A man overcomes obstacles in rescuing his sisters

A man embarks on a journey to rescue his two sisters, who have been taken by a distant tribe. Despite their warnings about their powerful husband, he insists on bringing them home. They face supernatural obstacles, including impassable cliffs and lakes, which vanish after they sleep. Upon returning, they discover that many years have passed, though it felt brief to the brother.

Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Quest: The protagonist embarks on a journey to retrieve his sisters.

Time and Timelessness: The discrepancy between the perceived short journey and the significant passage of time upon their return.

Family Dynamics: The central focus on the brother’s determination to rescue his sisters.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

A man who had just come home was scolded by his wife and went out again. The wife thought that he had gone out without any particular intention, but asked her son to look for his father. The boy wondered what was the matter and replied that his father was still standing there.

The man had run off. The woman looked after him and then set out to follow him. He had just come back from killing a caribou and he took along the head, dragging it behind him. His wife followed the mark left by the dragged head and by the bones which lay along the way. After a time she turned back, but the man kept on.

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Finally, he came to the trail of some strange people and followed it until he overtook them. He thought they were people but they were really partridges. They gave him some of their food. He went on again and found another trail which he followed. They were porcupines this time. They gave him some of their food, pitch, which seemed to him to be meat.

This man’s two sisters had been taken by a people who lived at a great distance and he was going to get them back. After a time he saw their trail and followed it until he overtook them. He found they were both married to the same man. When he told his sisters that he had come for them, they told him their husband was such a powerful man it was no use, he could do nothing to help them. The young man declared that having come so far for them he would not go back without them.

His brother-in-law had killed a moose and told his wives to bring the meat before it spoiled. “This is our chance,” the young man said, “now we will start back.” They traveled toward their homes day and night without stopping to sleep. Finally sleep was overpowering them and they lay down. When they got up in the morning their way was barred by a sheer cliff no man could climb. The girls began to cry but their brother said they would lie down and sleep again. When they got up the next time the cliff had disappeared.

They went on again toward their homes until sleep again forced them to he down. When they awoke, a lake which they could not cross lay in front of them. The brother told them to lie down again. When they got up the next time a narrow neck of land ran across the lake on which they were able to pass to the other side.

When they came back to their home they found their father so old he could not get up. The man’s wife had been in the prime of life when he left and now her hair was white. The man who had made the journey was a young man when he set out. It had been a long time since he left but it did not seem so to him. He thought it was only a short time before. That was a powerful man who by supernatural power made a long journey, although it did not seem long to him.

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A young man carries about fire all winter

In a sub-arctic tale, a young man, lacking proper fire-starting tools, carries embers throughout winter. After discarding partridge feet post-meal, he later, starving, consumes them. A partridge appears in his dream, chastising his pride and predicting future abundance. The next evening, he discovers a fatally frozen moose beneath the snow, providing ample sustenance and teaching him humility.

Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Conflict with Nature: The young man struggles against the harsh winter conditions, facing challenges such as scarcity of food and the necessity to carry fire for survival.

Dreams and Visions: A partridge visits the young man in his sleep, delivering a message that foretells an improvement in his circumstances, which subsequently comes true.

Loss and Renewal: The young man experiences a period of deprivation and near-death, followed by a renewal of fortune when he discovers the moose, providing him with ample sustenance.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

Obtained in English from Ike through John Bourassa

There was a young man who went around alone one winter. He had neglected to provide himself with the proper stones for making fire before the snow came and covered them up. He was therefore obliged to carry fire with him wherever he went. He was without food and starving one night when he killed a partridge. He scraped away the snow, built a fire, and cooked the partridge. He ate the bird and when he had finished dropped the feet in the snow behind him.

The next day he went on and wandered about for many days without being able to kill anything. Finally, he came back to the same place and cleared away the snow for a fire. As the fire melted the snow away he saw the discarded partridge feet. He then recognized his former camping place.

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He picked up the feet and ate them. That night a partridge came to him in his sleep and said, “You were proud. You were too proud to eat my feet as other people do, but now you want to have them. You are miserable and about to die, but from now on you will be all right. By tomorrow night you will have plenty to eat. The next day he went about thinking all day long he would find some game as had been promised. Night came without his having had a chance to kill anything. He moved the snow away and built his fire against a drift that the heat might be reflected toward him. He sat there wondering that an animal should deceive him by making a promise that had not been fulfilled. As the fire grew hot he heard a sound like the frying of grease. He kept pushing the fire together and as he did so the sound was heard again. He finally noticed the drift of snow covered a moose which had been killed in the fall when it was fat. The fire had been built near the hips of the moose and the choicest parts were ready cooked. He had the whole moose to himself and was all right after that.

The shiftless husband

A man and his wife face starvation during winter. The husband fails to catch fish or rabbits due to his laziness, while his wife successfully provides for them by fishing and setting snares. The story explains the origin of shiftless men, suggesting that such individuals exist because of this man’s behavior.

Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Moral Lessons: The story imparts a lesson on the consequences of laziness and the virtues of hard work and responsibility.

Conflict with Nature: The narrative involves attempts to procure food from natural sources like fishing and hunting, underscoring the challenges of survival in a harsh environment.

Cultural Heroes: The wife emerges as a cultural hero by exemplifying the values of diligence and competence, ensuring the family’s survival.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

A man who was camping by himself ran out of food and went with his wife to a lake to get some fish. He went out on the lake and sat by his hook, but came home at night without any fish. His wife wondered what was the matter, for fish had always been taken in that lake. She told her husband that she herself would go fishing the next day. Her husband assented to this. The woman got some fish very quickly. She found her husband had not even cut a hole entirely through the ice, and that was why he had not taken any fish. The woman got a good many. The man himself had gone to set snares for rabbits but came home without any. The wife wondered why he hadn’t caught any, for rabbits were plentiful.

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“I will go to look after your snares tomorrow,” she told him. “All right,” he said, “you look after my snares.” She found he had merely cleared away the snow on the top of the mountain and sat there all day. He had set two of the snares and thrown the remainder down in the snow. She gathered them up and set them. She caught many rabbits which she took home with her. The man had spent the day fishing but had not caught any fish, for he had not gotten the hook into the water.

Now the woman suspected what sort he was. If it had not been for his wife he would have starved. They lived through the winter because of the woman’s effort. He was not a manlike fellow and had concluded he could not live anyway.

When the point of the story was asked for, the informant said this man was the first of such men. Because he was a shiftless man we still have them.

The killing of the large human mosquitoes

Enormous mosquitoes once preyed upon humans. A woman, encountering one, climbed a tree to escape. She tricked the mosquito into giving her his spear, then fatally wounded him. The mosquito returned to his camp, where others attempted to aid him, but he died. The remaining mosquitoes pursued the woman but were thwarted by a medicineman’s strategy, leading to the extermination of the giant mosquitoes.

Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Cunning and Deception: The woman’s clever tactics to deceive and ultimately kill the mosquito highlight the use of wit to overcome danger.

Mythical Creatures: The presence of giant, human-like mosquitoes introduces elements of mythical beings within the narrative.

Guardian Figures: The medicineman acts as a protector, devising a plan to safeguard the community from the mosquito threat.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

Obtained from Ike, in English through John Bourassa

Long ago there used to be large mosquitoes which killed people. Once when a company of people was traveling along, a dog lost the load off his back. As a woman was looking for the lost bag she suddenly saw a canoe with someone in it paddling around a point. The woman thought immediately as she saw him that he must be one of the kind who were accustomed to kill people and that he would kill her. She climbed a tree to escape him. As he was coming up the tree after her she called to him, “Do not come up the tree for your moose,” meaning himself. “The tree leans over the river and your moose will fall in the river and be lost if you kill me here. Wait, and I will come down and then you can kill me.” Agreeing to this, he went a little way from the tree while the woman came down.

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She started to run and cross the point around which the river made a long bend. The mosquito jumped into his canoe and paddled around the point. When the woman saw him coming she climbed another tree which leaned over the river. He was about to pass under the tree when the woman let fall some urine on him. He wondered where water could be coming from for the sun was shining. Looking up he said, “Oh, my moose is sitting on the tree.” He started to climb the tree after her, holding his spear in his hand. When he was close the woman told him to give her his spear while he climbed up. “I will give it back to you when you get up here and you may stab me with it,” she said. He gave her the spear and she went further up the tree with it. When he came up close to her she speared him on the crown of his head. The man fell down. Holding the spear up as it was still sticking in his head he started home, crying, “The moose is killing me; the’ moose is killing me.”

He came back to the camp still holding the spear which he was unable to pull out. When he came near the camp the mosquitoes all ran out saying, “Oh, the moose killed a man.” When they had tried in vain to get the spear out they sent for a smart man to see if he could do it. This man advised driving the spear down through as the easiest way to remove it. They did this, driving the spear down through so it came out under his chin. The man died.

The mosquitoes then decided to follow the woman’s track since she could not be far from the camp. When the mosquitoes were near the camp of the people a medicineman advised that mooseskins should be hung all around where the mosquitoes were camped, so that the larger ones at least would not be able to come through. They did this and only the small mosquitoes, those of the present size, were able to come through the holes in the skins. All the big ones were killed with the aid of the medicineman.

The potency of war songs

A war party sought enemies but found none. They sang war songs, which revealed the presence of the Cree. After testing their strength by uprooting large stones—leaving handprints still visible—they attacked at dawn, annihilating their foes. This story underscores the believed power of war songs and rituals in summoning adversaries and ensuring victory.

Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

War and Peace: The central focus is on the planned attack and ensuing battle between the two groups.

Magic and Enchantment: The act of singing to summon or locate the enemy suggests a belief in the magical power of war songs.

Sacred Objects: The large stones, which retained the handprints of the warriors, may hold symbolic or mystical significance.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

This was told in response to a question about a stone that used to be by the ford at Haliska, west of Vermilion. It is the common belief that if this stone is moved from its place it’ returns of itself. The informant said a half-breed once threw it into the creek, but when he next passed it was back in its place. When the informant was asked where it is now, he said it was near Peace River where a half-breed had carried it. He gave as his opinion that the stone had been so long unused that no life was now in it.

Once when breechcloths of skin were still worn, a party of Indians went to war. They failed to find the enemy they were after and therefore could not accomplish their purpose.

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They began to sing for the Cree and then they saw them. They started for the place where the Cree were, but when they came near, decided to postpone the attack until the next morning. While they were waiting they tried their power by lifting out large stones. [Two stones were pulled out of the ground by the competing men. The stronger (in magic) pulled out the larger.] The prints of their hands can still be seen where they took hold of the rock. They made the attack and killed them all, leaving not one of them living.

The man who talked to the buffalo

A man communicates with buffalo, instructing them to enter water backward, facilitating their hunting by the tribe. The buffalo comply, and the tribe successfully spears them. Notably, the calves vocalize “mother” similarly to humans. One bull consistently escapes, believed to be the offspring of a man who married a buffalo, highlighting the deep connection between humans and buffalo in this lore.

Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The man’s unique ability to communicate with buffalo and the existence of a bull with human-like features suggest interactions with beings possessing supernatural attributes.

Trickster: The man uses cunning to manipulate the buffalo into positions where they can be easily hunted, showcasing trickster behavior.

Ancestral Spirits: The story references a young man who disappeared and was believed to have integrated with the buffalo, indicating a connection between ancestors and the present.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

One time there was a man who used to talk to the buffalo, and they would do what he told them to do. He would tell them to go to a certain place, to go into the water, and to give him food. Then they would go into the water backwards, and the Indians would kill them with a spear. The calves would say, “unnai” (mother) just as plainly as people do. They took hold of them and killed them. There; was one bull they did not kill. He always ran through between the people. [The narrator in conversation afterward referred to the well-known story of the man who married a buffalo. The bull, which invariably escaped, was the result of this union. “There was a young man who disappeared. They supposed he went among the buffalo. After that they used to see a bull with hair just like a man’s. The buffalo understands what people say because a man used to live among them.”]

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Then they would take the dead buffalo ashore and eat them. [He added that the female organs of the buffalo cows were cut off and pushed back into the water before the bodies were removed. No one was allowed to look while this was being done.]

The hunting fetish

A hunter, weakened by starvation, struggled as moose consistently evaded him. He possessed a small moose figurine, believed to be part of his own flesh, gifted by a moose to bring good luck. Despite using this charm, the moose remained elusive. In despair, he buried the figurine in the snow and succumbed to hunger. It’s believed he offended the moose, leading to his demise.

Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Divine Punishment: The man’s death is a consequence of angering the moose, suggesting retribution from a higher power.

Sacred Objects: The moose figurine serves as a powerful artifact with mystical significance in hunting.

Conflict with Nature: The man’s struggle against natural forces, represented by the elusive moose, leads to his starvation.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

A man was starving and it seemed he could not live. He was dying of hunger because the moose detected his presence before he could get up to them. They knew he was a powerful man. He was so weak he could not walk very far.

He came where there were some moose but before he could shoot them they rushed off. He had a little moose, an image, that used to sit on him. He pulled that out and waved it in front of the moose, but they took no notice of it and continued to run off. He put the little moose under the snow and himself died immediately.

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The little moose was the same as his own flesh. They say he was using it to hunt with at the time when people were hunting with arrows. Because a moose liked the man it took out its own little one and put it in the man’s body and that gave him good luck. He must have angered the moose and because of that he died of hunger. They say that was the way it happened. [The last paragraph was obtained in response to a question as to the meaning of the story.]

The loaned hunting dog

An old man owned a hunting dog, which was actually a wolf adept at hunting moose. A young man borrowed the dog but ignored instructions to reward it with the moose’s tongue, offering the liver instead. Angered, the dog killed the young man. The old man lamented his loss, but the dog eventually returned, and they continued hunting together.

Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Moral Lessons: The tale imparts the importance of following instructions and respecting established customs.

Conflict with Nature: The young man’s failure to adhere to natural laws or customs leads to his demise.

Ancestral Spirits: The old man’s relationship with the wolf-dog may symbolize a connection to ancestral knowledge or guidance.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

An old man had a hunting dog which was very good for moose. That was because it was not an ordinary dog but a wolf. A young man saw a moose track, but did not succeed in killing the moose. He came to the old man and said, “Grandfather, I saw a moose track, lend me your dog and I will go after it.” “My dog is mean,” the old man replied, “you must promise to treat the dog exactly as I tell you.”

The young man agreed to do so. “If you kill a moose the first thing you must do is to give the dog the end of the tongue. He is only pleased when I do that. You must do the same. Do not fail to do as I do, my grandson.”

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The young man went hunting with the dog and killed a moose. Instead of doing as the old man had told him he cut off the liver and threw it to the dog. The dog was angry and did not eat the liver but went off and left it there. The young man cut up the moose and started home. Being thirsty he went to get a drink. The dog which was lying there jumped on the man as he drank and disemboweled him, killing him. He ate all the man’s ribs.

Neither the man nor the dog returned. The Indians at the camp were going to bed, but the old man said, “There must be some reason my dog is not here. He has been howling and he does not do that without some reason. I told the young man repeatedly not to treat the dog in any way differently from the way I treat him. I loaned him the dog because he asked me for him so many times. The dog has probably killed him. I fear he is not living. Look for him and see if you can find out what has happened.”

They went out to look for him and came upon his tracks where he had been approaching the camp. They saw his body lying there in front of them. The dog had killed him. The dog was not there and they did not know where he had gone.

The old man who had been living by the dog’s aid said, “How shall I live? The dog with which I got my living has left me alone.” He was much displeased. He called the dog and the next morning it came back to him. He lived with the help of the dog again. The dog did not kill the old man who was able to live on good meat again. They say that was a very good dog.

They tell this story about the time the world was beginning.

The boy who was cared for by the wolf

A man with many children lost his wife during winter and abandoned an orphaned child he had been caring for. Upon returning in spring, he found the boy alive. The child revealed that a wolf had cared for him, providing warmth, fire, and meat. The boy survived into middle age before succumbing to illness.

Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Guardian Figures: The wolf acts as a protector and caretaker for the boy during his time of need.

Loss and Renewal: The boy experiences the loss of his caretakers but finds renewal through the wolf’s guardianship and his eventual reintegration into human society.

Ancestral Spirits: The narrative reflects the belief in animal spirits or ancestors taking care of humans, a common motif in indigenous cultures.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

This story was affirmed to be true by the narrator, John Bourassa, one of the most intelligent of the mixed-bloods in the vicinity of Vermilion. Lowie has a story of a bear who gave suck to a grown man.

One time there was a man who with many children was living by himself. In the middle of the winter his wife died, and he went to join the other people. He had been taking care of an orphan child, but now could do nothing for him, so he deserted him, leaving him alone in the camp.

When he passed by the next spring, he found the child was still alive and took him along, “How did you get through the winter without freezing?” he asked the child. “A wolf took care of me. He slept with me and made a fire for me. That is why I did not freeze to death. He also fed me with meat,” the boy said.

The boy lived long after this, until he was of middle age and finally died of some ailment.

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Thunderbirds

In Dane-zaa lore, thunderbirds inhabit high mountains, nesting on elevated hills where they clear surrounding timber. Visible only to those with strong supernatural abilities, these formidable creatures are feared by others, as they can attack and kill those who approach without such powers. Despite their strength, “earth’s roots” are believed to be more powerful. Thunderbirds are described as being about the size of jackpine partridges.

Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The Thunderbirds themselves are powerful entities that reside on high mountains and possess the ability to destroy timber and attack humans.

Conflict with Nature: The Thunderbirds’ capacity to tear twisted trees apart and the danger they pose to humans highlight a struggle against formidable natural forces.

Sacred Spaces: The high mountains where the Thunderbirds dwell are considered perilous and are accessible only to those with significant supernatural power, indicating these locations hold spiritual significance.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Dane-zaa Lore

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

They breed where there is a high hill. They destroy all the timber where they make their nest. They live on every high mountain. The places where they live are dangerous. Only men with strong supernatural power can see them. Those are the only ones who know where they live. As soon as a person who has nothing of that kind (supernatural power) comes near, they attack him. The people who do not see them are afraid of them. They say they can kill a man because they are strong. “Earth’s roots” are the only things which are stronger than they are. They tear twisted trees to pieces. In reply to a question the informant added that the thunderbirds are about as large as the jackpine partridges. He said his father used to go to see the thunderbirds.

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