Story of grasshopper

A young woman disguises herself as a man and partners with Grasshopper for hunting. Upon discovering her true identity, Grasshopper marries her. However, he proves to be an ineffective provider, consuming only grasshoppers and sinew. Their child dies during a journey, but Grasshopper miraculously revives it. He later encounters a monstrous creature, kills it unconventionally, and eventually dies himself while serving as a snare trigger.

Source:
Tahltan Tales
by James A. Teit
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.32, No.124, pp.198-250
April-June, 1917
Vol.34, No.133, pp.223-253
July-September, 1921
Vol.34, No.134, pp.335-356
October-December, 1921

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The young woman dresses and lives as a man, embodying a physical and social transformation.

Family Dynamics: The narrative delves into the relationship between Grasshopper and the woman, their unconventional marriage, and the birth of their child.

Trials and Tribulations: The characters face various challenges, including hunting difficulties, starvation, and personal conflicts.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A young woman used to dress like a man. She and Grasshopper were hunting-partners, but Grasshopper did not know that she was a woman. She killed plenty of game, while Grasshopper did not kill anything. He wondered why she was such a good hunter, and also why she always sat down when she wanted to urinate. One day they came to a porcupine-den, and she sat down to urinate. Grasshopper ran through the porcupine-den, and, coming out close behind her, put his hand below her, and found out that she was a woman. The woman was ashamed, and went home and told her parents. They ranged up all the men, and had them pass before the girl, to find out who had done it. Grasshopper sat in the corner, laughing. All the men passed in view, but the girl could not point to any of them. Then she looked around, and, seeing Grasshopper sitting in the corner, pointed him out as the culprit.

► Continue reading…

The girl’s father gave him the girl for his wife. Now they went out on a hunting-trip together. Grasshopper, being the husband, went out hunting every day, but never killed anything except other grasshoppers. He ate only grasshoppers and sinew of game. He ate no flesh of any kind. They were starving, and the woman herself had to go out hunting. After a time a baby was born. One day when they moved camp. Grasshopper, who was unable to carry much weight, went ahead with the baby, while his wife followed with a heavy load of camp-outfit. Grasshopper grew tired carrying the baby. He choked it, and hung it up on a tree. Then he went off hunting grasshoppers. At night, when he came to camp, he found his wife crying. He said to her, “Grasshopper, Grasshopper-Child [he always addressed his wife and child thus] is not dead. Why do you cry?” He struck the baby with his mitts, and it woke up, as though it had only been asleep. His wife was glad, and said to him, “Kill a bear for me tomorrow.” Grasshopper went out, and, while hunting grasshoppers in the grass, saw a huge monster approach. He was too late to get away, and the monster swallowed him. He tried to get out, and at last emerged through the anus. In this way the animal was killed. He went home, and said to his wife, “I have killed a bear for you. I jumped down his mouth, passed through all his insides, then came out and shot him.” She went out to see; and when she saw the huge carcass, she fell down from fright and crawled away, for her legs trembled so that she could not walk. Grasshopper came; and when he tapped her on the legs with his mitts, she became well, and walked back to camp. She said to him, “Bears are not like that: they are black, and only a little larger than a dog,” He went out hunting, and this time he killed a bear. His wife sent him to her mother. He went, and staid some time. His mother-in-law gave him plenty of meat to eat, but this was not his food. He wanted sinew to eat. He became so weak and sick that he had to crawl on his way back to his wife. He said to her, “Your mother gave me nothing but her excrements to eat, and made me sick.” They moved camp again, this time to snare caribou. Grasshopper said to his wife, “Use me as a trigger for the snare [like the trigger of a rabbit-snare].” His wife chased a caribou into the snare. The caribou went with great force and cut Grasshopper in two. He said to his wife, “Quick! put me together [join my legs to my body], that I may chase the caribou.” In her haste she joined the two parts of his body the wrong way; so that, when he ran forward, he was looking backwards. He was angry and ran off, but he could not go straight. He called to her, “Quick! break me, and join me again!” She broke him and joined him again, and now he went straight ahead. He said to her, “When you see smoke, you will know that I have overtaken and killed the caribou.” His wife saw smoke in a far-away mountain, and went there.

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 bad man and his son-in-law

A man is targeted by his malevolent father-in-law, who schemes to kill him. First, he sends the man to hunt near a cannibal toad’s lair, but with the aid of his animal protectors—a grizzly bear, black bear, wolf, and lynx—the man defeats the toad. Undeterred, the father-in-law attempts other deadly plots, including transforming his own daughter into a grizzly bear to attack her husband. Each time, the man overcomes the dangers, ultimately leading to the father-in-law’s demise.

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The protagonist receives assistance from supernatural animal protectors, including the grizzly bear, black bear, wolf, and lynx.

Conflict with Authority: The story centers on the protagonist’s struggle against his authoritative and malevolent father-in-law.

Trials and Tribulations: The protagonist endures and overcomes a series of lethal challenges orchestrated by his father-in-law.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A man who had married a girl, the daughter of a man of evil disposition, was hated by his father-in-law, who had made up his mind to kill him. One day he told the man to go hunting at a place where a gigantic cannibal toad lived. When the man approached the toad’s abode, he knew by the power of his protectors that he was in danger, and called on them for assistance. His four protectors — the grizzly bear, black bear, wolf, and lynx — appeared at once. The toad came out to fight the man, and opened its great mouth to bite him. Grizzly Bear, who was foremost, immediately jumped down its throat before it could bring its jaws together, and the others followed him. Then the four tore its entrails, and the man shot and killed it. The animals ate their way out, leaving four great holes in its body. When the man returned, his father-in-law was much disappointed because he had not been killed.

► Continue reading…

The following day he asked him to go hunting on a high mountain at a place where snow-slides always came down and killed people. When he reached this place, he changed himself into something so tiny that the snow-slide could not crush it. The avalanche came and carried him down, but failed to harm him. When he arrived at the bottom, he resumed his natural form and went home. His father-in-law could hardly suppress his disappointment and anger. He said to his daughter, “I will change you into a grizzly bear. Go out on yonder side-hill and act and feed like a bear.” He put a bear-skin on her, and told her to tear her husband. Then he pointed out the bear to his son-in-law, who went to kill it. When he came near and was about to shoot, his wife called out, “Don’t shoot! Save me! I am your wife.” He never heeded, and kept on shooting until he had killed her. His father-in-law was now very angry, and pursued him. The man threw down part of the inside of the bear; and this formed a deep chasm between them, stopping for a time the advance of his pursuer. The latter caught up again; and the man threw something behind him, which again formed an obstacle and delayed his pursuer. Thus he threw down several things, which became canyons, lakes, etc., behind him. His father-in-law managed to pass them all, and again caught up. He had only one thing left that he could throw. This was a stick, which turned into fire [some people say it was a fire-drill or fire-rock]. His pursuer ran right into the fire, and was burned to death.

Bluejay and the storm-bound people

In a Tlingit village, a boy mocked a sacred sea plant, leading to unending storms and famine. The villagers were trapped in wintry weather, unable to hunt or fish, and began to starve. One day, a bluejay flew over the village carrying a branch with fresh berries, signaling that fine weather and food were available elsewhere. Encouraged, some villagers braved the storm, found abundant resources, and survived. Since then, the Tlingit revere the bluejay as a deliverer.

► Themes of the story

Divine Punishment: The community faces relentless storms and famine as retribution for the boy’s disrespect toward the sacred sea plant.

Sacred Spaces: The sea plant’s location is considered holy, and interacting with it requires reverence, highlighting the significance of sacred places in nature.

Harmony with Nature: The tale underscores the importance of respecting natural elements and living in balance with the environment to ensure communal well-being.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

In the Tlingit country a large number of people were living together at one place near the seashore, A sea-plant which the Tlingit venerate grew abundantly near this place. People were forbidden to speak to it except in the most respectful manner; for it was considered a harbinger of spring, and, if it did not renew its growth, spring might not come. Children were forbidden to name it or to talk to it, especially in the spring-time. One day, when spring-time was near, the son of one of the wealthiest men in the village talked to this plant, and made fun of it, saying, “Don’t grow out! My father has plenty of food yet. We don’t care when spring comes.” After this it was continual stormy, wintry weather at this place. The people could not go hunting or fishing; and no one ventured very far away, because of the storms. They thought that the whole coast was suffering in the same way; for they could not see far, their village being enveloped in a cloud.

► Continue reading…

The people ran out of food, and were starving. The boy who had mocked the plant died; and all the people became very weak, so that they were unable to procure fire-wood. The people of other places saw a black cloud hanging over the village. They tried to go there, but were always beaten back by the storms. One day Bluejay flew over the village, carrying a branch with fresh berries. The people said, “Oh, what is it that Bluejay has in his beak? Berries must be ripe in some place.” Now, with great difficulty a few of the strongest people pushed through the storm zone. They found fine weather over the rest of the country, the salmon fishing was nearly over, and the berries were ripe. Thus Bluejay saved the lives of the people, who ever since have been grateful to him. The Tlingit reverence this bird because he acted as a deliverer.

The gambler

A young boy, addicted to the stick-game, gambled away all his possessions, family, and fellow villagers to a mysterious stranger, Water-Man, who took them to his underwater home. Left alone, the boy met Mouse-Woman, who guided him through rituals to gain strength and an ally, Golden-Eyed Duck. With their help, he challenged Water-Man again, won back his people, and freed them from servitude.

► Themes of the story

Divine Intervention: The appearance of the small old woman, identified as Mouse-Woman, who provides guidance and magical assistance, represents a form of divine or supernatural intervention.

Quest: After losing his people to Water-Man, the boy embarks on a journey to retrieve them, undertaking challenges and seeking assistance from supernatural beings.

Transformation: The boy undergoes a significant transformation from a carefree gambler to a determined individual seeking redemption and the restoration of his community.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A boy addicted to playing the stick-game spent all his time gambling. [In this stick-game, common to many Western tribes, one man has to guess a particular stick out of a number. The sticks are rolled in grass and shuffled. The method of playing varies from tribe to tribe.] When he heard of an important game of a noted gambler, even if in a distant place, he went there to play. He was very successful, and nearly always won. Thus he became wealthy, although he was a mere boy. His father was a wealthy man, and possessed many slaves. One night a strange man came to the village, and challenged the boy to play. He promptly accepted the challenge, and the two went outside to play. The man won all the boy’s goods. The boy bet his father’s slaves, and lost ten of them. Then the boy staked his mother against two slaves. He lost again. He staked his father, his uncle, all his relatives, and finally all the people of the village, and lost.

► Continue reading…

The stranger took all he had won and departed, leaving the boy alone. This man was Water-Man (or Sea-Man). He took all the people to his house under a lake (or the sea). The boy had no one to gamble with, and nothing to bet. He wandered in and out of the houses, crying all the time. One day he saw smoke issuing from a bunch of grass. He found a house there, and a very small old woman inside. She was the small black mouse. She said,” Grandson, where are you going? What troubles you?” He answered, “I have gambled away everything I had, even my friends and all the people.” She asked him if he was hungry; and he answered, “Yes.” She put on a kettle, and split a single fish-egg with a wedge. She put half of it into the kettle to boil. When it was cooked, she put the food on a dish and placed it before the boy. He thought, “The food will not be enough;” but when he ate it, he found that he was quite satisfied. She told him to stay there that night, and added, “You must arise early in the morning, and wash just at daylight. Then go to the steep open place over there. You will see something growing there. Pull it out by the roots and eat it.” He did as directed, and after bathing went to the steep place, where he saw a beautiful plant growing. He ate it, and it made him sleepy. Next Mouse-Woman said, “Tomorrow morning bathe and go to the beach. There you will find something. Skin it, then take the skin, and push the body back into the water.” The boy returned with a sea-otter skin. He had fasted two mornings, and had used no fire at night. The old woman said to him, “Golden-Eyed Duck shall be your brother. When you play the stick-game, never point or choose a stick until he directs you.” He slept that night without fire, arose early, and continued to fast. As directed by Mouse-Woman, he went down to the edge of the sea, and challenged Water-Man to a game. The sea opened like a door, and Water-Man came out of his house. When it opened, the boy could see his parents and all the people working in a big house as slaves. He had hidden his duck-brother on his person. Water-Man had a trump-stick (eke’) which was really a fish; and when the boy pointed at it or chose it, it aways jumped aside. This was the reason he had always lost when playing with Water-Man. Duck noticed this, and warned the boy, who bet his otter-skin against his father. Duck instructed the boy to point a number of times near the fish-stick, so as to tire out the fish. Then he told him to point at it quickly. The boy won; and, acting on Duck’s advice, he won back his parents, relatives, and all the people and goods. They all returned to the village. This is why plants are used as charms to obtain good luck in gambling at the present day, and also this is why it is bad for young people to gamble too much.

The deserted woman

In a time of scarcity, an elderly woman was left behind by her tribe due to her frailty. Resourcefully, she crafted snares from sinew and caught numerous rabbits, providing herself with ample food and warm clothing. When scouts returned to check on her, they found her thriving. Upon the tribe’s return, she greeted them, dancing and singing about her survival and newfound prosperity.

► Themes of the story

Conflict with Nature: The woman faces the challenges of surviving alone in the wilderness, utilizing her skills to procure food and shelter.

Cunning and Deception: She cleverly uses available resources to create snares, ensuring her sustenance and survival.

Community and Isolation: Initially isolated from her tribe, she demonstrates self-reliance, ultimately leading to a reintegration with her community under changed circumstances.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A long time ago an old woman was deserted by her people, who were short of food, and had to leave to look for game. As she was too weak to keep up with them, they left her behind in the old camp, with a fire.

After the people had gone, she hunted around and found some scraps of sinew, with which she made a string for a rabbit-snare. Many rabbits came to the deserted camp, as they love to do, and she caught some with her snare. She made many snares of the rabbit sinews. She caught many rabbits, and had plenty of food.

She also made rabbit-skin robes to wear and to sleep in. The people did not find much game where they had gone. After some time they sent two girls back to see if the old woman was alive and if there were signs of game near the old camp.

► Continue reading…

They found the old woman with plenty of food, and well clad. They returned and told the people, who now moved back. As they approached, the old woman went out to meet them dressed in a large rabbit-skin robe, and danced, and sang:

You thought I would starve.
What did you think I would eat?
I am dancing now.
I wear a rabbit-skin robe.

The deserted orphan and the goat chief

An orphaned boy, abandoned with his grandmother by their tribe, dreams of a wealthy chief who offers assistance. Following the chief’s guidance, the boy fasts for eight days, gaining supernatural powers. He then moves mountains closer, restores his grandmother’s health, and constructs a house in a canyon. Using his newfound abilities, he calls game into their home, ensuring they have ample food.

► Themes of the story

Divine Intervention: The boy receives guidance from a supernatural chief in a vision, which significantly influences his actions and fate.

Transformation: The boy gains extraordinary powers, allowing him to manipulate the environment and provide for his grandmother, marking a significant change in his abilities and circumstances.

Sacred Spaces: The boy and his grandmother move to a canyon in the mountains, a location that becomes central to their survival and the unfolding of the boy’s newfound powers.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

This story is said to belong to the Raven phratry and to be of Tlingit origin; at least, the Tlingit tell a similar story, and the families that tell it use goat-horns and goat-masks as crests. Probably they claim the deserted boy as one of their ancestors. The Tahltan refer to this story as an example of the good results that will accrue from strict observance of taboos.

An orphan boy lived with his grandmother. [Some people say that she was his only relative, but in the story an uncle is mentioned.] It was good weather; but the people were short of food, and therefore moved their camp. As the old woman was unable to walk, they deserted her, leaving her a little food, but no fire. They wanted to take the boy with them, but he would not leave his grandmother. The boy went outside of the village a little distance. Here he heard a sound, and, becoming afraid, he returned. That night he dreamed that some one talked to him, saying, “Why did you run away from the sound you heard? I want to help you. Leave your grandmother when she is asleep, and go to where you heard the sound.” He awoke, and went to the place designated. When he reached there, he saw a house, which he entered. Within were many people. A well-dressed wealthy chief spoke to him, and asked why he staid with his grandmother. He said, “Because she is my relative. I cannot desert her.” The chief asked if they had any food; and he answered, “No.” The chief said, “Well, you will starve, then.” The boy answered, “I am willing to starve with my grandmother.” The chief then told him, that, if he would do as he directed him, he would obtain plenty of food. He said, “Near your camp there is a deep canyon. Make your house there between two steep rocks. Make it with sharp goat-horns [not clear; maybe they used sharp goat-horns for cutting rocks or digging], but first abstain from food and drink for eight days.

► Continue reading…

Then you will receive great power from me.” He saw and heard all this as in a vision. When he awoke, he found himself lying on the ground, and neither house nor people were in sight. He thought he had been away a short time, but he had been absent several days. When he reached home, his grandmother asked him where he had been. She said, “I have been weeping for you many days. I thought you were dead.” Now he fasted as directed; and when the eight days had passed, he caused wind and rain-storms to visit that part of the coast to which his uncle and the people had gone. They could neither fish nor hunt, and soon were short of food. Now he said to his grandmother, “We will move up the mountains, and make a house in a canyon there.” She answered, “The mountains are far away, and I cannot walk.” The country in the vicinity of where they were was flat. The boy said, “I will make the mountains come nearer.” He stretched out his fingers and then contracted them; and the earth was contracted, so that the mountains stood close by. He said to his grandmother, “Now look out!” She looked, and saw that the mountains were now quite near by. Then he struck his grandmother’s legs and body with brush, and she became able to walk like a young woman. They went to the canyon in the mountains near by. He told his grandmother what to do, and she built a house. Perhaps it was of stone, but it had a door which opened and shut. He said to her, “I am going to call the game into the house, but you must not kill the first animal that enters. Wait until all are in.” He began to sing a song by means of which he called the game. Soon he said to his grandmother, “The game is coming. Open the door!” Then goats came in, and nearly filled the house. When all were in, he told her to shut the door and to kill them. She clubbed and butchered the game. The boy made his grandmother strong, so that she could skin and cut up the game quickly. He also made her able to carry all the meat and skins down and fill one of the houses of the deserted village. He asked his grandmother what kind of food she wished next; and she said, “Sheep.” He sang; and sheep came, and filled the house in the same way. When all the sheep-meat had been stored, he asked his grandmother what she desired next; and she said, “Halibut.” He said to her, “Go to the beach, and you will find them.” She went, and found many halibut on the beach. Then he caused many olachen to come ashore. His grandmother dried the halibut. She put the olachen into a pit, where she let them rot until they were ready to be boiled for trying out the oil. The boy put the fish and oil in his uncle’s house in the village. Now the people were starving. The boy’s uncle, who was chief, sent a male and a female slave back to the village to see if the old woman and boy were still alive, and to find out if there was any game. Meanwhile the boy and his grandmother had moved back to the village. The house which they had made in the canyon had vanished. The slaves arrived, and, seeing smoke, knew that the old woman and the boy must be alive. They looked into a house, and saw that it was full of meat. They found their master’s house full of olachen and olachen-oil. They ate their fill, and took some along when they returned. The boy said to them, “Don’t tell my uncle. Say I am dead.” The slaves returned, and told the people that the old woman and boy were dead. They were asked if they had found their bodies; and they said, “Yes, they were lying in the house.” After a while one of the slave-children cried for olachen. The chief heard him, and asked, “How does he know about olachen?” Then he said to the parents, “You are hiding something. If you do not tell me, I shall kill you.” Then they told him all, and said that the boy had charged them not to tell. The people at once broke camp, and went aboard their canoes to return to the village. The younger wife of the boy’s uncle dressed herself nicely and painted her face. When wiping her face with a towel, she scratched it with a shell that happened to be in the towel. When the people arrived at the village, the uncle said to his nephew, “Which one of my wives do you wish for your wife?” and he answered, “I don’t want the younger one, because she always ill-treated me. I will take the elder one, for she was always good to me.” The boy’s uncle gave him his elder wife, and appointed him to the inheritance of his family, name, and rank.

Story of Go’nexha’tca, the snail

A young girl adopts a snail as a pet, nurturing it until it grows to an enormous size. The snail secretly consumes the village’s oil reserves, leading the villagers to discover and kill it. The girl’s profound mourning introduces customs such as singing mourning songs and cutting hair during grief among her people.

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: The girl’s secret nurturing of the snail and the hidden growth beneath her bed represent concealed actions that lead to unforeseen consequences.

Moral Lessons: The tale imparts lessons about the dangers of keeping secrets and the unforeseen consequences of actions, even when intentions are innocent.

Family Dynamics: The story highlights the relationships within the girl’s family, including her secretive behavior and the eventual collective mourning, showcasing the complexities of familial bonds.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Many people were living at a place called Cite’. Among them was a little girl of the Raven phratry who found a snail and made a pet of it. She wrapped it up, nursed it, and played with it, just as little girls do with dolls. It grew in size. When the girl grew up, she dug a hole under her seat and kept the snail there. She always talked to it just as one speaks to a baby; and, as a mother does, she put it to her breasts. At last it drew milk, and grew rapidly in length and bulk. The hole became too small for it; and it bored underground with its sharp tail. It bored underneath her parents’ house, and up through a vessel holding olachen-oil, and drank all the oil. Now it grew to an enormous size. With great rapidity it bored from one house to another, until it reached the last house of the village. In every house it bored a hole upwards, and drank all the oil that was stored there. When the people went to their oil-vessels, they found them empty, and wondered what had taken their oil.

► Continue reading…

The snail lay with its head in the hole below the girl’s bed. Whenever the girl went into her room, she at once opened the hole, called it pet names, fondled it, and called it “my little boy” and by other endearing terms. She also sang cradle-songs to it, and composed songs out of love for it. Sometimes her mother asked her what she was doing; and she answered, “I am just fooling, and playing with a doll I have.”

Towards the end of the period of her puberty training, she went from house to house doing work for people, — sewing, and making robes and moccasins. Her mother became suspicious. One day, when the girl was absent, she went to her daughter’s bed and examined the place. She found below the bed a pit like a cellar. On opening it, the snail opened its mouth wide. She closed the pit quickly, ran out, and told her husband and sons. On the following day they sent the girl to the farthest house of the village. Then they prepared to attack the snail with spears and knives. The snail, when attacked, wriggled so much, that the ground burst in a number of places. At these places they cut through its body. After a while they killed it, and then covered up the places where the ground had been rent. The girl heard the commotion, and surmised that something had happened. However, the people of the house in which she was said nothing, and did not appear to be alarmed. When she reached home, she hurried to the hole where her pet was, and saw that it was dead. She reproached her brothers, saying, “Why did you kill your nephew? I was rearing something for you to make you powerful and strong.” She wept much, singing, “Oh, my little boy! Oh, his little feet! Oh, his little eyes, his little teeth, his ears, his nose, his mustache, his little hands!” She cried long, and would not be comforted. At last her mother broke down, and gave vent to her grief; then her brothers became affected, and joined in the crying; then her father, and finally all the people. The girl sang her cradle-songs while weeping. She cut her hair, and all the people did the same; and thus they mourned for their dear dead relative the snail. Because the girl suckled the snail, the women of the Raven phratry now have large breasts. Because the girl cried and sang, people now sing mourning-songs when a relative dies. Because the girl cut her hair, the people followed her example, and now cut their hair when a relative dies.

The fisherman and the killer-whales

A fisherman and his wife catch an unfamiliar fish, which they prepare and dry. When the wife washes her hands in the sea, Killer-Whales seize her in revenge. The fisherman seeks help from the Fish chief, who sends Shark to assist. Shark creates a distraction, enabling the couple’s escape. As they flee, Shark battles the pursuing Killer-Whales, allowing the couple to return home safely.

► Themes of the story

Underworld Journey: The fisherman’s journey to the underwater realm to rescue his wife.

Revenge and Justice: The Killer-Whales’ act of abducting the fisherman’s wife as retribution for killing their companion.

Cunning and Deception: Shark’s clever tactics to create a distraction and facilitate the rescue.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A man was out fishing and drying halibut, and his wife helped him. One day he felt something very heavy on his hook, and could not pull it up. He tied the line to the thwart of the canoe, and paddled ashore. With much trouble he managed to land the fish on the beach. He called on his wife to kill it quickly, and she despatched it with her knife. She cut it up and hung it up to dry, as is done with halibut. They did not know what kind of a fish it was. It was quite strange to them, but they thought it might be good food. When the woman had finished her work, she went to the edge of the water to wash her hands. As soon as she put her hands into the water, something seized them and pulled her underneath the sea. She had been taken by the Killer-Whales, who had come to have revenge on the man for killing their friend. The man followed the trail of his wife and her captors under the sea.

► Continue reading…

He came to the house of the Fish chief, and asked him if he knew where his wife was. The chief said, “Yes, the Killer-Whales have taken her to be their slave.” The man asked the chief if any fish of his company would care to help him get back his wife. The chief asked the fishes if any of them would volunteer, and Shark said he would go. Shark went ahead to Killer-Whale’s house, and hid the man outside the door. He went in, and saw that the Killer-Whales were about to eat their evening meal. Their chief said, “Make the fire blaze, that we may see well!” Shark was standing next to the fire. He jumped up quickly and put much wood on the fire, so that it blazed up. The chief then said, “Some one fetch water!” Shark seized the buckets and ran out to draw water. As he came in and was passing the fire, he stumbled purposely, and upset the buckets in the fire, thus causing a dense cloud of ashes and steam to arise. Quickly he caught up the woman, pushed her out into the arms of her husband, who was waiting, and followed them. Shark kept in the rear, and said to the man, “Keep a-going! If they overtake us, I shall fight them,” When the man and woman were nearly home, they looked back, and saw a severe fight in progress. Shark was fighting all the Killer-Whales, biting them with his sharp teeth, and tearing them with his rough skin.

The blind man and the loon

A blind man relies on his wife to hunt. After successfully shooting a caribou, his wife deceives him, claims he missed, and abandons him. Distraught, he encounters a loon who restores his sight through repeated dives. The loon advises him to confront his wife for her betrayal. Upon finding her, he kills her using her own leg.

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The man’s wife deceives and abandons him, highlighting themes of betrayal.

Revenge and Justice: After regaining his sight, the man seeks retribution against his wife for her treachery.

Healers and Cures: The loon’s role in miraculously healing the man’s blindness.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Once there was an old blind man who travelled with his wife. When game was in sight, he drew his hand over his arrow, then his wife held up his arms, and he shot, never missing his mark. One day he shot a caribou in this way, but his wife told him he had missed. She said, “You are useless now. I am going to leave you.” She went to where the caribou lay, butchered it, and dried the meat. Meanwhile her husband was weeping bitterly. He crawled about, not knowing where he was going, while his wife had plenty to eat. He heard a loon cry, and crawled towards the sound. At last he felt the water of a lake. Loon came to him and asked him why he was crying. The man said, “Because I have missed a caribou, and my wife has deserted me.” Loon said, “Get on my back, I will take you along with me.” The man was afraid. Loon dived with a rock on his back to the other side of the lake and back again. Again he dived with a heavier rock and returned.

► Continue reading…

Now the man climbed on Loon’s back. Loon dived from one end of the lake to the other, and then asked the man if he could see. The man answered, “Yes, a little.” Four times Loon dived with him; and when they came up the last time, the man had recovered his eyesight. [Some Indians believe that the loon is a good guardian spirit for shamans, and that those who possess it can cure eye-diseases.] Loon told the man to kill his wife for lying to him and deserting him. He went to her, and found her eating caribou-meat. When she saw him approaching, she said, “I was just going to look for you.” He cut off her leg and killed her with it. [Stories telling how a person is killed with his own arm, leg, head, etc., occur among the Carrier.]

Another Version. A man with his wife and children were camped near a large lake. Here they had snares set for caribou, and nets for fish. They caught hardly any fish and no caribou, and were starving. To make matters worse, the man became blind. The woman then attended to the snares and nets. One day she found a caribou in one of the snares. Taking the children, she deserted her husband, went to where the caribou was, and camped there. Her husband crawled to the lake to have a drink, and then lay down and fell asleep. Something talked to him. It was Loon, asking him why he lay there. The man said, “I was deserted by my wife, came here to drink, and fell asleep.” Loon said, “Your wife is eating caribou-meat over there. I will take you to where she is.” The man was afraid, but finally was persuaded to take hold of Loon around the neck. Loon then dived with him to the end of the lake and came up. He asked the man if he could see; and he answered, “A little.” Loon dived back to where he had started from, and asked the man again if he could see. He answered, “I can see much better, but my sight is still dim.” Then he dived with him a third time, and went towards the place where the caribou-snares were. Loon asked the man again if he could see; and he said, “Very well. I can see everything.” Now Loon gave him a stone knife with which to kill his wife. When he came near where she was, she saw him coming. She cried, and said to the children, “Let us go to your father! Poor man! he is blind.” The husband paid no attention to her, and forthwith killed her and her children.

Story of Tcix’qa’; or, the hunter who could not kill game

A young man, mocked for his poor hunting skills, deceives a woman into marrying him by darkening his thumbs to appear as the best hunter. Unable to provide game, he resorts to a desperate act, leading to his death. The story explains why women often prefer skilled hunters and attributes the red tips of certain lichens to this event.

► Themes of the story

Tragic Flaw: The young man’s dishonesty and laziness prevent him from becoming a proficient hunter, leading to his downfall.

Origin of Things: The tale explains the behaviour of women toward hunters and the way the lichens are coloured.

Cultural Heroes: The story reflects societal values and serves as a cautionary tale within the Tahltan culture, highlighting the traits admired and admonished in their community.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Tcix’qa’ is said to be the name for the camp or lodge which adolescent boys use.

A number of young men were living together in a camp or lodge such as young men use at the age of puberty. Nearly every day they went hunting. One of them never killed any game, and the others laughed at him. In the same place lived a wealthy man who had a young marriageable daughter. He thought it was time for her to marry; and one day he said to her, “Carry a dish of food to the young men’s lodge. Give it to the best hunter, and then sit down beside him [thus proposing marriage] and become his wife. You will be able to tell the best hunter by examining the young men’s hands. The one who has the darkest mark at the base of the thumbs is the best hunter.” [It is believed that good hunters have darker skin on the part of the thumb adjoining the palm than poor hunters] The young man who was an indifferent hunter happened to overhear these instructions. He went to the camp-fire and blackened the front part of his thumbs with charcoal. Then he sat down among the other young men and exposed his thumbs, that the girl might see them.

► Continue reading…

In the evening the girl came, peered in through the brush of the lodge, and looked at the hands of the young men. She noticed that Tcix’qa’s thumbs were much darker than any of the others: therefore she entered the lodge, gave him the food, and sat down beside him. On the following day all the young men went hunting. They staid out two days; but, as usual, Tcix’qa’ had no game. They all laughed at him, and said that marrying had not changed his luck. [It is believed that marrying often changes a person’s luck.] After his marriage he left the young men’s camp and went to live with his wife and father-in-law. He went hunting with the latter, but never killed anything. His father-in-law thought this was strange for a man chosen as the best hunter of all the young men. He resolved to watch him, to learn why the youth did not kill any game. He saw him going after a caribou. He just ran a short distance, then stopped and walked on with long strides, to make people believe by his track that he had been running. The father-in-law went home, and said to his daughter, “Now I see what your husband does. He is no good. He cannot run, and therefore he never gets any game.” At last Tcix’qa’ felt bad because he could get no game. He cut his anus and pulled out about a yard of his intestines, cut them off, and put them in a bag. Then he plugged the hole with moss and went home. When he reached there, he threw down the bag beside his wife, and told her to cook the contents. His wife said, “He has killed game at last,” and hurried to cook it. Her father stopped her, saying, “It smells bad. Let him cook it himself! There is something wrong.” He hung the intestines on a stick above the fire to cook. When he reached up, the plug fell out of his anus, followed by his entrails and blood, and he died right there. This is why today women always fancy the best hunters, but some choose and marry men who are very poor hunters. Also this is why lichens (Cladonia hellidiflora) have red tips, for the man used them as a plug. The red are the blood-stains.