The adventures of a mouse

A mouse, weary from traveling along the ocean shore, swims for ten days and nights before finding a piece of floating bark to rest upon. After drifting asleep, he awakens to find himself near a house where two girls are playing. The mouse sneaks into their cache, steals dried whitefish and oil, but as he carries his loot along the bank, he slips, and the falling fish fatally crush him.

Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914

► Themes of the story

Quest: The mouse embarks on a journey across the ocean, facing challenges and seeking sustenance, embodying the quest motif.

Conflict with Nature: The mouse’s struggle against the vast ocean and its search for survival depict a conflict with natural forces.

Tragic Flaw: The mouse’s overconfidence or lack of caution leads to its demise when it falls and is crushed by the dried fish, illustrating a fatal flaw.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

A mouse was going along on the shore of the ocean, and at last he became tired and swam in the ocean a night and a day, and at length he became exhausted. Ten days and nights (passed), and he saw a piece of bark floating on the water. He climbed up upon it, and went to sleep, and I know not how many days it was that he was asleep. And then he awoke. The bark was bumping against the shore with him. He looked up at the land, and saw a house above him. There were two girls playing, and he went ashore and went toward them. Now, they were making a little house, and suddenly he ran out in the shape of a Mouse. Those girls caught sight of him; and one girl seized a stick and struck at him, but she missed him; and he hid, and ran toward the house.

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And he looked and saw a cache, and climbed up upon the ladder (a notched stick), and went in and got some dried whitefish and oil, and came down, and carried them away from the house, and took them to the bank. He kept going along the bank, and missed his footing and fell down; and the dried fish fell on him, and he died.

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The grand-daughter and the beads

An old woman and her granddaughter lived together, fishing year-round. One day, the girl discovered beads at an abandoned village site, which her grandmother identified as belonging to the girl’s grandfather. After adorning her granddaughter with the beads, the grandmother instructed her to offer them to a man who approached, saying “U’kgo yu’go.” The man accepted the beads and, in return, provided them with a sled full of provisions, enriching their lives.

Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914

► Themes of the story

Ancestral Spirits: The discovery of the ornament from the ancestral village connects the girl and her grandmother to their forebears, highlighting the influence of ancestors on the present.

Sacred Objects: The ornament (beads) holds significant value, serving as a link to their heritage and playing a crucial role in the narrative.

Echoes of the Past: The remnants of the old village and the ancestral beads influence the present, demonstrating how past events and objects can shape current realities.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

There was an old woman who had a grandchild, a girl; and they lived together, and fished in front of their house, the year round. There they lived. They had a fine place. The girl grew to be quite large, and worked with her grandmother. She was old enough to work, and her grandmother was grateful. Now, there came a time when her grandmother said, “My grandchild, go and look down the river!” So she went down the river from the house. There she walked along the bank; and there she saw where houses had been, no one knows how long since. She went down where it appeared that a house had been. She took a little stick and went poking around with it. “What’s this?” thought she, and she was glad. She ran back to her grandmother. She ran into the house.

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“Grandma,” she said, “how pretty this is!” “Why, why!” she said. “Why, my grandchild!” she said, “that was where your grandfather’s village was long ago. It used to be his,” she said. Then she bathed her, and combed her hair, and dressed her in fine clothes, and that bright ornament hung upon her hair. “My grandchild,” she said, “go get some water.” So she took her pails and went to the water-hole. She dipped one full of water and the other half full, when she thought she heard something. She listened, and (it was) some one coming from below. She took a good look.

There was a big sled with dogs, — three of them. (The man) stopped in front of her and spoke, and said, “U’kgo yu’go.” But the girl did not understand him, and he went away, and she took up her pails and went up. She went in to her grandmother. “Grandma,” she said, “a man came to me with a big sled and dogs, and said, ‘U’kgo yu’go’ to me.” And her grandmother said, “Why, why! It is the beads only that he was saying that he wanted. My grandchild,” she said, “go take off the curtain. Let’s make the fire!” she said. So she went out and took off the curtain. She threw down the wood and made the fire, and her grandmother put on the pot, and they put their meal into it and cooked it; and the poor old woman said, “Come, my grandchild! that’s all, put on the curtain.” So she put on the curtain, and they ate their meal and went to bed. They woke up in the morning; and the grandmother said, “My grandchild, go and get some more water. Now, if you see a man, if he says ‘U’kgo yu’go’ to you, give him (the beads).” She went to the waterhole, and saw the man again. He came up to her, and his sled was full of things; and the man spoke, and said, “U’kgo yu’go.” She gave him (the beads), and he ran off. The girl ran up to her grandmother. “Grandma,” said she, “hurry!” And they took the sled up, and put the contents into the house, — oil and fat; and they became rich. She was glad, that poor old grandmother, because she was thankful. And there they lived.

The old woman and the singing fish

An elderly woman lives alone, diligently fishing and preparing for winter. One evening, she hears singing and, hoping for company, readies herself to meet a visitor. Upon investigation, she discovers the source of the song is a small fish. Disappointed, she returns home, eats, feels lonely, and eventually weeps in the woods.

Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914

► Themes of the story

Community and Isolation: The old woman’s solitary life and her reaction to the singing indicate themes of isolation and the desire for companionship.

Sacred Spaces: The pond or location where the fish appears may have spiritual or mystical significance.

Mystical Creatures: If the singing fish is a legendary being rather than just a magical event.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

Few stories contain so many of the details of the monotonous everyday life of an old Indian woman in so short a compass as this one does. It gets its point to the Indian in the haste with which she makes ready to see a man.

There was once an old woman. She worked on alone, and in the summer she fished with a net, and (so) had plenty of fish. She cut them and hung them up and dried them, and put them into a cache, a grass cache which she had. Now she had plenty of food, and, having plenty of food, she was glad. It came on winter, and she did her cooking. She cooked only the bones, even though she had plenty of food. “I shall be short in the winter,” thought she. Once in a while only, she made ice-cream (vwa’nkgyuk). This she ate occasionally.

Now, once at dusk she took off the curtain from the smoke-hole and made the fire, and she put the pot upon (or against) the fire, and cooked (her food) and dished it up. “Now, then,” thought she, “that’s all. I will put on the curtain and go to bed.” So she threw her fire out at the smoke-hole, and went out to it. She went up and put on the curtain. She went to the door and stood still, as if she expected to hear something.

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She listened carefully, and thrust her fingers into her ears and drew them out again, to better her hearing. Then she heard. She heard some one singing, and ran in at her door. She thrust her hand under the shelf for the wash-bowl. She poured water into it, and washed her face and combed her hair, and finished her toilet. She reached out and got her bag, and took out the clothing that was in it, and put on a fish-skin parka and went out again. Presently some one sang; and she went in and took her place on the shelf, and busied herself spinning sinew thread on her fingers. Just a little while she sat there. Then she went out again. Again she listened. From the same place came the sound of singing. Then the old woman thought, “I don’t believe it’s a man.” She went downstream from the house. She looked down also at the edge of the water, and saw a little fish. It sang as it swam around. She caught up a stick and threw it out upon the bank, and went back and entered the house. She staid there a little while, and went out again. Everything was quiet. “It must have been a man,” she thought. She went in again and ate something. She sucked in some ice-cream, and felt lonesome. She cried, and went into the woods.

The Fish-Hawks

Two brothers venture out to hunt. The younger brother encounters a young woman and takes her as his wife. The elder brother, desiring her, sends the younger on a perilous quest to a distant mountain. There, he confronts and kills a family of Fish-Hawks. Upon returning, he discovers his brother has taken his wife, leading him to kill his brother and reclaim her.

Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914

► Themes of the story

Conflict with Authority: The younger brother challenges his elder brother’s authority and desires.

Cunning and Deception: The elder brother deceives the younger by sending him on a dangerous quest.

Revenge and Justice: The younger brother seeks retribution against his elder brother for his deceit.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

From Tanana

There were two brothers who went out to hunt; and the younger found a nice young girl, and asked her to be his wife. She said, “Yes, I will go with you.” Then they went home-, and his brother said, “I will take your wife away from you.” He answered, “No, you will not. I want her for my wife.” “Well,” said he, “if you want her, go a long way off, and you will find a high mountain.” And he said, “Yes, I will go, because I want my wife.” So he went away, and came to the mountain, and went up the mountain, and came to a tree that had a big nest on it; and when he climbed up to it, he saw a little girl and a little boy in the nest. He killed the boy, and asked the girl where her mother was, and her father. She said, “My mother and father have gone out to hunt.” And he said to the little girl, “I will not kill you, but I will ask you what time your father and your mother are coming back.”

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She said, “It will rain when my mother comes, and it will snow when my father comes.” And he said, “Now I will hide;” and she said, “I think that when my father comes, he will kill you.” It was the Fish-Hawk and his wife. When her mother came, she cried, “Oh, where is your little brother?” and the little girl said to her mother, “He fell down and killed himself. “— “Oh,” she said, “who, who? Where is my dear little boy?” And while she was crying, the youth killed her; and after a while the father came, and he said, “Where is your mother?” The little girl said, “She has not come back yet,” and he was very angry. And the young man killed him, and the little girl too; and afterward he went home and asked his brother for his wife, but his brother refused; so he killed his brother and took his wife, and was very happy because he had her to live with him again.

The Raven woman

In a village by a river, a Raven woman befriends a young girl who offers her hospitality and fine clothes. An old Raven man, living in the communal kashime, becomes enamored with the Raven woman. After being rejected by the household, he takes her away to a distant mountain, where they build a home and prosper. A young man later joins them, becoming their adopted son, and eventually brings a wife to live with them.

Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The Raven man takes the Raven woman as his wife, suggesting elements of romantic bonds and potential challenges within their relationship.

Journey to the Otherworld: The couple’s departure to a distant place and the establishment of a new home can be interpreted as a venture into an unfamiliar or symbolic realm.

Family Dynamics: The introduction of a young man who becomes their son and brings a woman to live with them touches upon themes of familial relationships and structures.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

Once there was a Raven woman walking along by a river; and she came to a big village, and found a young girl, who asked her to her house and gave her something to eat. In the same village there lived a rich man; and when the people were hungry, they went to him, and he gave them whatever they needed. The young woman went to him and got some fine clothes for the Raven woman. In the same village there lived an old Raven man, who had no house, and staid in the kashime all the time. One night he said to himself, “I should like to go into the house where the Raven woman lives:” so he went in there, and took the Raven woman for his wife. And the next morning, when the people in the house got up, they saw the Raven man, and told him to leave the house.

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He began to cry, and to say, “I like this woman very much. Why do they tell me to go out?” Then he went out sadly, and went to the kashime. The next night he went into the same house, and took the woman outside, and they went far away together; and when they reached the foot of a high mountain, they made a house and caught plenty of fish.

One day they saw a young man coming; and he said to them, “I will be your son;” and they agreed, and he worked for them. After a while he went away; and when he came back, he brought a woman with him, and they lived there always.

The little girls and the mink

Three young girls encounter a mink who warns them of an approaching danger—a big man. Frightened, they seek refuge with their grandmother, who advises them to flee into the woods. When the big man arrives and questions the mink about the girls’ whereabouts, the mink remains silent and eventually escapes into the forest.

Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914

► Themes of the story

Trickster: The Mink exhibits cunning behavior, a hallmark of the trickster archetype.

Conflict with Authority: The big man’s threat to the Mink introduces a power struggle.

Family Dynamics: The little girls’ relationship with their grandmother highlights familial bonds.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

There were three little girls who lived in a little house. One of them saw a Mink coming. The Mink said, “Girls, there is a big man coming;” and these little girls were afraid, and ran into the house and told their grandmother; and their grandmother said, “Girls, run into the woods!” So they ran into the woods; and the big man came up and said, “Mink, where are the girls?” and the Mink did not answer. And the big man said, “Mink, I will kill you!” and the Mink ran into the woods.

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The old woman has spring-fever

An elderly woman, feeling the stirrings of spring, wishes aloud for goose gizzards to eat. As she voices her desire, she accidentally falls through her home’s smoke-hole into a bowl of water she had left on the floor and drowns. This story highlights the unexpected consequences of idle wishes and the unpredictability of fate.

Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914

► Themes of the story

Conflict with Nature: The woman’s interaction with the natural elements—observing the geese and the changing season—sets the stage for her accidental death, highlighting the delicate balance between humans and their environment.

Tragic Flaw: The woman’s deep sigh and expressed longing lead to her accidental fall, suggesting that her desires or inattentiveness contribute to her fate.

Moral Lessons: The story imparts a cautionary message about the consequences of unguarded desires and the importance of mindfulness in one’s actions.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

There was once an old woman who lived by herself. One day she washed her hair; and she left the water on the floor and went outside, and saw that it was spring. She went up on the top of her house, and saw the geese coming, and she sighed deeply. She saw another flock coming; and she said, “I wish that I had some goose gizzards to eat!” and as she said this, she fell through the smoke-hole into the bowl of water that she had left on the floor, and was drowned.

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How the fox became red

A hungry fox chases a brood of goslings and their mother, singing about claiming their tender breastbones. As they reach the water, the geese plunge in, escaping the fox. Frustrated, the fox walks along the water’s edge in a rage, turning red all over except for the tip of his tail, which remains white.

Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The tale explains the natural phenomenon of the fox’s red coloration and the white tip of its tail.

Transformation: The fox undergoes a physical change, turning red due to his emotional state.

Trickster: The fox, often depicted as a cunning figure in various cultures, attempts to use his wit to catch the goslings but ultimately fails.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

A fox was going along. Hungry he was as he went along. Presently he saw yonder a brood of goslings, and their mother too, going with them. So he ran after them, and began to sing. Hungry as he was, he sang while he ran, “I shall have your tender breast-bone to sleep on! I shall have your tender breast-bone to sleep on!” Then they came to where there was water, and right in front of him they plunged in. Close to the edge of the water he walked along slowly in a rage; (so that) he turned red all over, except that the tip of his tail remained white.

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Little-Hawk

A mother hawk diligently hunts mice to feed her five offspring. A raven observes and criticizes her parenting, suggesting she should teach her young to eat only dog meat. The mother hawk retorts that while raven chicks consume only dog, her children eat various animals. This exchange highlights differing dietary habits and perhaps underlying cultural values.

Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914

► Themes of the story

Conflict with Nature: The hawk family faces hunger, a natural challenge, prompting the mother to hunt for mice to feed her children.

Cunning and Deception: The Raven attempts to deceive or provoke the Hawk by questioning her love and teaching methods towards her children.

Family Dynamics: The narrative focuses on the relationship between the mother hawk and her offspring, highlighting her efforts to provide for and nurture them.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

Some Hawks sat in the shelter of a spruce. There were five children in the family, and with the mother they were six. They were hungry; and in the morning, before sunrise, the mother flew off to get mice for the children. She caught an abundance of mice, and put them beside her children, and tore them in pieces for them. “Come,” said she, “rejoice!” and she sang for them, –

Aiyuwo’ma, yuka’iuq cik.
Tcimu’qtiya’xya tatlie’myunu’k ka.

A Raven flew to the top of the spruce and spoke to her. “Oh, you don’t love them very well!” said he. “Say, do you teach them well to eat only dog?” The mother answered him angrily. “You scoundrel! Your children eat nothing but dog, my children eat only animals,” said she. Then Raven flew away from up there, angry.

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How the boys escaped

Two boys lose an arrow and discover a house containing a bowl of ice cream. After eating the treat, they hide inside the house but are found and swallowed by a woman who returns. Inside her stomach, they use a small knife and whetstone to cut their way out, successfully escaping.

Source:
Ten’a Texts and Tales
(from Anvik, Alaska)
by John W. Chapman
The American Ethnological Society
Publications, Volume 6 (ed. Franz Boas)
E.J. Brill, Leyden, 1914

► Themes of the story

Trickster: The boys exhibit cunning behavior by hiding and later devising a plan to escape from the woman’s stomach.

Conflict with Nature: The boys face a life-threatening situation within a natural setting and must use their wits to survive.

Trials and Tribulations: The boys undergo a series of challenges, from losing their arrow to being swallowed and finding a way to escape.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

Two boys were shooting with arrows, and the arrow of one of them was lost; and they searched for it, and found a house, and went up on the roof. Down there on the floor, in a big bowl, was some ice-cream; and they went into the house and ate it. Then one of them got under a stone, and the other got under a pillow, and there they staid. Soon some one came stamping in. And she kicked the bowl, and said, “Who ate what was in you?” “There’s one of them under that stone, and the other is under the pillow,” said she, and she swallowed them. And they were in her belly. Then one of them took out a little knife, and the other took out a little whetstone, and they cut open her stomach and jumped out.

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