spring. He came to a place where a bear had been defecating and saw the excrements covered with fish scales. He laughed at the scales. The bear came, and said, “I heard you laughing about my excrements; I have come to see what you are laughing for.” Wisaketcak said, “I was only saying it was a pity there were no bones or berries there instead of scales.” They quarreled, and began to fight. Wisaketcak called on the ermine to help him. “My little brother, get into the bear’s anus and destroy his guts, or he will kill me.” The ermine entered the bear’s body, ate his heart, and thus killed him. When the ermine came out, Wisaketcak washed him, holding him by the tail, that is why ermines have white bodies and black tails.

Wisaketcak continued traveling. He got to a rocky mountain, where he found plenty of black objects which cause flatulency. He ate many of them. After a while he began to break wind and was unable to stop. So he heated a stone, and sat on it. His rump became covered with scabs. He was obliged to scratch the itching parts until he tore them off and threw them up on the top of birch trees, where they are still visible.

Wisaketcak set out to travel. He saw a band of geese. “My brethren, come hither.” They came down. “Give me half of your feathers, so that I may fly with you to your country.” They consented, and he flew along with them. They were obliged to pass through a rocky, mountainous country, where many Indians were living. Nets had been set to catch geese. When the birds approached these snares, they scattered to avoid them, but Wisaketcak’s borrowed feathers dropped off and he fell down among the Indians. “This is Wisaketcak again, we will dung on him.” They placed him in a pit. “Whoever shall defecate, shall befoul him.” In the night an old woman rose to ease herself and went to the pit, but in the meantime Wisaketcak had got out, merely leaving his clothes. The old woman soiled his clothes.

Wisaketcak went traveling again. He saw two moose. “Brethren,, wait for me.” He overtook them. “Brethren, you had better give me some hair, then I shall be a moose and stay with you.” He became a moose and traveled with them. They told him that no Indians were near by. He joined about twelve moose. About the time of the heavy ice crust, Wisaketcak and one of the moose heard a noise. “It seems,” said Wisaketcak, “that some one is coming after us. I will travel ahead and let you follow.” The Indians came and killed the moose, one by one. Wisaketcak was left alone. When they got close, he tore off the moose-skin, turned into his real form, and ran off, leaving the skin behind. The people said, “That’s Wisaketcak again.”

Wisaketcak was traveling. He came to a big lake where he saw some swans. “Brethren, come ashore to me.” He asked them for some of their feathers, saying that he should like to be a swan. They consented, and he became a swan. One calm evening, one of the swans said to Wisaketcak, “You had better not cry so loud, or the Indians will hear us.” It was the swan’s molting time. Wisaketcak replied, “There are no Indians near by.” However, he caught sight of some canoes going after them. The swans started out on the lake to escape, but got too tired to fly. Most of them were killed. At last, two of them and Wisaketcak were the only ones that remained. The two birds approached the shore and were also killed. Wisaketcak set foot on shore and tore off his skin. The people said, “That’s Wisaketcak again.”

Wisaketcak got tired. He sat down. “I will not travel any more.” He seemed to turn into a stone. For a long time he continued to sink below the ground. Only his hair was still visible on the outside of the rock. That was the end of him.

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The bear and the man

A man suspects a bear is pulling on his canoe’s gunwale and discovers he’s correct. The bear invites him to find a creek abundant with fish, but their journey extends into autumn without success. They build a shelter for winter, with the bear offering sustenance to the man. In spring, the man’s people find them and kill the bear. The man mourns his companion’s death, attributing his tears to smoke when questioned.

Source: 
Chipewyan Tales
by Robert Harry Lowie
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 3
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story


Sacrifice: The bear sacrifices itself to ensure the man’s survival and reunion with his people.

Transformation through Love: The bond between the man and the bear leads to personal growth and a deep sense of loss upon the bear’s death.

Community and Isolation: The man experiences isolation during his time with the bear and later reintegration into his community, highlighting the contrasts between solitude and belonging.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

Once a man was cutting out the gunwale of his canoe in the brush. He carried it homewards, one end on his shoulder, the other trailing on the ground. From time to time it seemed to get heavier, and he said to himself, “I am sure, a bear is pulling at the wood.” He turned around, and saw it was really a bear. The Bear said, “Do you hear the noise of the creek near by?” The man said, “Yes.” “There are lots of fish there, let us go thither.” They started off. The bear bade him leave his wood behind, and he did so. They walked on and on for many days, and by autumn they had not yet reached the creek. Then the Bear said, “Let us make a house.” He dug a hole in the ground, and told his companion to get grass to stop up the entrance. They went inside, and the boy was told to sit farthest from the door.

► Continue reading…

“If you get thirsty,” said the Bear, [said to be a male by the narrator] “you may suck me, and if you get hungry, you can do the same. Thus you will be able to live with me all winter.”

They lived together in the cave. Towards spring, the Bear said, “Some of your friends are thinking of you and will soon be thinking of me.” When the snow began to melt he said, “Perhaps tomorrow your people will be here. Make a mark with your hand outside the cave, so they’ll know that you are here and won’t shoot inside.” Next day they heard a noise above, and snow began to fall down the air-hole. The Chipewyan detected the mark of the boy’s hand and said, “Surely some person is inside.” The Bear said to the boy, “Tell them there is a bear-man here. If they kill me, you may eat my flesh, but not my entrails, though your friends may.” The boy went out, and the people shot the bear, made a big fire, roasted him and feasted on him. The boy went on the opposite side of the fire, where it was smoky, and began to cry on account of his friend’s death. When they asked him why he cried he said it was on account of the smoke.

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The stolen women

Two sisters are abducted by the Cree while their tribe’s men are hunting. Their brother, a medicine man, embarks on a quest to rescue them, receiving guidance from various animals along the way. He eventually locates his sisters and devises a plan for their escape. The younger sister successfully flees, but the story ends abruptly, leaving the elder sister’s fate unknown.

Source: 
Chipewyan Tales
by Robert Harry Lowie
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 3
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story


Quest: The brother undertakes a journey to rescue his kidnapped sisters.

Cunning and Deception: The brother devises a clever plan to facilitate his sisters’ escape from the Cree.

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on the brother’s determination to save his sisters, highlighting strong familial bonds.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

A band of Chipewyan were staying by a lake. While the men were hunting, some Cree stole two of the Chipewyan women, who were sisters. Returning, the Chipewyan wanted to go after the Cree, but there were too few of them. So they stayed where they were, and continued to hunt deer. Each man would skin his deer, put all the deer meat in the hide, and thus drag it to the lodge. The brother of the stolen women was a medicine-man. He was very angry and started alone after the Cree. On his way he passed three birds’ nests. He had to speak to each before they allowed him to pass, and they gave him information as to the Cree. The fourth animal he met was a flying squirrel. It told him where he might find his sisters. “First, you must pass a snail, and if you lack food, ask the snail for some.

► Continue reading…

Then you will get to an old woman.” The man traveled on, until he camped by a creek. He had nothing to eat. When a snail came, he asked it for food. The snail dived into the water, brought up four white fish and gave them to him. But on opening the sack, he found the fish transformed into snails. So he threw them away, and traveled on until he got to a lodge. He entered. There was an old woman there. “Grandmother, I am very hungry.” “I have nothing to give you, but go to the bush, and you will be sure to find some chickens. Pluck a chicken on the spot where it falls dead, stir up the feathers with a stick, and blow on them. Then every feather will turn into a chicken.” He acted accordingly, and each feather changed into a chicken that flew on the trees.

He started off again. His wife had been tracking him. He had been pulling along his deer hide with meat all the time, not noticing how his load was lightening as pieces of the meat fell out. The increased lightness of his load he attributed to his increasing strength. His wife had fed on these lost scraps of venison. She knew he had only one deer and kept track of the pieces found. She knew after a while that only the head was left. At last she found the head, and then she thought she had better turn back, or she should starve, that being the very last piece.

Her husband continued until he got to an old woman. She was a toad. She said, “You won’t travel a day, before you’ll arrive at your destination. I can’t tell you how you can best rescue your sisters, you’ll have to judge yourself when you get there.” He walked on, and got to the tracks of the Cree. At sunset he saw smoke far ahead. He saw a lodge without poles, but tied together of sticks, with an opening at one side. He watched in the bushes all night. He heard the people talking Cree, but stayed in the brush all night. Some one had left a moose hide outside.

In the morning he saw two women coming out of the lodge. They were his sisters. He made signs to them, and one of them came to him. The other woman worked at the moose hide. The man said, “This evening I’ll try to rescue you from the Cree. Cover yourself with a blanket and tie it with a rotten string, so that when your husband tries to pull you back, the string will break. Tell your sister about it.” In the evening the two women ate with their husband. They donned blankets and put sinew around, but the older sister used a kind of strong rag (?). The younger sister went ahead. She told their husband that they were going to fetch wood. The younger one started off. Her husband tried to restrain her, but the string broke, and she escaped. But the string of the older did not break, and so her husband held her back. The Chipewyan and his younger sister escaped. Every night, by their medicine, the Cree transformed the camping place of the fugitives into an island with fierce rapids around it, but in the morning the Chipewyan, by his medicine, conquered that of the Cree. Thus they got away in safety.

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

Adventures of two boys

Two boys survive a Cree attack that decimates their tribe. They encounter two young geese, tie them to an old canoe, and fall asleep as the geese pull them along. Upon waking, the geese have matured, and the boys, driven by hunger, consume them. Their journey leads them to a giant’s lodge, where they are given magical bows and instructed to always leave a remnant of their food. Disobeying the giant’s warning, one boy retrieves a stuck arrow, causing him to ascend to the sky, where he embarks on further adventures.

Source: 
Chipewyan Tales
by Robert Harry Lowie
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 3
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story


Transformation: The boys undergo significant changes, both physically and emotionally, as they navigate their journey and face various challenges.

Quest: Their journey to find safety and return to their homeland serves as a central quest in the narrative.

Loss and Renewal: The story begins with the loss of their community and follows the boys as they seek renewal and a new beginning.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

A band of Indians was staying along a lake. Once two little boys were playing by the lake, while the Cree came and killed all their people. When they returned home, one of them said, “All our people are killed, I don’t know what to do.” They walked about crying.

Towards evening two young unfledged geese came swimming along. The boys caught hold of them. Finding an old canoe by the shore, they tied the geese to it and bade them swim off to their country. The boys fell asleep, while the geese pulled their canoe along. When they woke up, the geese were full-grown. They were hungry and had nothing to eat, so they killed the geese, roasted them, and ate their flesh.

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They started off traveling and continued going for a long time. They got to a lodge. There was a giant family living there. The children were outside. The mother came out; she did not know what kind of people the boys came from. She took them in, and they were kept there for a long time. After a while, the giant dreamt that some Indians were coming. He said to the boys, “My grandchildren, I am hungry for fish and beaver. Walk along the shore, and if you see anything white rising, cry out, ‘My grandfather would like to eat some beaver and fish!’”

The little fellows started out. They saw something white rising from the water and called out as bidden by the giant. Then a beaver and a trout came out of the water, and they killed both. They carried them to the lodge. The giant cut up and dried the trout. Of its eyes he made pemmican for the little fellows. He made two bows and arrows and gave them to the boys. “If you shoot with this arrow, and it should get stuck anywhere, don’t remove it, but leave it in that place. This other arrow will never stick, but will always fall down again.” Then he bade them refrain from eating all their meat at once, but ordered them always to leave a remnant. He showed them the way to their own country, and they started out.

They had something to eat when they got hungry, but, remembering the giant’s caution, they pushed a part of their meat back into their sack. In the evening they opened the sack, and it contained as much pemmican as before. They ate all but a small piece, which was replaced in the bag. In the morning the meat was still of the same size as originally.

They hunted some chickens perched on a tree. One was killed and fell down, but the arrow stuck. The boys took the chicken and started off again into the bush, but there they found the arrow lying in front of them. They walked on. Again some chickens alighted on a tree, not very far away. They shot at it, and the one arrow got stuck though rather close to the ground. One boy was going to get it. His brother said, “We were told not to go after that arrow.” The first boy said it was not high, and insisted on getting it. As he touched it, the arrow ascended higher. “I’ll jump up and get hold of it.” “No, don’t,” said the other boy, but his brother disobeyed and jumped. Then the arrow went up with him to the sky.

It was summer when he was traveling on the earth, but in heaven it was winter. The arrow stopped, and the boy began to travel about. It looked like his own country in winter. He saw partridge tracks, and finally he got to people’s tracks. Following them for a long time, he got to two lodges, one being large and the other small. He entered the small one, and found an old woman sitting there all alone.

In the large lodge people were heard singing and laughing. The old woman took a lot of coal and blackened the hero’s face with it. After a while her two girls came in from the large lodge. Seeing the boy, they called out that their mothers had a fine-looking visitor. They went back to their large lodge and told the other inmates about him. Meanwhile the old woman washed him and dressed him up nicely. When the girls returned, and saw the boy nicely dressed, they no longer laughed at him, but were surprised. They told the people of the lodge what a nice boy was staying with their mother.

Both desired to marry him. In the night the boy slept in the old woman’s lodge and the girls came in and lay down on each side of him. He turned to the youngest, et sub vestem manum introduxit, sed aliquid manum prehendit, and he pulled it back. Tunc ad utrius filiae vaginam pedem suum propellit, sed iterum aliquid eum prehendere conatus est. He pulled it back. One woman had mice under her dress, the other one ermines. They all fell asleep. In the morning the boy still slept soundly. He sunk way down into the ground. The old woman and the girls started off with their lodge-poles. The girls in one place smelt a person. They heard some animal calling underground. “One of us had better get ribs to dig up this fellow.” They got a rib and began digging, but it broke. Then they got a moose rib, and with it they succeeded in digging up the boy who had turned into a wolf. He recognized the girls, and said, “You pretend to know much, but I know nearly as much as you. Here are two arrows, if a female comes, it shall belong to the Ermine girl, if a male comes, it shall belong to the Mouse girl.”

The girls saw the tracks of a male and of a female moose. The wolf said, “If a moose starts running, just shoot your arrows and follow into the bush.” They soon came to the female, cut it up and dried its meat. The male was shot and treated in the same way. As the wolf had directed, one girl stayed by one moose, the other by the other, while the wolf remained with the mother. The wolf and the old woman heard wolves howling in the distance. Starting in that direction they found that one girl had been rent to pieces by the wolves and that a lot of ermines were running about there. The wolves had only torn the Mouse-girl’s dress and there were a lot of mice running about there. The wolf said, “Your daughters thought they knew lots, but I know more.” He started off with the wolves. Then he turned back into a person and married the Mouse-girl. The three then stayed together.

The boy was a great hunter. They had plenty of dried meat. The old woman would make rawhide cordage and when she had made a great deal of cord, she said, “I know a place where there is a hole in the sky, and where we can go down to another world.”

They traveled a long time to the sky-hole. She made a moose-skin bag for the boy, passed a line through it, and said, “I’ll let you down to your own country. When it stops, you’ll open the sack and come out. Pull the line to let me know you have arrived.” He descended for a long time, until the sack stopped. He got out, and jerked the rope, whereupon the sack immediately ascended again.

He found himself on an island, and all around it was nothing but foaming rapids. He got to an eagle’s nest. Only the young eagle was there. He said, “I am very anxious for you, for my people are wicked. I’ll try to save you. Hide under my wing-feathers.” So he pushed the boy under his feathers. Then he continued, “My mother will soon come. When she approaches it will be dark like a cloud. When my father comes, it will sound like a big wind.” After a while it began to grow dark. “My mother is coming.” When the female arrived she said, “My son, I smell some people here.” But the eaglet replied, “There is nothing here.” She repeated, but he insisted that no one was there. After a while a big storm was heard, and the father bird arrived. “My son, I smell the odor of people here.” The boy denied that there were any people there. The father repeated his statement, but the boy persisted in his denial. After a time the old eagles started off again. Then the eaglet said, “Pull out two feathers from each side of my body, and try to fly.” He put the feathers on the boy’s arms, and said, “Fly around.” The boy began to fly but his legs hung down. “Pull two feathers from my tail, and attach them to your legs.” The boy did so, and then flew about like an eagle. “Now you can fly to your country, but always stop for the night,” said the eaglet. “When you reach your country, stick my feathers on the trees.” The boy flew to his country. He arrived there by night, and stuck up his borrowed feathers. He traveled homeward, camping every night, as ordered by the eaglet. One day he was hungry, and began to break a beaver lodge, making a chisel of rib bones and a spear. He watched for the beaver, but though something stirred in the water, no beaver came up. As it grew dark, he camped. Suddenly something caught hold of him from behind. It was one of the big eagles, who flew off with him. They got to a frozen creek, all covered with blood. There the bird threw the boy down, but the latter just put out his chisel, and was not hurt by the fall. Then the bird again seized him, carried him off, and hurled him against a sharp ice-crag. But again he put forward his chisel, so that it stuck in the ice, and he was saved. Then the eagle said, “My children will kill him.” So he took him back to the eyrie. The young ones recognized him. The old bird said, “I’ve brought you a person to kill when you are hungry.” The young birds said, “We’ll keep him for company, let him stay with us.” After much discussion the old eagle finally consented. Then the old eagles flew off. The young eagle again gave feathers to the boy, and he flew off. [The narrator insisted that nothing further was known of the boy’s adventures.]

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

Marten-axe

Marten-axe, a remarkable man, frequently traveled among his friends and harbored a deep animosity toward the Cree people. On one journey, he encountered a group of Cree and, being fluent in all languages, deceived them by claiming to be a fellow Cree whose kin had been slain by the Chipewyan. Gaining their trust, he accompanied them to a mountaintop. During the night, as the Cree slept, Marten-axe tied their legs to a rock and rolled it down the mountain, killing them all.

Source: 
Chipewyan Tales
by Robert Harry Lowie
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 3
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story


Trickster: Marten-axe embodies the trickster archetype, using deception to achieve his goals.

Revenge and Justice: Marten-axe’s actions can be interpreted as a form of retribution against the Cree, whom he claims have wronged him.

Conflict with Authority: By deceiving and killing the Cree, Marten-axe challenges another group’s power and authority.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

Marten-axe was a wonderful man. He used to travel among his friends. Whenever he found Cree, he would always kill them. He was in the habit of staying with the Chipewyan. Once he started out to travel, and came to a band of Cree. He knew all languages. So he told the Cree that he was a Cree himself and that the Chipewyan had killed all his friends. He traveled with the Cree to the top of a high mountain, where he lay down. In the night, while the Cree were sleeping, he tied all their legs with a cord, to the same rock. Then he rolled the rock down the mountain, killing all the Cree.

► Continue reading…

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

The magical trees

In ancient times, Chipewyan parents would leave their children at home, using medicine to summon large trees to feed the fire. As the medicine weakened, the branches sometimes harmed the children. On one occasion, a returning mother found her baby’s belly torn and the tree covered in blood. Enraged, she beat the tree, and since then, trees no longer come by themselves.

Source: 
Chipewyan Tales
by Robert Harry Lowie
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 3
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story


Magic and Enchantment: The trees, animated through medicinal practices, exhibit supernatural characteristics by moving and feeding the fire autonomously.

Conflict with Nature: The unintended consequences of the trees harming children highlight a struggle between humans and the natural elements they’ve attempted to control.

Divine Punishment: The injury inflicted upon the children can be interpreted as a form of retribution for humans overstepping natural boundaries through their medicinal practices.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

Long ago men and women going off together would sometimes leave their little ones alone at home with a small fire and, by medicine, could send in large trees to feed the fire. But when the medicine got weak, the branches would sometimes hurt the children. Once a woman, returning home, found a baby’s belly torn and the tree covered with blood. She was furious, and began beating the tree. Since then the trees can no more be made to come in by themselves.

► Continue reading…

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

The giants

A giant hunts beavers along Lake Athabaska, keeping only one Indian boy alive as his ‘grandchild.’ After discovering the edibility of beaver tails through the boy’s initiative, they encounter another giant, Djeneta. A battle ensues, with the boy aiding his ‘grandfather’ by cutting Djeneta’s ankle, leading to Djeneta’s defeat. Djeneta’s massive body forms a land bridge, introducing deer to new territories.

Source: 
Chipewyan Tales
by Robert Harry Lowie
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 3
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story


Origin of Things: The story explains natural phenomena, like the reddish appearance of rocks and the migration of deer between lands.

Mythical Creatures: The narrative features giants as central characters.

Ancestral Spirits: The giant raises the Indian boy, indicating a connection between mythical beings and humans.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

A giant used to hunt beaver along Lake Athabaska, going about half way to Fond du Lac. He was bringing up a little Indian boy, whom he called his grandchild, and whom he kept alive after killing all the other Indians. In hunting beavers he broke the beavers’ lodge, and they all escaped. He broke another lodge. One beaver went across the lake, another up the river.

The giant looked around for the former, found a little hole and saw the beaver’s head popping out. He struck it with a stick, so hard that blood was sprinkled all over, hence the reddish appearance of the rocks there. The beaver that went up the river escaped, that is why there are many beavers there.

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The giant cut off the beaver’s tail. Seeing the scales he said, “This is not good to eat,” and threw the beaver’s tail away. The Indian boy picked it up and put it in the fire. The scales fell off, and the inside was found good to eat. This was the first time the giant ever ate a beaver tail. When through eating, he put his grandson in his mitten, and walked off. He found moose tracks, but said, “These are rabbit tracks.” His grandson said to him, “These are not rabbit tracks but moose tracks.” They got to a moose, and Hotcowe, the giant, put it in his belt as one would a rabbit. Then he went to the Barren Grounds, and thence to the sea, where he met another giant, named Djeneta. Djeneta was fishing in the ocean with a hook.

Before reaching Djeneta, Hotcowe took his grandson out of his mitten, and bade him approach the fisherman half way and deliver him a challenge to fight. The boy did as he was bidden, and when near enough shouted, “Grandfather!” Djeneta asked, “What do you want?” The boy delivered his message, and ran back, but by that time the giants had already each made a step forward and were already fighting above him. The fisherman was getting the best of the contest, when Hotcowe called to his grandchild, who always carried a beaver tooth, to cut the giant’s ankle. The boy obeyed, causing the giant to fall down so that Hotcowe could easily dispatch him.

The fisherman’s head fell on this island [my interpreter suggested “North America”] while his feet reached another land. Mud gathered on his corpse, connecting the island and the other country, and then deer for the first time ran from the new land into this country.

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