Tag: 04. Good vs. Evil

The struggle between opposing forces

Story of a cannibal

When a father hunting beaver is ambushed and killed by the cannibal Djec’actodji’ne’hwan, his young sons witness the threat but are forbidden to speak. Their mother, sensing danger, gathers relatives and follows the ominous fire to find the hunter roasting alive. They set snares, trap the monster, and avenge their kin by killing and burning him. In the end, they recover and bury the father’s body, restoring justice.

Source: 
Some Naskapi Myths 
from Little Whale River 
by Frank G. Speck 
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.28, No.107, pp. 70-77
January-March, 1915

► Themes of the story


Good vs. Evil: The tale centers on the moral struggle between the innocent family and the malevolent cannibal.

Revenge and Justice: The relatives pursue and punish the cannibal to avenge the slain hunter.

Mythical Creatures: The cannibal (“lai’tigo”) functions as a supernatural monster preying on humans.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Naskapi people

From Lake Waswanipi Band of Cree

There was once a man who had two sons, little boys, whom he left in camp when he went off to hunt beaver. He had not been gone long before Djec’actodji’ne’hwan [translated by the narrator, who spoke very little English, as “cap”] came to the camp and saw the little boys. “Where has your father gone?” he asked them. One of them told him that their father had gone to hunt beaver. Then Djec’actodji’ne-‘hwan told them not to tell anybody that he had been there. Said he, “I am going to hunt up your father and kill him tonight. I will build a big fire to cook his beavers. But you must not tell anybody.” And he went away. When night came, the little boys’ mother came and asked them if anybody had been there. “Yes, Djec’actodji’ne’hwan,” they replied. Then she asked them what he had said. And they told her he had said he would kill their father and make a big fire to cook his beavers, and that he had told them not to tell anybody.

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So the woman got her relatives together, and they set out to hunt for the father. Soon they came to where they could see a big fire; and they saw a big body laid out straight beside the fire, and Djec’actodji’ne’hwan cutting big slices off its side and roasting them in the fire. When they drew nearer, they saw that it was the hunter who was being eaten. Then the mother began crying; but one of the men told her not to cry. He said, “We will kill the cannibal (lai’tigo) who has killed your husband.” And they got snares and set them about. Then Djec’actodji’ne’hwan got caught in the snares, and the men beat him to death with axes. Then they threw him into the fire and burned him all up; and they buried the hunter’s body. One arm was already eaten off.

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The cannibals

Two cannibals prey upon helpless families by luring them into feasting and slaughtering them, but their scheme backfires when one man conjures a snow shelter to elude capture. Later, two brothers, forewarned by powerful medicine, trick the cannibals into a wrestling match on thin ice and drown them, delivering justice and freeing their people.

Source: 
Notes on the Eastern Cree 
and Northern Saulteaux 
by Alanson Skinner 
The American Museum 
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story


Good vs. Evil: The clear moral conflict between the evil cannibals and their innocent victims drives the story’s tension.

Revenge and Justice: The starving families ultimately turn the tables and slay the cannibals to avenge past atrocities.

Magic and Enchantment: The first victim’s use of powerful snow and weather conjuring showcases supernatural aid in escaping doom.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Cree people

Albany Cree

Once there was an old man and his son who used to go about killing and eating people. At last, they came to one family who was very poor and was starving. Then the young man said, “Father, I’ll stay here and go off and hunt for the people. We will fatten them up and kill them.” His father said it was well. The young man hunted for three days and all the deer’s meat he got he gave to those people. He stayed with them for a week.

One day, he went off and found his father. He told him he had seen a big tent full of people which he had not entered. His father said, “We will go tomorrow morning to see them.” The young man told the people he was living with that they were to eat heartily and grow fat. “We will come once a week to see you and how you are getting along.”

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They went away then, the father and son, and camped close to the big tent. They did not approach it until night when everyone was asleep. Then they killed half of the people and ate them. The rest escaped. The two cannibals stayed at the same place. The man they left kept on eating and drying the meat they gave him. Once a week the old cannibal visited him and saw that he and his wife and children were growing fat.

Now the man became afraid. He continued to dry meat as before, but he dug a hole under the snow for he knew that the cannibals were fattening him in order to kill him. The next week, the old man came. “You are getting fat now,” he said. “Next week my son and I will visit you again.” “All night, I’ll be here,” said the man and all that week he collected dry meat and wood and snow to make water. Then he barricaded the door with brush. He took in his drum and sang and thumped all night praying for bad weather. The very first morning a heavy snow-storm fell covering his fort completely. The next night the man conjured again for rain to make a hard crust over the snow. It came, and then he conjured for more snow drifts. Again, the snow fell and he was covered over as hard as a rock where he was hidden. The time for the next visit of the cannibals was now at hand. When they came they could not find him.

The old cannibal dug a hole in the snow to seek them for he knew from his medicine that they must be near by. He could not find them although he and his son were right over their victims. Then the cannibal people left the place and went off in the opposite direction. The Indians stayed in the snow until the spring thaws released them. The cannibals soon found another family where there were two grown-up sons whose medicine was very strong. These two sons knew before the cannibals came that they were approaching and one hid on the river bank and the other m the brush. Sure enough, the two cannibals came in the night along the river. “There are strangers coming,” he called out. At once the cannibal and his son fell on the snow and lay there hidden intending to make an unexpected attack late that night. They were surprised for they did not think anyone was waiting for them. Then the other brother went out and both went to see the two cannibals. They said to the strangers, “You are just in time to help us chisel beaver.” Then the old man said, “I am too old to chisel beaver but my son can go with you, I’ll stay in the tent.” So then the three went to a lake. There were no beaver there at all. They all sat on the edge of the lake.

The youngest brother said, “Let us make a big hole in the ice in the middle of the lake. Then we will have a wrestling match, and whoever gets worsted, will be thrown into the hole and drowned. They had no axes or anything but a sharpened caribou leg bone tied on a stick for a chisel. The two brothers began to chisel and the cannibal sat and looked on. “Make it big, narrow and long, just the length of a man, so that when you throw a man, he’ll just go in,” said he. The two Indians did as they were told. Then the two brothers said slyly to each other, “Who’ll try him first?” “I will,” said the youngest. “You can’t master him,” said the older. “I will try any way,” said the younger. “We are all ready now,” said they to the cannibal at last. The young cannibal jumped up. The younger brother tried twice to throw the cannibal but could not put him in the hole. “Let me try,” said the older. So they threw the cannibal in the hole and the younger brother struck him with his ice chisel as he went down and he was killed. Then they went back. They had a war club. The old man was sitting with his legs crossed. They struck his legs and broke them with a single blow. Then they said, “We have killed your son.” Then they killed him too.

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Kanweo and the cannibals

Two brothers—Kanweo and his sibling—encounter a tribe of cannibal giants. After escaping an initial ambush, Kanweo leads his people in a spirit-guided raid that routs the enemy. When the cannibals later kill his brother, Kanweo pretends friendship, lures them to a beaver lodge, and exacts revenge. Sparing only the innocents, he secures justice and returns home to restore peace.

Source: 
Notes on the Eastern Cree 
and Northern Saulteaux 
by Alanson Skinner 
The American Museum 
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story


Good vs. Evil: The battle between Kanweo’s people and the cannibal tribe frames a classic moral struggle.

Revenge and Justice: After his brother is killed, Kanweo’s actions are motivated by avenging that wrong and restoring order.

Cunning and Deception: Kanweo feigns friendship at the beaver lodge to lure and overcome his unsuspecting foes.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Cree people

Collected at Rupert’s House

There were once two brothers. They lived well, but not upon people. Nearby was a tribe called Witigo (Cannibal). These people hunted in the ordinary manner but when they could, they killed and ate men. Once, in the summer, when the two brothers were traveling about together, they came upon the Cannibals first and were able to escape. Kanweo thought he would return and get the things he used for war, and prepare for battle. He returned and told his people they would have to get ready to fight or all be killed. Kanweo began to conjure, and asked if he would be victorious if he went to war with the Cannibals. The spirits replied that if he had a mind to go he would be victorious. Kanweo at once got his people together. The Cannibals always lived together. The people at once began to get their war spears and “sword arrows” [a “sword arrow” is one having a pointed pile, or head, set in the shaft] etc., together and started out.

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Kanweo prepared to attack the Cannibals slyly not intending to let them know before he tackled them. There was a big hill there, just at the back of the place where the Cannibals were staying. Kanweo told his men to go up on top of this hill to watch first. He told his men, “We will watch to see when they are not ready and then we will attack them.”

The next day the Cannibals began to build sweat houses and he said, “Now is the time to go down upon them slyly.” None of the Cannibals had anything ready. Kanweo and his men ran down and began to spear them as they ran out of the sweat houses. Some of the Cannibals burned themselves on the hot stones. It was a dreadful fight. Some of them escaped. Of course, he did not kill the women and children. The great warrior, Kanweo, was driven back towards the water where the giants (the Cannibals were very large, they say) were attempting to escape by canoes. There were two or three attacking him, but he backed away and fell into a canoe. He thought he was finished, but he managed to get up and killed all those who were attacking him.

There was one old man, who was a chief, and his sons, among the cannibals. He was not killed and was escaping with his children in the canoe. Kanweo saw him and ran right out in the water to him and gripped the head of the canoe but the water was too deep and he could not hold it. His own canoe was hidden a long way off.

All the women and children of the Cannibals escaped. Whether there were any of Kanweo’s party killed is not known, but a great many of the Cannibal giants were killed. The Kanweo stopped and went back to his place again. He lived there with his brother and they went about as usual.

One winter, his brother went off to hunt in another direction. The brothers came upon the Cannibals again and they killed him when they came on him unawares. They took his wife and children alive.

Next summer, where the brothers had appointed to meet, there was no sign of the brother and Kanweo learned from other Indians what had happened to his brother. Kanweo thought to have his revenge on account of his brother but he didn’t know where the Cannibals were. Some time after that he thought to himself he would try and find out. It was winter and he was living alone with his family. One day he was off hunting. Before he went off that morning he told his wife he was sure to meet somebody that day. He put on his oldest and worst clothes and made himself very miserable looking. Right enough, he went off that day. He was looking for beaver, trying to find where the beaver were. He took nothing with him except his chisel to bore the ice. He came to a place where there were beaver, where the beaver were lodging. He came to a beaver house and cuttings near by. He looked at the house and then went down to see if he could find the dam where they had shut up the creek.

As he was going along down the creek he saw someone coming up stream. He knew now this was the man he was expecting to see. This was the old man who had escaped from him two or three years before in the battle with the Cannibals. The old man was looking for beaver too, and had only his chisel with him. This was the same man who had killed his brother. Kanweo pretended he did not see the Cannibal and the Cannibal who saw Kanweo did likewise. They drew together, the Cannibal thinking he would knock Kanweo down and kill him before Kanweo saw him. Kanweo knew what the Cannibal was about to do and when he approached pushed him away, saying, “Don’t you see me? Look out where you are going.” The Cannibal lied, and said, “Oh, I did not see you.” Then they began to talk like friends.

Kanweo told the old man he was looking for beaver, and the old man said he was doing the same. They had just met you see, at the dam, and Kanweo asked the old man, “Where are you thinking of going?” The old man replied that he thought of going where the beaver were. Kanweo told the old man that they would come there and chisel the beaver together the next day. The Cannibal said that he had three sons who would come along with him too. The great warrior Kanweo told the old man to tell his sons to cut sticks to stake in the river and when they were to carry the sticks down to the river they were not to wear their snowshoes but beat the path with their feet. After they had planned what they were going to do, they separated, and each went back to his own place.

When Kanweo came home, he had some dry beaver outside his tent and he took four in with him and told his wife to cook them. He said, “We must try to finish all that beaver tonight.” He was making a feast so that he might be prosperous to kill his enemy. “We must try to finish these before daylight,” he told her after they were cooked.

He told his family that he had met someone and they had planned to chisel beaver together. He told them they might come, but not with him. They began to feast. He told them if they managed to finish the feast they might be able to overcome the enemy.

Next morning, he got out his war tools, his spear, etc., and went off, his family following behind. He told them to make camp at a certain place that he would mark which was not close to where he was going to have the battle. Kanweo went there first, before the rest, where the beaver were. He marked the creek where they were going to stake it in. Then he saw the old man coming with his sons. When the sons saw him they said to their father, “We are sure that man must be the one called Kanweo who used to fight with us.” They were afraid, for they knew he had something against them as they had killed his brother and held his wife a prisoner.

Kanweo was in charge of the beaver. He told the young men where to go to cut the sticks. He told them to leave their snowshoes down by the creek and beat the path in their moccasins, so they would not make much noise. Then he said to the old man, “We’ll chisel the ice, make a trench right across the ice to put down the sticks.” Kanweo had a chisel with a blade at each end, that he could turn as he liked to see which chisel was sharpest. The old man was chiseling and Kanweo told him to make the hole big in one place in the middle of the river where they were to set the net. Kanweo would turn his chisel now and again to see which end was sharper.

Every time Kanweo would turn his chisel the old man was afraid and would jump. “You seem to be afraid,” said Kanweo, “every time I turn my chisel.” “Oh, no,” said the old man, “I’m not afraid, but I very nearly slipped.” At last, they had the hole big enough, and Kanweo told the old man to skim the ice out of the hole. The old man sat down on his knees to do this and Kanweo knew that the hole was big enough. All at once, when the old man was not thinking, Kanweo stabbed him in the back, with his chisel and threw him under the water. The old man managed, however, to give a shout as he was going under, and the young men, who were cutting sticks heard it. The old man struggled beneath the ice for a moment, and very nearly burst the ice through it was so thick. When Kanweo saw the old man was killed, he took his bow and arrow.

The young men came running to the creek when they heard their father call. Kanweo took his bow and arrow and shot at the young men when they tried to escape. He killed two when they were putting on their snowshoes, but the third got his snowshoes on. Kanweo, however, managed to shoot him before he got very far. The family of Kanweo soon came up and soon after came the Cannibal’s family. When they heard that the old man was dead, they began to cry, but Kanweo did not harm them. At last, the old man’s wife came up, but when she saw the others crying, she refused to believe her husband was dead, for she did not believe any one could overcome him.

Kanweo told her to come and see the old man’s body which Kanweo had pulled to the hole they had made. He was not on the ice but his head was out of the water. Kanweo used his body as one of the stakes to shut up the creek. Then the old woman believed and became angry. She attempted to make an end of Kanweo. She got her big ax off the sled and was going to kill him with that. Of course, Kanweo knocked her ax away, and he took her ax from her and knocked her down. He told her she had to die, and with the same ax with which she wanted to strike him he struck her and killed her.

Kanweo’s sister-in-law was there, a prisoner, and she wanted to come and live with him. She didn’t want to stay with them any more. Kanweo would not allow her to come. “I’ve heard,” he said, “you helped them kill your husband. I don’t want to have anything more to do with you.” He let the other go and she had to return with them. That is the end of this story.

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The fisherman

An old man and his two sons camp by the shore of a frozen lake. While checking his ice-fishing line, the father is ambushed by warriors who seek revenge. Armed with only a sharpened pole and his enchanted fish-hook bag, he strikes down each attacker and even deflects arrows. His sons rush to his aid, killing the remaining foes, and the weary patriarch finally rests.

Source: 
Folk-Lore of the Cree Indians 
by Fred Swindlehurst 
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.18, No.69, pp. 139-143
April-June, 1905

► Themes of the story


Good vs. Evil: The old man and his sons defend themselves against hostile warriors intent on doing them harm.

Revenge and Justice: The warriors seek vengeance for past slights, and the sons restore order by slaying their attackers.

Magic and Enchantment: His fish-hook bag inexplicably protects him by causing enemy arrows to fall harmlessly away.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Cree people

An old man and his two sons were encamped by the side of a large lake. One day the wife of one of his sons saw a number of warriors on the shore of the lake. She called out, as she knew the warriors were waiting for the two young men to return from the hunt. The old man had a fish-hook set through the ice, so he took a small bag and a stick pointed at both ends and went to visit his hooks.

As soon as the strange Indians saw the old man at his hooks, one of their number went to push him under the ice. As the warrior drew near, the old man stabbed him with the sharp stick.

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His comrades seeing this sent two of their number to kill the old man, but these were killed in the same manner as the first. The whole band then went to obtain revenge. They fired arrows, but these fell harmlessly into the old man’s bag. The sons, hearing that their father was in danger, came up and killed the warriors. The old man was very tired, and glad to get a rest after his exertions.

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The painted canoe

An old man lives blissfully with his daughter until she marries, prompting him to attempt repeatedly to kill his sons-in-law through freezing or drowning. Each victim survives his treachery using cunning. Eventually, the younger son-in-law crafts an exquisitely decorated canoe as a gift; entranced, the old man ventures out in a sudden storm and vanishes, finally undone by the device meant to test its craftsmanship.

Source: 
Folk-Lore of the Cree Indians 
by Fred Swindlehurst 
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.18, No.69, pp. 139-143
April-June, 1905

► Themes of the story


Good vs. Evil: The old man’s repeated, malicious attempts to kill his son-in-law pit pure malice against the young man’s struggle for survival.

Revenge and Justice: Ultimately, the son-in-law turns the tables on his father-in-law, ensuring the old man’s disappearance as retribution.

Cunning and Deception: The narrative hinges on strategic deceit: ambush in woods, canoe sabotage, and swapped boots.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Cree people

Long ago an old man and his daughter lived by the shore of a river. They were very happy until an Indian came along and married the daughter.

The old man resolved, however, not to be so easily deprived of his only comfort, so he took his son-in-law out into the woods and left him to freeze to death.

To the dismay of the old man the daughter married again, so he at once set about treating this young man as he had done the other. In the spring at the time the sturgeon spawns he invited his son-in-law to go out with him to spear the fish.

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The young man happened to step on the edge of the canoe, and the old man, taking advantage of the chance thrown in his way, jerked the canoe to one side, and the young man fell into the rapid. When he came to the surface he saw the canoe in the distance, but managed by swimming hard to reach land in safety. When the old man came ashore he was questioned as to the whereabouts of the young man, and replied that he supposed his son-in-law must be drowned, as he fell out of the canoe. To his astonishment they told him that his treachery was discovered and that the young man was alive in his tent.

The old man next invited his son-in-law to go hunting with him, and again he agreed. They journeyed far from their tent and camped in the woods. At night-time it is the custom of the Indians to hang their boots before the fire to dry. The old man and his son-in-law did this, but the young man, suspecting treachery, changed the position of the boots and hung his own where his father-in-law’s had been placed. The old man arose in the night, took his son-in-law’s boots and put them in the fire, never dreaming that he was about to become the victim of his own treachery. He then aroused the young man and told him his boots were on fire. The young man on coming out of the tent said, “These must be your boots. Mine are on your poles and are all right.” He then put on his boots and left his father-in-law to freeze to death. He had not gone far before he heard footsteps behind him, and upon waiting saw that the old man had tied brush (twigs of fir-tree) upon his feet, and was all right.

The young man saw that there would be no peace until he could rid himself forever of his father-in-law’s company. He made a canoe and painted the inside more beautifully than any canoe had before been painted. He also made handsome paddles and presented these to the old man, who was delighted and became so anxious to try the merits of his new canoe that he went out without noticing the threatening weather. He was so taken up with the beautiful way in which the canoe was decorated that he gave no heed to his course. A storm sprang up, and he was never seen nor heard from again.

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Adada’

A woman is devoured by the blue-haired Adada while gathering berries at Nek’ehudja’, prompting two men to craft hemlock spears and—with their village’s help—lure and fatally wound the giant in its whirlpool lair. Later parties discover the monster’s corpse and witness its eerie remains, and finally a father and son glimpse the living Adada, forcing them to hide as it retreats beneath the cliff.

Source: 
Traditions of the Ts’ets’a’ut 
by Franz Boas 
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.9, No.35, pp. 257-268
October-December, 1896
Vol.10, No.36, pp. 35-48
January-March, 1897

► Themes of the story


Good vs. Evil: The villagers band together to confront and destroy a malevolent monster threatening their community.

Supernatural Beings: Central to the tale is the monstrous Adada, a giant with blue hair and human-like skin.

Trials and Tribulations: The protagonists face danger, devise weapons, and endure suspense as they battle the whirlpool-dwelling creature.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Tsetsaut people

Two men and one woman went in their canoe to Nek’ehudja’ (Boca de Quadra?) to dry salmon. One day the woman crossed the lake to gather berries. When she did not return in the evening, the men thought she might have been captured by the Haida. But in the evening, when passing a steep rock, they saw an Adada’ coming out, and knew at once that he had devoured the woman when she was crossing the lake. He looked like a giant. They resolved to kill the monster. They called the other men of the village to help them, and they cut a number of young hemlock-trees and sharpened both ends. Thus they made three boat-loads of sharp poles. They carried their canoe up to the top of the rock under which the monster lived. Then they let it down to the water by means of two stout cedar-bark ropes. After a while the water began to swell and to form a deep whirlpool.

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The Adada’ was drinking. Then they dropped the sharp poles into the whirlpool, in which they disappeared. After a while the water began to grow calmer, and finally the whirlpool disappeared. The Adada’ came up and drifted on the water. The poles had pierced his stomach and his intestines. His hair was blue, and his skin like that of a man. The men let the canoe down to the lake, paddled up to the body, which they chopped up with their hatchets. It was as large as a house. In its stomach they found the canoe in which the woman had gone out. The woman was still in it, but she was dead.

Above Atxaye is a lake, Nugufega’. A steep precipice falls down toward the water. Below it lived the monster Adada’. Once upon a time in winter, many men went up to the lake. On the ice they saw an animal that looked like a huge porcupine; but when they came nearer they saw that its skin was smooth, and that it had a mouth like that of a mouse. They approached it cautiously, and found that it was dead. Its skin was quite blue. The people were afraid of it, and left the place. After a few days another party of men passed the lake. They also saw the animal.

Later on, a man and his son passed the lake on their way up the mountains. They were going to hunt marmots. They set their traps on a steep mountain near the lake. It was a hot, sunny day. All of a sudden they saw the waters rising, and a huge monster emerged from the waters. It looked like a man. It rose up to its waist. Its head was as large as a hut. Its hair was blue and drifted on the surface of the water. It was more than three fathoms long. The men kept hidden behind a rock. When the sun set, the monster dived and disappeared under the rock, where it lived in a cave.

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The brothers, Big-Man and the giants

Two brothers lived together; the younger hunted while the elder managed the camp. The elder grew resentful and denied his brother food. One day, the younger brother encountered a giant while cooking a porcupine. The elder brother pretended to assist the giant in capturing his sibling but instead killed the giant, releasing mosquitoes into the world. Afterward, the brothers reconciled and continued their journey.

Source: 
Kaska Tales
by James A. Teit
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.30, No.118, pp. 427-473
October-December, 1917

► Themes of the story


Trickster: The elder brother uses cunning to deceive and ultimately kill the giant by pretending to assist him, only to strike him fatally.

Origin of Things: The narrative explains the origin of mosquitoes, suggesting they emerged from the giant’s brain when the brothers opened his head.

Good vs. Evil: The brothers confront malevolent giants, representing a classic struggle between opposing forces.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about the Kaska people

Two brothers lived together. [Some informants say that the two brothers left their father and went hunting. They were lost, and led a nomadic life.] The younger one hunted all the time; while the elder staid in camp, cooked, and kept house. The latter began to dislike his younger brother, and would not give him anything to eat when he came home. One day the younger brother became very hungry, and killed a porcupine. He made a fire, and cooked it on a hook suspended from a pole near the fire. When it was about half done, a giant came, and the lad ran up a tree. The giant smelled of the porcupine, and threw it away. Finding the lad’s snowshoes, he ate out the fillings. Then he began to chop down the tree in which the lad was.

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The lad cried for his elder brother, who went there at once. When the giant saw him approaching, he was glad, for he saw in him a meal. The elder brother offered to help the giant, and took the axe. He said, “That boy is very bad. He always does mean things. I will help you chop the tree, so that we may get him and eat him.” He swung the axe with great vigor; and the giant, standing a little too close by, received a cut on the brow from the back of the axe. The man said to him, “Stand farther away, I might hit you hard.” He chopped hard and wildly, swinging his axe around. He watched his chance, gave the axe a great swing, and, instead of hitting the tree, cut off the giant’s head. The brothers opened it, and many mosquitoes flew out, which were his brains. This is the reason why giants are so foolish and easily fooled, and also the reason that mosquitoes are in the world now. Had they not opened the giant’s head and let the mosquitoes out, there would be none of these insects now. The elder brother cooked the porcupine, and gave half to his brother. After this, they shared equally when eating. Now they travelled on, and always camped in new country.

They came to a region where there were no porcupines. They could not get anything to eat, and were famished. The elder brother became very hungry and very weak. At last he could travel no farther, so he camped in the snow and made a big fire. He thought he would kill his younger brother and eat him. The latter lay on the opposite side of the fire, and watched him. When the fire had been burning some time, the elder brother heard a sizzling noise on his brother’s side of the fire, and went to investigate. He found that they had lighted their fire over the frozen carcass of a buffalo that had been killed fighting, and the side of the animal was cooking. They cut it up and ate some of it, and the elder brother became stronger. The younger brother now hunted and killed some fat buffalo, the ribs and inside fat of which he carried home and fed to his brother, who ate so much that he nearly burst. The younger one said to him, “Eat some more!” but he answered, “I cannot.” The younger one said, “Eat more, be sure you have your fill. You thought of eating me.” The elder answered, “My stomach was empty, that is why I thought that way; now I am full.” They became good friends, and went on to a new locality.

One day, when travelling, they came to a porcupine’s den in the rocks. They saw Big-Man approaching, and, never having seen him before, they were afraid, and went into the porcupine-hole. Big-Man asked them to come out, saying that he would not harm them. The elder brother came out, but the younger one was afraid and staid in. Big-Man was angry because the younger brother would not trust him: so he made the rocks grow together, and thus prevented him from getting out. Big-Man told the elder lad that he wanted him to help him get back his wife, whom a giant had stolen. Big-Man had two large dogs which he used as pack-animals. They were the grizzly and the black bears. Now the giant travelled, carrying the lad under one arm; and very soon they reached a different country, where everything was of enormous size. A very large kind of beaver formerly inhabiting the world was to be found here. The beavers had hairy tails. The giant and the lad reached a large lake in which there were many beavers. Big-Man caught them in nets. He ate them, and threw away the tails. The lad hid himself, and cooked and ate one of the tails. Big-Man asked him what he was eating, and the lad told him. Big-Man said, “Put some in my mouth, I want to taste it.” When he had tasted the beaver-tails, he said, “That is the best food I ever ate,” and he told the boy to gather all the tails he had thrown away. Big-Man sent the lad out to scout. He said, “Look about and see if you can see a big lake with what looks like an island in the middle.” Big-Man was fond of the lad, and always called him “Grandson.” The lad went up on the top of a high hill and looked around. He saw what looked like an island in the middle of a lake, and returned to tell Big-Man. The latter said, “That is the giant fishing.”

Now they prepared to fight the giant. Big-Man made bow and arrows and spear, and the boy made a beaver-tooth axe. He intended to take a large beaver-tooth for the axe, but found he could not lift it, so he took a young beaver’s tooth. Big-Man told the boy to go near the lake and to bark like a dog. He said, “The giant will become frightened and run home. You follow him up, barking, and I will lay in wait for him on the trail between the lake and his house.” The fish the giant was catching in the lake were all covered with hair. When he heard what he thought was a dog barking, he put his pack of fish on his back and ran for home. When he came close enough, Big-Man fired an arrow at him; but the giant jumped aside, and the arrow missed him. Then Big-Man attacked him with the spear, but the giant evaded the thrusts. Now they seized each other and wrestled. After a long time Big-Man became weak, and called on the boy for help. The latter ran up, and, striking the giant with his beaver-tooth club, hamstrung him, and he fell down. They then killed him.

Now they went to the giant’s house. When the giantess saw them, she called out, “Why did you kill my husband?” She threw huge rocks at Big-Man, but the latter jumped aside and avoided them. The giantess stood up and put her breasts on Big-Man’s shoulders. They were so heavy, he nearly fell down. They wrestled; and the boy cut the sinews of her legs as he had her husband’s, and she fell down. They killed her and her babies and all her children. The babies were of the size of tall men. Big-Man took back his wife, and thanked the boy for his help.

The boy wanted to return to his own country and see his parents. He had been away a long time. He knew his country was far off, and he did not know where it was nor how to reach it. Big-Man knew his thoughts. He said, “I will give you one of my dogs to ride. When you get out of food, kill him and eat him; but be sure to preserve one arm-bone, and keep it close to your head when you sleep. It will be bare when you fall asleep; but when you awake, it will be clothed with meat. Thus you will always have food to eat. I shall also give you a walking-stick. When you retire, always stick it up near the head of your bed. In the morning you will find the stick pointing a certain way, which will be the direction you must follow for that day. Thus you will know your road. Some morning when you find that the stick has fallen down and is lying flat, and your bone is devoid of meat, you will know you are near your destination, and will reach home that day.” Big-Man also told him that he would not see him again, but that he would know by signs when he died. He said, “When I die or am killed, you will see the sky all red: that is my blood. You will also see rain fall: that is my tears.” Big-Man gave him his grizzly-bear dog to ride. The lad had only gone a little way when the bear began to growl and wanted to fight him. He called back to Big-Man, who changed the dogs, and gave him the black bear to ride.

He went on until he came to a country where there was no game, and became hungry. Then he killed the bear and ate it, but kept the bone, as advised. One morning when he awoke, he saw that the stick had fallen down and that there was no meat on the bone. He was glad, and he reached his parents that day. That is why black bears are much better eating than grizzly bears, and also why grizzly bears are mean sometimes and want to fight people. That is also probably why people say that bears were originally dogs.

Not long afterwards the lad saw the sky all red, and rain fell. He then knew that his friend Big-Man was dead. That is why people say now that a red sky is blood (or Big-Man’s blood); and when rain falls, it is tears (Big-Man’s tears).

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How Raven enticed a man away from his home

Raven, lacking food, discovers fat floating in a river and traces it to a man’s home. After befriending the man and his wife, Raven convinces the man to journey to his village, promising abundant skins. Mid-journey, Raven deceives the man into retrieving a forgotten knife, then flies back to the man’s home to feast. The man, realizing the betrayal, returns home exhausted to find his family in destitution, leading him to kill both his wife and Raven in despair.

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: Raven embodies the trickster archetype, using cunning to deceive the man.

Good vs. Evil: The story portrays the struggle between the man’s innocence and Raven’s malevolence.

Moral Lessons: The tale imparts a lesson about the dangers of trusting deceptive individuals.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Koyukon people

The Raven was paddling along. He had no food, and was not expecting to see anybody. So all summer long he kept on his way up the river. Now he paddled through some bubbles, but he did not look at them or think anything about them. But as he paddled along, he saw a large one between himself and the shore; and as he was passing it, he looked at it. He examined it, and it was fat. So he took it and smelled of it, and began to think about it. “What can this be?” thought he. “Suppose I eat it!” So he ate some of it. It seemed sweet to him. He smeared his parka with the rest of it, and his canoe also, and went on. By and by he saw a house up on the bank. Below the place, deer-bones had been thrown over the bank. Below the bones there was a great quantity of fat.

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“This is where it came from, then,” thought he. He got out at the place. There he saw only one house, but a great many caches. There were also many deer-bones lying outside the house. So he went in. There was a woman there, alone. She stared at him. Then she said, “I didn’t suppose there was anybody else around here;” and the Raven said, “I, too, thought that there might be no one here.” Then she offered him meat; but the Raven said, “I don’t care for meat, I get tired of it: fish is the only thing that I care for.” She gave him some fish, and he ate it. Soon her husband returned. “Cousin,” said he, “I didn’t suppose there was any one in this neighborhood.” “Neither did I think that there was any one here,” said the Raven. Then said the man, “Won’t you stop with us?” — “No,” said the Raven, “for I have a wife, and children too. Come with me to my village tomorrow,” said he. “I believe that there are more skins at my village than there are at your village,” said he. “Part of them shall be yours.” The man did not care to go, but the Raven urged him. “Come,” said he, “come, hurry up! Come along with me!” So at length they started out. As the man was going along in the lead, the Raven pulled out his knife and thrust it into the ground. So they kept on, going back from the river. As they were going along in the back country, the Raven cried out, “I have forgotten my knife!” And he said to the man, “Cousin, go and get it for me. I will give you a marten and an otter and a beaver for your trouble, if you will.” “No,” said he, “get it yourself!” — “All right,” said he, “I will go and get it, and you keep on till you get to my village; and when you get there, have a good feed.” So the Raven went back; and when he was out of sight, he took to his wings. “K’gak!” said he. Then he flew to the village and gorged himself with everything that was in sight.

The man went on for four days. As he went along in the day-time, he saw nothing whatever, and he was hungry. Then he thought, “I wonder if it is true! I believe that Raven was lying.” Meanwhile his strength was gone, and he wanted water, so he went back. A great many days he crept along, exhausted. Finally he dragged himself to a spot above his house, and lay down and slept. He awoke, and looked at the place. There was nothing, — no food or meat. He went to the door of his house. Some one was crying inside. He went in. His wife had on an old, ragged parka, and there were two children with her. “So, then!” said he. “So, then, did you have any children while I lived with you? The Raven is to blame for this!” And he killed her and the Raven too. Then he went out. “Better that I should go somewhere,” he thought. “Soon I shall be dead and gone,” said he. So he went into the mountains. He had no food, and saw no deer. At length his strength gave out. Then he crawled to the side of a river and went to sleep. He awoke and listened. Below him some one was coming, and he called out. Whoever it was, was eating. “What’s making that noise?” said they. “It sounds like a hawk. Let’s leave some food for it!” So they put out some food, and went on, up the river. Again the man went to sleep. He awoke; and near him there was plenty of food, and fat also. He gathered it up thankfully, and ate it, having turned into a hawk.

(Another version) A man and his wife lived together in a house in the woods. The man was a great hunter of deer. He filled his cache with the skins, and he and his wife lived entirely upon the meat. Every year the man would go off hunting, and come back with great loads of meat and skins. Once, after he had returned from hunting, as he was sitting in the house with his wife, they heard some one coming, and brushing the snow off his boots at the door. Presently the mat which hung in the doorway was pushed aside; and in came the Raven, stamping his feet, and congratulating himself upon having reached shelter. The hunter looked up and greeted him. “Well, friend, so you have come?” said he. “Yes,” said the Raven, “and I am glad enough to get to a place to pass the night, for I am all tired out.” The woman gave him a bowl of deer-meat, saying, “This is the only thing we have to eat. Will you have some?” The Raven took it, but he did not seem to relish it very much; and finally he said, “We have so much of this to eat at our village, that I do not care very much about it. Do you have to go far for your deer?”

The hunter told him that in former years the deer used to be plenty, but that lately he had been obliged to go a long way to find them. Upon this, the visitor proposed that he should go with him to his village, where they were so thick that one could get them by going just a short distance from the house. At first the man objected; but finally he consented, and they started out together. When they had gone a long way, and had come into a country that was unknown to the hunter, one day, as they were nearing the place where they were to make camp, the Raven suddenly exclaimed, “There! I left my knife at the last place where we made a fire. I must go back and get it. You go on and make camp, and I will come back and follow your tracks and find you.” So they separated, and the hunter went on; but the Raven had no sooner got out of his sight than he lifted up his face and called for snow. Then there came a great storm, which covered up the trail, and the hunter was left alone in a country that was unknown to him. He waited for the Raven, but he did not return. Then he began to wander around, trying to find some landmark by which he could locate himself; but, although he spent the whole winter in this manner, he only became more confused as to his whereabouts. So he wandered around until the ice began to melt in the spring. Then he came to a stream, which he followed up until it led him to a gorge, heading up towards the mountains. As he went up this gorge, he began to make a song, weeping over his misfortunes, and crying, “The Raven, he is a liar!” As he went along, he found that the backs of his hands were changing, and becoming scaly, and that they were becoming feathered also. Beside this, the tears running down his cheeks made furrows, which took on a stain, and at last he found himself turning into a hawk. Sitting on a crag and wheeling in the air above the stream, he heard the sound of voices, and soon saw a party of men coming in canoes. They passed him, and went on up the river without noticing him. Afterwards he heard the voices of another party. This was led by an old man, who called out to those following him that he saw a hawk, and told them to throw out some scraps of food for it. He also found that they had left food on the rocks as they passed along. When the first party returned from their hunt, they had nothing in their canoes; but when the other party returned, their canoes were loaded down, so that they had to put poles across them to transport the meat.

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The shaman and the Duci’ne

A powerful hunter with shamanistic abilities encounters a Duci’ne who attacks him. The hunter remains unharmed, and the Duci’ne, out of arrows, offers to become his protector in exchange for mercy. Following the Duci’ne’s advice, the hunter evades other Duci’ne hunters. When they eventually confront him, he kills them all, demonstrating his superior power.

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

Supernatural Beings: The Duci’ne represents a mythical creature interacting with the human protagonist.

Divine Intervention: The hunter’s shamanistic powers and guardian spirits suggest a connection to higher powers influencing mortal affairs.

Good vs. Evil: The confrontation between the hunter and the Duci’ne, followed by the hunter’s battle against the other Duci’ne, embodies the classic struggle between opposing forces.

► From the same Region or People

Learn more about Tahltan people

There was a man who had many strong guardian-spirits. He was a great hunter, and had shamanistic powers. Once when he was hunting, he met a Duci’ne, who attacked him, thinking he would easily kill him. He shot one arrow after another at him; but the man simply shook himself, and the arrows passed by. At last the Duci’ne had no more arrows, and was now at the mercy of the hunter. He said to the latter, “If you spare me, I will be your protector. I shall talk to you, and you will talk to me, and I shall be able to help you.” He said to the man, “Now, to be safe, you must walk in the water of the creek a long distance on the road home; for there are many of my people around here, and, if they find your tracks, they will take your scent and run you down, as dogs do.” The hunter did as directed. When the Duci’ne reached his camp, the other people said he smelled different, and accused him of having killed a man.

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He denied it; but the others would not believe, and put on their moccasins to go hunt up the man. The Duci’ne, who had returned, said, “You will find out that I have spoken the truth, for the man I met is not like other men. He is far more powerful.” They found where the man had made a fire when he talked with the Duci’ne, and where he had taken to the creek. They followed both banks, and at last caught up to him where he had left the water. They shot all their arrows at him, and missed him. The man then killed them all. An old Duci’ne was following up the others to pack in the man’s flesh; but when he came to his dead comrades, he turned back. When he reached camp, the other Duci’ne man said to him, “I told you, and now you see. The man has killed all those who hunted him.”

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 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.

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

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

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.

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