The deceitful wife

A hunter struggles to find game, leaving his family starving. His wife discovers a bear’s den, hides it, and secretly kills the bear, feeding herself and their children while deceiving her husband. When her brothers arrive seeking food, she lies about their situation. Upon learning of her deceit, the husband kills his wife and children for hiding food and betraying him.

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

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on relationships within a family, highlighting betrayal and the consequences of hidden actions.

Revenge and Justice: The husband’s act of killing his wife and children serves as retribution for her deception and selfishness.

Moral Lessons: The tale imparts a lesson on the destructive consequences of deceit and selfishness within a family unit.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A man was out hunting. He had a wife and four children. He could find no large game. All he could get were small birds, sometimes only one or two a day. They were starving, and moved their camp. The woman found a bear’s den. She heaped a pile of snow over it to conceal it, and camped alongside. Her husband was hunting. That night he heard near the head of the bed growling as of a dog. He asked his wife what it might be, and she answered that she was scratching herself.

They were to move camp again the next day. In the morning her husband went ahead to try to find some game. He was barely out of sight when the woman killed the bear. She cooked the meat. Her husband smelled the burning hair and meat, and came back. As soon as she saw him, she hid the bear, and put the head of one of her children into the fire and scorched his hair.

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She told her husband that one of the boys had gone too close to the fire and had singed his hair. When he saw the boy with his hair burnt, he believed what she said, and departed. The woman fed herself and children, and put the rest of the meat on her toboggan. Now, her brothers were also starving, and, thinking that their brother-in-law might be well provided with game, they journeyed towards his camp. When they struck his trail, they followed it, and came to the place where their sister and her children had been eating the bear-meat. They saw the bear’s skull hanging there. They were glad, and thought that their brother-in-law had been successful in hunting. The woman concealed the bear-meat from her husband, and kept it for herself and her children. When her brothers arrived in camp, they said to their brother-in-law, “We are starving;” and she answered, “So am I.” They said, “We saw the skull of a bear that you had killed, and we thought you had meat.” Then the woman said, “I will give you some meat to eat,” and she took some out of her toboggan. The brothers were ashamed, and went off without eating. Then the husband killed her and the children, because she had hidden the food and deceived him.

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The man with the toothed penis

An old man possessed a prehensile, toothed penis that could extend great distances, burrow underground, and gnaw through obstacles. He used it to feed on sleeping women without impregnating them. One night, a vigilant girl caught and severed the appendage. The man confessed his actions, stating he would die without it, and passed away, explaining why men today lack such features.

► Themes of the story

Cunning and Deception: The old man secretly uses his unique ability to prey upon unsuspecting women, deceiving the community about his actions.

Divine Punishment: Upon discovery, the community’s decision to let the old man die without restoring his organ’s severed part can be seen as a form of retribution for his transgressions.

Transformation: The narrative explains a change in human anatomy, suggesting that if the old man’s organ had been restored, men today would possess small teeth there; its absence accounts for the current human form.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

An old man had a penis that could reach a long distance. The end of it was provided with teeth which chewed like mice. It could cross water like a snake, and go under ground like mice and moles. When it met any obstructions, such as the roots of trees, it gnawed through them and went on. The man could distend or project it at will. When he thought he was observed, he drew it back, and it assumed ordinary proportions. It would attack women when they were asleep. They were not rendered pregnant, as the penis simply fed on them. When they awoke, they felt sick, but the feeling soon wore off. Once two young girls were sleeping together. The elder girl woke up feeling sick, and thought she had felt something touching her. She found that her breeches had been gnawed as if by mice. She put on breeches of thicker skin and watched. The penis came and began to chew them. She seized it and held on.

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The old man tried to pull it back, but he could not do so. The girl called for her knife, which was made of an animal’s rib. It would not cut. She asked for a sharper knife. The men came and cut off the end of the penis. The girl told them her story, and said that she thought the penis must belong to the old man who slept at the end of the lodge, for he was moving about. The next morning the old man was sick. He told the people that he was going to die. He said, “I am very sick and am going to die. I cannot eat any food, for I have lost my teeth. I don’t mind telling you everything, for you have found me out. Women’s privates are my food. If you give me back the piece that you have cut off, I may live some years longer, but I do not care very much.” The people let the old man die. If they had given him back the end of his penis, then men at the present day would have had small teeth there; but, as they withheld it, it has its present form now.

Tle’ntlendo’k

In a village, two young men secretly visited supernatural women at night—one a water-woman, the other a smoke-woman. Curiosity led each to discover the other’s liaison, resulting in mutual deception. Enraged by the betrayal, the water-woman killed all the villagers by plucking out their eyes, except a new mother who fended off the attack. She became a wanderer named Tle’ntlendo’k, believed to grant wishes to those who encounter her.

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The men’s secret liaisons and subsequent deceptions lead to betrayal and dire consequences.

Divine Punishment: The water-woman’s retribution against the villagers for the men’s actions exemplifies this theme.

Transformation: The surviving woman transforms into Tle’ntlendo’k, a wandering figure believed to possess wish-granting abilities.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

There were many people living at one place. Among them were two young men who always slept together. When the people were asleep, one man would get up and go away to sleep with a water-woman. Afterwards the other man would get up and go to sleep with a smoke-woman (the smoke from the camp-fire always changed into a woman at night). [Some people think this woman is the same as the marmot-woman or mother (see “The Man who became a Marmot”), but most people do not agree with this opinion.] The man who lived with the smoke-woman wondered where his comrade went. He watched him, and followed him to the lake where he heard him whistle. Something then came up out of the water, and the man jumped in and disappeared. The next night he arose first, went to the lake, and did as his comrade had done. He went down under the water to the water-woman’s house.

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When the other man came down to the lake and whistled, he received no reply. After waiting a while, he went back and found his comrade with Smoke-Woman. [It is said by some people that he returned and slept with Smoke-Woman himself. When the man who had gone with Water-Woman returned, he found him sleeping with Smoke-Woman, and both women found out that they had been deceived.] Water-Woman did not discover that another man was with her until he left her. That night, when the people were all asleep, Water-Woman, who was very angry, went to the houses of the people and plucked out the eyes of the two men. Then she went on and plucked out the eyes of the rest of the people, killing them all, A woman was camped outside in a shelter by herself, as she had given birth to a baby the night before. She did not feel well, and could not sleep. She often felt a hand passing before her eyes, and she always struck it away. This continued all night, and stopped only with daylight. In the morning she wondered why the people slept so long. She called to her husband, who slept near by in another lodge, but received no answer. After a while she discovered that all the people were dead, and that their eyes had been plucked out. She took her baby and journeyed towards the east. She became a wanderer, and known as tle’ntlendo’k Some people have seen her, and others dream of her. Some who have seen her claim that she is very good-looking and has long finger-nails of copper. She goes about carrying her baby. It is considered lucky to see or dream of her, and it is said that she grants people their wishes. One man asked her for riches and got them. He was not satisfied. He asked for more and more. He said, “Give me riches until I burst.” He became wealthier and wealthier, and one day he burst and died.

The faithless wife; or, the origin of witchcraft

A wife feigns illness to deceive her husband and secretly lives with her lover. Upon discovering her betrayal, the husband attempts various methods of witchcraft for revenge, ultimately succeeding by using a dog’s bone to gain supernatural abilities. He kills both his wife and her lover discreetly, leading the community to suspect him. This event marks the origin of witchcraft among the people.

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The wife’s infidelity and deception towards her husband.

Revenge and Justice: The husband’s actions to punish his unfaithful wife and her lover.

Forbidden Knowledge: The husband’s discovery and use of witchcraft to achieve his revenge.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A family lived in a large, long village in the Hutcenu’ country [a division of the Tlingit (Hutsnuwu, “bear-fort”)]. It consisted of husband, wife, and some children. The wife feigned sickness when her husband was at home. Whenever her husband was away, her lover came and staid with her. She said to her husband, “I have been sick a long time now; I am going to die soon.” Later she said to him, “I am going to die tonight. Do not burn my body, but put it on top of the ground in a house of poles.” [Some of the people in Hutsnuwu are said to have disposed of their dead in this manner.] She had already put rotten clams underneath her body. The people buried her as she had directed, and her husband went to the grave and cried for his dead wife. She was not there, however, for she had departed the first night after the pole-house had been erected over her. She went off with her lover, and was living with him in the farthest house at the end of the village.

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Some time afterwards one of her sons, who was a big boy, happened to go to this house. He was surprised to see his mother there. She never spoke to him, and feigned not to know him. When he came home, he told his father, who said, “You must be mistaken. You know that your mother is dead. The woman you saw may have a face resembling that of your mother, but it cannot be that she is alive.” The boy went back to the house and had a good look. He came back, and told his father he was sure it was his mother. His father then went, and, looking through a crack in the house, recognized his wife. He went home, and said to himself, “I wish I could do something to kill them!” He tried to bewitch them with every kind of thing, including dead people’s bones, but did not succeed. Then he tried the bone of a dead dog. When he put this bone on his body, he began to shiver as shamans do when their spirits come into them. He kept on working with the dog-bone and dog-spirit until at last he was able to fly. Now he made two arrows of hard wood [some people say that he took two hard-wood sticks and sharpened the points.], and, flying the whole length of the village, he caused everybody to fall asleep. He went to the place where his wife and her lover were, and pushed an arrow into his wife’s rectum, thus killing her. He killed her lover in the same manner. When the people woke up, they said, “Why have we slept so late this morning?” They wondered why the woman and man did not get up. They examined them, and found them stiff and dead, with arrows sticking in them. They prepared the bodies for cremation, and wondered how they had been killed. Now the husband dressed up in his best clothes. He seemed very happy, and went around laughing, and challenging people to play the stick-game. When he played, he always won. The people noticed that when he played, he always joked and called the trump toq qetz, which means “anus root-digger.” This and his changed demeanor made the people think that he was the murderer of the woman and her lover; but they said nothing about it at that time, as they did not know of witchcraft. Afterwards all the people of that place became famous as witches, and witchcraft spread from them to other tribes. In this way witchcraft was introduced.

The Water-Being as a lover

A man discovers his wife’s affair with a water-being from a nearby lake. Suspicious of her frequent absences and adornments, he disguises himself as her, lures the water-being, and kills him. He then cooks the creature’s flesh and serves it to his wife, revealing the truth mid-meal. Overcome with guilt and horror, she becomes ill, leading to her demise.

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Love: The woman’s secret affair with a supernatural entity defies societal and marital norms.

Cunning and Deception: The husband’s use of disguise and trickery to uncover and punish the affair showcases themes of wit and deceit.

Revenge and Justice: The husband’s actions represent a form of retribution for his wife’s betrayal.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A man had a wife who fell in love with a water-being who lived in a lake near their camp. The husband noticed that his wife was always sick and could do little work. When she went for fire-wood, she brought only a little. Yet every day she painted her face and combed her hair as young girls do. He became suspicious; and one day, instead of going hunting, he watched her. She went to the edge of the lake, where the roots of a stump extended into the water. Here she gave a signal. The water-being looked up in the middle of the lake, disappeared again, and came to the tree, where he made love to the woman. Afterwards she went home lame. The next day the man asked his wife to bring in some meat of the game that he had killed; but she protested, claiming to be too sick. Finally she went. Then the man painted and dressed himself to resemble his wife, went to the tree at the lake, and gave the signal.

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The water-being came out of the lake and embraced the man, who at once stabbed and killed him. He cut off his large privates and carried them home. He boiled them with pieces of fat and other meat. When his wife returned, he said, “I am sure you must be tired and hungry. I have cooked something nice for you.” When she had been eating a short time, he remarked, “Women now eat their lovers’ privates.” She looked, and recognized a piece of the meat, and at once became very sick. Her husband killed her and cut off her head. He then returned to where the other people lived, and told them what had happened.

Second version. A man’s wife always went to the shores of a certain lake to gather roots, and brought back hardly any. She would not go to any other place. Her husband became suspicious. She complained of being sick and lame. One day he told her he was going hunting, but instead sat down on a hill above the lake and watched. His wife came along; and when she reached the shores of the lake, she began to sing a love-song. A water-being came out and played with her. The husband told her he would go the next day and gather the roots, as she was sick and not able to gather much. He disguised himself. When he sang a love-song as his wife had done, the water-being came out. The man cut off his privates with a knife which he had concealed in his bosom. He boiled them, and gave them to his wife to eat. When she saw what she had been eating, she vomited, and afterwards, through shame, committed suicide.

The cannibal women who lured men

A cannibal woman and her daughter inhabited an island, luring men to their deaths. The daughter seduced visitors, convincing them to lie beneath her, then used her sharp forearm to slit their throats, after which the pair consumed the bodies. One man, suspecting foul play, visited the island armed with a knife. He reversed the roles, killed the daughter, and fled. The enraged mother pursued him but, exhausted from attacking his fortified shelter, was ultimately slain by the man.

► Themes of the story

Cunning and Deception: The protagonist employs cleverness to uncover the women’s plot and defeat them.

Good vs. Evil: The man’s struggle against the malevolent cannibal women.

Revenge and Justice: The man seeks to uncover the truth behind the disappearances and delivers justice by killing the cannibal women.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A cannibal woman and her daughter lived on an island. When men landed on the island, they were lured by the mother to make love to her daughter. The daughter induced the men to lie underneath her; and then she slit their throats with her fore-arm, which was as sharp as a knife. The two women then ate the men’s bodies. A man who lived on the mainland near by had noticed that no one who went to the island ever came back, and he wondered what became of them. He watched, and saw that they entered a house and never came out. He hid a sharp knife in his clothes and went to the island to investigate. He was called by some one who had a sweet, attractive voice. He followed the sound to the house. There he was met by the old woman, who invited him in, saying, “Come in and see my daughter! I have a fine daughter of great beauty.” He went in, and noticed the old woman sitting some distance away, partly concealed.

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Presently a very fine-looking young woman came in from the other side of the partition, arrayed in fine garments and nicely painted and combed. She asked him if he cared to lie with her, and he nodded his assent. She told him to follow her to the other room. She asked him to take the lower position. He said, “No, I will not do that, in my country the man always is on the top.” The old woman thought they were taking a long time. She became anxious, and called, “Are you not ready yet?” The young woman answered, “No, he wants to be on the top, he will not go underneath.” Her mother said to her, “It does not matter, you can cut him just the same.” The young woman then agreed, and they lay down. The man quickly cut her throat, and covered her mouth with his other hand, so that she could not make a noise. The old woman asked again, “Are you not through yet?” and the man answered, “No, pretty soon.” When he was sure that the woman was dead, he withdrew his hand and quickly ran out of the house. The old woman was surprised to see him run out, and went to see her daughter. When she found her lying dead in a pool of blood, she gave chase. The man ran to a strong fort in the forest. The old woman, who was in a great hurry, ran straight through the forest, cutting a wide swathe of trees and bushes with the large knives on her fore-arms. When she reached the log fort, she attacked it with her arms, the knives cutting slices out of the logs. As she kept on cutting, she became more and more tired, and the knives more and more dull. When the house was almost cut through, she became so tired and the knives so dull, that she could hardly cut any more. The man then ran out and killed her with his knife.

The origin of mountains, etc.

Two brothers flee after killing their stepfather, pursued by their vengeful mother. To hinder her, they throw various parts of a caribou behind them, each transforming into different terrains: caribou hair becomes herds, the stomach turns into boggy land, bones create rocky ground, and meat forms marshes and lakes. Finally, they throw fire-stones, which ignite and consume their mother. This tale explains the origin of the region’s diverse landscapes.

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The tale provides an explanation for natural features like mountains, valleys, and other terrains.

Conflict with Nature: The brothers create natural obstacles to evade their mother, highlighting a struggle against natural elements.

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on the complex relationship between the brothers and their mother.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Once two lads killed their step-father and then ran away. Their mother became distracted at the loss of her husband, and chased them, intending to kill them. She became possessed of extraordinary powers of speed, and soon drew near her sons, who were travelling on snowshoes and carrying caribou-meat. They threw some caribou-hair behind them, which at once became transformed into an immense herd of caribou that dotted the plateau so thickly, that their mother could not pass through them. She then transformed herself into something very small, and rolled through. Again she drew near; and the lads threw the contents of a caribou-stomach behind them, which changed into a boggy, mossy country full of thick brush. She surmounted this and came near again. They threw the stomach or tripe of the caribou behind them, and it became transformed into a piece of country with deep gulches, canyons, and valleys.

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Again she came near; and they threw some caribou-bones behind them, which became transformed into a tract of very rough, rocky ground. Still she pursued them. They threw some meat of the caribou behind them, which changed into marshy ground and lakes. Finally they threw their fire-stones behind them. They changed into fire. Their mother ran into it and was burned up. Had it not been for these men throwing the parts of the caribou behind them, the country would now be level instead of rough with mountains, valleys, gulches, rocks, and brush, as it is now.

The woman and Otter-Man

A widow with two sons meets a mysterious man who becomes her secret lover, hiding in her pack during the day. Suspicious, her sons discover and kill the man, who is revealed to be Otter-Man. They trick their mother into eating his cooked flesh. Realizing the deception, she transforms into an otter and chases them. The sons create obstacles to impede her pursuit, ultimately leading to her demise. This tale explains the otter’s appearance and its spiritual influence on women.

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The narrative features Otter-Man, a mystical entity who engages with the human world.

Divine Punishment: The woman’s transformation into an otter and her eventual demise can be interpreted as retribution for her concealed actions.

Family Dynamics: The interactions between the mother and her sons, especially concerning trust and betrayal, play a central role in the story.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A widow had two sons. The lads hunted, and their mother always carried in the meat for them. One day when she was on her way to get meat, she met a strange man, who asked her if she had a husband. She answered, “No, my husband is dead, but I have two grown-up sons.” He asked if she had a camp and where it was, also where she was going. She told him she was going to carry in caribou-meat, and directed him where her camp was. “Well,” he said, “I shall come to your camp tonight and see you, but you must hide me.” The woman cooked for her sons every night. After they had eaten and gone to sleep, the man came. He told the woman that he would marry her, but that she must conceal him. He did not want her sons to see him. He slept with her all night, and in the morning she tied him up in her pack-sack and hung it up outside. The following night she took in her pack-sack. Her sons thought it strange that their mother always hung up her pack-sack outside, when formerly she was not wont to do so.

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They also remarked that her pack-sack was always particularly well lashed. One night they happened to hear talking. It was not their mother talking in her sleep, for there were two voices. The next night they watched. After the fire had gone out, their mother brought in her pack and unlashed it. Then they heard whispering and talking. In the morning she lashed the pack again and hung it up outside. Now the boys went hunting, and purposely killed caribou a long way off. They cut up only about half of the carcass, leaving considerable work for their mother to do. Then they covered the meat to a great depth in the snow. This was done to delay her in bringing home the first load of meat. In the morning they said, “Mother, go and bring in a load of the caribou-meat. We are tired today and want to rest.” When she had gone, they took down the pack, and found Otter-Man inside. They killed him, and put his flesh before the fire to cook. They stuffed their mother’s pack-bag, lashed it, and hung it up in the same place as before. When their mother arrived, they said to her, “Mother, you must be hungry. We killed a big bear and a little cub, but we took home only the cub. We have cooked it for you, and now it is ready to eat.” The woman was hungry, and at once began to eat. The men put on their snowshoes, saying, “There was a crust on the snow this morning, which makes walking noisy. We are going to hunt this evening, as the snow is better.” When they were outside, they shouted, “We know of a woman who is eating her husband!” The woman ran to her pack, and found it stuffed. She became angry, and changed into an otter. She ran fast and slid as otters do. She nearly caught up with her sons, who threw part of the inside of a caribou behind them. It became a canyon, which she had to cross. This retarded her. She caught up again; and they threw another part of the inside of the caribou, which became a mountain. Still she followed them. Again they threw another part, and it became water. They threw the fourth part, and it became fire. She ran into it and was burned. [Some people say that the otter could not run fast enough; and gave up the chase.] Because the otter was burned, he now has short brown hair; and because the otter had connection with the woman, otter spirits now enter women and make them very sick.

The man and his sister

A man secretly engages in an affair with his sister, neglecting his own family. When her husband discovers the infidelity, the brother kills him and desecrates his body. The man’s wife uncovers the betrayal and, seeking revenge, kills both her husband and his sister, desecrating their bodies in turn. She then moves her children to the sister’s camp, utilizing the ample meat supply, and later shares her story with their community, who commend her actions.

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The narrative centers on the man’s betrayal of his own family through his affair with his sister and the subsequent treachery involved in murdering her husband.

Revenge and Justice: The man’s wife seeks retribution for the wrongs committed by her husband and his sister, ultimately delivering justice through their deaths.

Tragic Flaw: The man’s moral weaknesses—his lust and betrayal—lead to his downfall and death.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A man lived with his wife and children near the head of a creek; and near by, at the head of another creek on the opposite side of the mountain, lived his sister and her husband. Often, when her husband was out hunting, the man went to his sister and cohabited with her. Her husband became suspicious and watched her. On several successive days he saw a man go into the camp. He asked his wife who it was that visited her; and she answered, “Only my brother, that is nothing.” The husband said no more. After this he came home one day and found him with his wife. He was angry, and they fought. The brother killed him, and, opening up his body, defecated inside. After this the brother spent more time with his sister than with his wife. The game that he killed he took to her, and nothing to his wife and family. His wife noticed that he looked tired every night, and in many ways showed that he had killed game.

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Still he always came home empty-handed, and claimed to have killed nothing. The family was starving; and the wife proposed that her husband go and see his brother-in-law, as he might have plenty of meat. He answered that he had been there, and his brother-in-law also could get no game and was out of food (he wanted his wife to starve). One day when her husband was away, the woman went to her sister-in-law’s camp, and found it full of meat. She also found the dead body of her sister-in-law’s husband, and saw what had been done to it. Her own husband was not there. She returned to camp, and made an arrow with a specially large head. The next day, when her husband was away, she went to his sister’s camp, and concealed herself in a place adjacent to the dead body in which he defecated, but at a lower level. When he came to the place to defecate, she shot the arrow up his anus. He cried out, “Come, sister! Some one is killing me!” His sister ran out, and the woman killed her also. She opened up both the bodies and defecated in them, saying, “Now I have my revenge.” As she had many children, she moved to the camp where the dead bodies were, and lived there, as there was a vast supply of meat. Later she and her children returned to the main body of the people, and told them of the wickedness of her husband and his sister. They approved of her deed.

Story of the ants

Two brothers married to two sisters hunt caribou daily. Overhearing a suspicious conversation between the sisters, the elder brother kills his wife by pushing her into a large ant nest. The younger sister, suspecting foul play, later kills both brothers. This story explains why ants have red heads and bite people.

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The narrative involves marital relationships that are tested and ultimately broken through acts of betrayal.

Revenge and Justice: The story depicts acts of retribution following betrayal, leading to the demise of the offending parties.

Origin of Things: The myth explains the reason behind certain traits of ants, linking their current form to past events.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Two brothers were married to two sisters. [It is not clear that these people were ants, but it would seem so.] The husbands hunted every day, and brought home plenty of caribou-meat. When they came home, they always listened before entering the lodge. One night, when they were listening, a squirrel made a noise, as squirrels do in the evening-time. The younger sister said, “He makes a noise just like the one I make.” The elder one said to her, “Don’t say that! Our husbands might become suspicious.” Next day they moved camp, the elder couple travelling some distance ahead. They came to a place where there was a very large ant’s nest in rotten wood. The man pushed his wife into the nest; and the ants went all through her, coming out at her ears, nose, mouth, and eyes. The man then went on and made camp. When the younger sister arrived, she inquired for her sister, but the man never answered.

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Then she thought that he must have killed her. On the following day the men went hunting, each going his own way. The brother who had killed his wife then came back to camp, and wanted to have connection with his sister-in-law, saying, “Let us go to a hidden place!” The woman hid a knife in her bosom and went with him. When they embraced, she said, “I must be on top: I always do that way.” He agreed, and she suddenly pulled out the knife and cut his throat. That night she killed her husband (the other brother) in the same way. This is why ants have red heads now, and bite people. [The connection is not clear; but probably their heads are red because they were beheaded, and their heads bloody]