The children of the dog

A solitary huntress shelters in the mountains, visited nightly by a mysterious lover who soon reveals himself as a dog hunting porcupines. When she kills him after discovering his true form, she later gives birth to two male and one female dog-children. Her villagers abandon her, yet her pups, able to shed their skins and become children, thrive—ultimately proving their worth and reconnecting with the tribe.

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

Transformation: Central to the story are the shapeshifting elements: the dog transforming into a man, and the children switching between human and dog forms.

Supernatural Beings: The dog-lover and the children who can change their shape clearly indicate interaction with beings beyond the natural world.

Forbidden Love: The mysterious conception and the birth of dog-children prompt rejection from the community, suggesting a transgressive or taboo relationship.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tsetsaut Lore

Learn more about the Tsetsaut people

Once upon a time there was a woman who went every night hunting porcupines. During the daytime she hunted marmots. While out on the mountains she built a shelter of branches. One night, when she had gone to sleep, a young man entered her hut He looked just like her lover, and she thought he had followed her. In the morning she boiled some of the porcupine meat and both partook of it, and in the evening the young man went out to hunt porcupines. As soon as he had left the hut, he put on his blanket and appeared in his true shape. He was one of the dogs of the village. He crawled into the dens of the porcupines and caught a great number. Then he took off his blanket and reappeared in the shape of a man. For three nights he stayed with the woman. During the daytime he went hunting marmots, and he never went out without bringing back a vast amount of game.

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Then he ate of the food that the woman had cooked and they went to bed. In the third night he arose about midnight. He had assumed his true shape, and ate the meat and gnawed the bones of the marmots and of the porcupines. The woman awoke by the noise and saw a large dog eating their provisions. She turned to the man, intending to awake him, but there was nobody to be seen. Then she took a club and killed the dog. Early in the morning she made a bundle of the remaining dried meat and returned to her village. She did not tell any one of what had happened. But soon she felt that she was with child, and when this came to be known nobody knew who had been her lover. After two months she was about to be confined. The women of the village assembled to assist her, but what was their terror when she gave birth first to two male dogs, then to a female dog! They all fled, even her mother. Only her brother’s sister remained with her. The women told the people what had happened, and all the inhabitants of the village resolved to desert her. They packed their belongings and left the place. Only the young woman and her pups remained.

They grew up rapidly. Every day their mother went gathering food for them. As soon as she left the hut, the pups took off their skins, and played about in the shape of children. They had nice, light skins. When they saw their mother approaching, they put on their skins, resumed the shape of dogs, and lay in the ashes of the fireplace. One day their mother did not go very far. She heard voices of children near her hut. They seemed to be playing and singing. Cautiously she approached the hut, walking noiselessly over the snow; but the children had seen her coming, and put on their blankets before she was able to come near. On the following day she went up the mountains, and there she pushed her staff into the ground and hung her blanket of marmot skins over it Again she approached the hut cautiously. When she came near, she saw two boys and one girl playing around. The latter went to look from time to time, and returned on seeing the staff that was covered with the blanket. She said to her brothers: “Mother is still out gathering wood.” Then the mother jumped into the hut. On one side of the fireplace were two dog-skins; on the other there was one. She took the first two, and threw them into the fire. Before she was able to take the last, the girl had run into the house, put it on, and was transformed into a dog. Then the boys sat down in a corner of the house, crying for their skins. Their mother gave them blankets made of marmot skins. She made garments and snow-shoes, bows and arrows, and the boys began hunting squirrels. When they came to be larger they hunted larger animals, and the bitch accompanied them. She was a very good hunter. They had such a vast supply of game that they did not know what to do with it. Their house was quite filled with supplies.

The people, however, who had left the woman were unsuccessful in hunting, and were almost starving. They returned to their old hunting-ground, and were surprised to find the woman still alive, and to see the two young men.

One day the two hunters went out to hunt mountain goats. Their dog accompanied them. Then a goat attacked the dog, gored it, and threw it down the side of the mountain.

Later on the two young men married women of the tribe. Once upon a time they went hunting, accompanied by seven men. They hunted mountain goats near the sources of Tcunaq River. They killed a whole herd. Only one kid escaped by climbing a high, precipitous rock. There it stood, crying pitifully. The men of the party wanted to return, but the two brothers were so eager to kill the poor kid that they began the dangerous ascent of the steep rock. They had no pity. Then the rock began to grow and carried them up so high that there was no possibility of return. They succeeded in reaching a cleft. There they sat close together warming each other, but after three days one of the brothers died. On the following day the men of the tribe went to the cliff and shouted to the brothers, but there was no reply. The other one had died also. When they turned away to rejoin their tribe, on looking at the rock they saw blood flowing down from the place where the brothers had died, and also from the retreat of the kid. The blood may be seen on the rock up to this day.

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The great snowfall

After a brutal attack by grizzly bear men leaves only two children from each of the wolf and eagle clans alive, the survivors flee, aided by a dying shaman. His prophecy warns of a devastating snowfall. Obeying his advice, the youths build a strong shelter and survive a two-month storm. They repopulate the land, becoming ancestors of the present people. One elder dies after a final mystical hunt.

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The harrowing experience of surviving a prolonged, life-altering snowfall and the characters evolving—physically, emotionally, ritually—captures a deep transformation. They emerge changed, wiser, and renewed.

Ancestral Spirits: The influence of the dead shaman—his prophecy, his spiritual presence guiding preparations, and being honored through sacrifices—speaks directly to the power of ancestral spirit intervention.

Loss and Renewal: The story begins with devastating loss (death, collapse) and culminates in renewal (survival, rebirth of their line), tracing a full cyclical journey through destruction and revitalization.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tsetsaut Lore

Learn more about Tsetsaut people

Once upon a time a number of families of the wolf clan and of the eagle clan lived in a village at Sqamgo’ns, in Portland Channel. Near by there was a village of grizzly bear men. [These were men. It is not quite clear if they were men of a grizzly bear clan, or if the story happened at the time when all animals were still men.] They attacked the village, and killed everybody with the exception of one boy and one girl of each of the two clans. They were crying all the time when they saw their relatives killed. Then one of the grizzly bear men went to their hut, and threatened to kill them if they should not stop crying. But one of the boys took his bow and arrow and shot the man in the chest, thus killing him. After this had happened, they dug a deep ditch in their hut, and buried all their relatives who had been killed.

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They left the place of these misfortunes and went down the mountains. After some time they reached a house, in which-they found an old, old man who had been left by his friends to die alone. He said to them: “Stay here until I die, my grandchildren, and bury me when I am dead.” They stayed, and he asked them why they had left their country. When they had told him, he asked them to return, because salmon were nowhere as plentiful as in the river on which their house had stood. He also warned them, saying: “The sky is full of feathers. Take good care to provide yourself with plenty of meat, and build a strong house.” He was a great shaman, and was able to foresee the future.

After two days he died. The young people buried him. Then they started to return to their home in obedience to what the shaman had told them. They followed a river, and when they were near its source they saw an immense herd of mountain goats coming down towards them. They did not stop to shoot them, but ran right up to them and dispatched them, cutting their throats with their knives. Then they went back to the camp in which they had left the girls, taking along only a kid that they had killed. They threw some of its meat and tallow into the fire, as a sacrifice to the dead shaman who had directed them to return home. On the following day they moved their camp to a hill which was located in the midst of three lakes. There they built a strong hut as directed by the shaman. The two girls went out to fetch the meat of the mountain goats. While they were drying it, the boys strengthened the poles of the house, joined them with stout thongs, and thus prepared for a heavy snowfall. They put the meat into the house. On the following day the snow began to fall. They lived on the meat of the mountain goats, but they sacrificed as much to the dead shaman as they ate. It continued to snow for two months. They could not go out to gather wood for their fire, but they had to burn the bones and the tallow of the goats. The smoke kept a hole open in the roof of their hut; and, when looking up, they could see no more than a very small speck of light. But after two months they saw the blue sky through this hole. The sun was shining again. Then they dug a hole towards the surface of the snow and came out. Nothing but snow was to be seen. The rocks of the mountains and the trees were all covered. Gradually the snow began to melt a little, and the tops of the trees reappeared. One day they saw a bear near the top of a tree. When they approached, it crawled back to its lair at the foot of the tree. Now they started on their way to their old home. After a long and difficult march, they reached it just at the time when the olachen were coming. They caught a plentiful supply and were well provided with provisions. In summer there were salmon in the river. They caught them and dried and split them. They married and had many children. They were the only people who were saved from the heavy snow, and from them descended the present generations of people. They multiplied very rapidly, for they married very young, as dogs do. At the end of the first summer, only a small part of the snow had melted. A few rocks appeared in the mountains, but in the fall new snow began to fall. In the spring of the following year it began to melt again. The trees were gradually freed from snow, but some of it has always remained on the mountains, where it forms the glaciers.

The two couples who had been saved from the snow grew to be very old. Their hair was white, and they were bent with old age. One day the young men climbed the mountains to hunt mountain goat. One of the old men accompanied them, but he was left behind, as he could not walk as fast as the young men did. When he had reached a meadow high up the side of the mountain he heard a voice from the interior of the rocks saying: “Here is the man who killed all our friends.” When he looked up he saw a number of mountain goats above. He did not know how to reach them, since his legs were weak. He took two sticks and tied one to each of his legs in order to steady and to strengthen them. Thus he was enabled to climb. He reached the mountain goats and cut their necks. He killed thirty. Among these was a kid. He took out its tallow and put it on his head; he cut off its head and took it under his arm to carry it home. He had stayed away so long that his friends had given him up for lost. He told them of his adventure. He roasted the kid’s head and ate it. On the following morning he was dead.

The origin of the fire

Fire was initially possessed solely by the grizzly bear, who wore fire-stones as ear ornaments. A small bird, desiring fire, tricked the bear by pretending to groom him, then stole the fire-stones. The bird distributed pieces of the stones worldwide, enabling humans to create fire by striking them together.

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The tale explains the origin of fire among humans.

Trickster: The small bird employs cunning and deceit to outsmart the grizzly bear and obtain the fire.

Transformation: The acquisition of fire signifies a transformative change for humans and other beings, altering their way of life.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tsetsaut Lore

Learn more about the Tsetsaut people

The grizzly bear used the fire-stones (pyrites) as ear ornaments. Therefore he was the only one to have fire. A small bird (ts’ox’e’) desired to have the fire, and flew to the house of the grizzly bear. When the latter discovered him, he spoke to him: “Please, come here and louse me.” The bird complied with his request. He alighted on the crown of his head, and began to pick off the lice. In doing so he came nearer and nearer the ears of the bear. Finally he bit through the thread from which the ear ornaments were suspended, and took them away unobserved. Then he flew away. When the grizzly bear noticed his loss he grew angry, extinguished his fire, and tried to catch the bird. The latter teased him, saying: “Henceforth you will live in the dark. You will not have any fire.”

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The bear replied: “That does not matter to me. I can scent my food, but you will be unable to see, and must obtain your food in the daytime, when it is light. From now on it shall be dark.” It grew dark, but the bird remained sitting quietly on a tree until it grew daylight again. Then it flew all over the world. It dropped here and there a fragment of the stones. Then it flew to the birds, and gave them parts of the stones. Finally it flew to where the Ts’ets’a’ut were staying, and threw the stones down. They were tied together by twos. The people struck them, and caught the sparks on tinder, and thus started the first fire.

The owl-woman

A mother, desiring her daughter’s husbands, tricks her into climbing a tree to collect owl feathers. The daughter transforms into an owl, and the mother impersonates her to seduce the sons-in-law. Upon discovering the deceit, they kill the mother. The transformed daughter refuses to return, choosing to remain an owl.

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

Transformation: The daughter undergoes a physical change, turning into an owl after climbing the tree, highlighting themes of metamorphosis.

Trickster: The mother deceives her daughter into climbing the tree, intending to transform her and take her place, showcasing cunning behavior.

Revenge and Justice: The sons-in-law, upon discovering the mother’s deceit and believing their wife is dead, exact retribution by killing the mother.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Kaska Lore

Learn more about the Kaska people

A woman lived with her daughter, who had two husbands who were brothers. She was visited by two men who, she thought, were her sons-in-law. She made up her mind to get rid of her daughter and have her sons-in-law for herself. She told her daughter to climb up a tree where the owl lived, and get some owl-feathers for her. Her daughter refused, saying that she was afraid she might turn into an owl; but her mother persuaded her that there was no danger. When half way up the tree, the girl’s clothes dropped off, and feathers began to grow on her, and she became an owl. The old woman dressed in her daughter’s clothes, fixed up her face and hair to make herself look young, and then sat down in a new camp she had made to await the coming of her sons-in-law.

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After they came home, she remarked as she was eating, “I am young yet, see how sharp my teeth are!” and again, as she got up, “I am young yet, see how quickly I can get up! I am like a young woman.” The men noticed that she got up slowly like an old person; and this, with the remarks she had made, caused them to be suspicious. They pulled back her head and her hair, and recognized her as their mother-in-law. Thinking she had killed their wife, they killed her, and then went to their old camp. On the way they passed the tree where their wife was, and saw her.

They begged of her to come back to them; but she answered, “No, you have killed my mother, so I shall remain an owl.”

The deserted woman

A woman is unjustly accused of infidelity by her husband after finding a ball of fat. He burns her belongings and abandons her to die. Resourcefully, she survives by catching rabbits and crafting necessities. Eventually, two brothers discover her, and she becomes their wife, creating fine clothing and living contentedly. Later, her former husband returns.

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

Transformation: The protagonist undergoes significant personal growth, evolving from a deserted wife to a self-reliant individual who crafts her own survival tools and garments.

Family Dynamics: The narrative delves into complex relationships, highlighting her initial betrayal by her husband and eventual integration into a new family structure.

Loss and Renewal: Experiencing the loss of her former life, she rebuilds and finds new beginnings with her subsequent partners.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Kaska Lore

Learn more about the Kaska people

A man and his wife were travelling with other people. The woman had a heavy load, and was following behind. She came to a hill where the people had slid down with their toboggans on the snow. Here she found a ball of fat which must have been lost from one of the toboggans. When she reached camp, she showed the fat to her husband. He became angry, and accused her of having a sweetheart, which she denied. He said, “Your sweetheart must have paid you in fat.” (This is why some married people are now suspicious of each other, and accuse each other of infidelity without sufficient reason.) In the morning the husband burned his wife’s clothes and tools, the people extinguished the fires, and all of them deserted the place, leaving the woman to die of cold and starvation.

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Only her sister-in-law had pity on her, and told her she had left a little fire for her in one place.

As soon as the people were out of sight, the woman blew on the embers left by her sister-in-law, and made a small fire. Numbers of rabbits began to come to the deserted camp. She found some scraps of sinew at a place where the men had been making arrows. She made a snare with these, and caught a rabbit. She took the sinews of its legs and made another snare. Thus she continued catching and living on rabbits. She made needles and awls of their bones, thread of their sinews, and clothing and blankets of their skins. She took great care not to let the lire go out, as she had no axe or any tools for making fire. She collected whatever fire-wood she could find. She had no snowshoes, and could not go very far, for the snow was deep in that place.

At last March came, and spring was near. There was a hard, thick crust on the snow. One day she tapped on her knee, and said, “I wish some of you people would come this way!” She said this almost without thinking, as if in fun. Soon afterwards a moose ran past the camp, and a man on snowshoes in pursuit on the crust. Seeing the moose had passed near the camp, the man asked the woman how long since it has passed or how far ahead it was. She pointed out to him the branches of a tree still moving which it had touched in passing, and made a sign that it had just gone out of sight. The man went on, after telling her that his brother was following and would camp there that night. The brother came along, following the tracks, and, seeing the camp, left his blankets there with the woman. The first brother killed the moose, and that night both brothers returned to the woman’s camp heavily laden with moose-meat. They cooked meat and gave some of it to the woman. During the course of the evening they asked the woman why she was alone, and why she wore only rabbitskin clothing, and she told them all. They said, “When we return to our camp, we shall tell our mother.” They told their mother, who said, “I am almost blind now, and I am very glad you have found this woman. She will be a wife for you, and will sew your clothes.” They took the woman to wife, and she made for them fancy clothes of moose and caribou skin, embroidered richly with quill-work, and feather head-dresses. (This is why men are now jealous of a good wife, who looks after them well and makes fancy clothes for them.) She also made good clothes for herself. (This is why men now like a woman who dresses neatly and well.)

The woman staid with her husbands and mother-in-law in one place. After a time her former husband arrived, and, finding tracks, he followed them to the camp. He was surprised to find his former wife there, finely dressed, well provided with meat, and having two husbands. He offered to buy her back with a stone axe and arrows. The woman took the axe and threw it into deep water, and threw the arrows into the fire. She said to him, “Don’t you remember how you left me to starve? I shall never go with you now!” He departed crying. (This is why, when a good woman separates from a bad man, she becomes better off, and never returns to him.)

Raven, or Big-Crow

The Kaska people have a tale featuring Raven as a transformer and trickster. This narrative includes episodes where Raven defecates and consults his excrement for guidance, and another where he sends his penis across a river, which then enters a girl. Muskrat advises, “Cut it with grass!” These elements suggest possible influences from neighboring cultures, such as the Tahltan and Cree.

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: Raven embodies the archetype of a cunning figure using wit to outsmart others.

Transformation: As a transformer, Raven undergoes or instigates physical, emotional, or spiritual changes.

Supernatural Beings: Interactions with spirits, gods, or monsters are evident in Raven’s tales.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Kaska Lore

Learn more about the Kaska people

The Kaska have a story of Raven, who acts as a transformer and trickster. The story is not well known to most of them, and may have been borrowed, at least in part, from the Tahltan. My informant would not attempt the telling of this story, as he said he did not know it well enough, and none of the other Kaska who happened to be at hand knew it any better. Among the incidents are those of Raven defecating and asking his excrements for information, and of Raven sending his penis across a river, where it enters a girl. Muskrat called out, “Cut it with grass!” Adsit thinks this incident may have been borrowed from the Cree, who have a story of the culture-hero getting Muskrat to swim across a river with his penis, which then enters a girl. The latter gets sick, and Muskrat calls out to cut it with grass.

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Origin of fire, and origin of death

In this Kaska tale, only Bear possesses fire, kept in a fire-stone tied to his belt. A small bird, feigning cold, picks at Bear’s lice and secretly severs the string holding the stone. The bird steals the stone, passing it through a relay of animals to Fox, who distributes fire to all tribes. Later, Fox attempts to ensure human resurrection by throwing a stick into water, but Bear’s interference leads to permanent death.

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

Origin of Things: The narrative explains the origin of fire among tribes and the establishment of death as a permanent state for humans.

Trickster: The little bird employs cunning to steal the fire-stone from Bear, showcasing the trickster archetype.

Transformation: The tale illustrates a significant change in the human condition, transitioning from a state of potential immortality to the acceptance of permanent death.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Kaska Lore

Learn more about the Kaska people

Long ago the people had no fire. Of all the people, only Bear had fire. He had a fire-stone, with which he could make fire at any time. He jealously guarded this stone, and always kept it tied to his belt. One day he was lying down by the fire in his lodge when a little bird came in and approached the fire. Bear said, “What do you want?” and the bird answered, “I am nearly frozen, and have come in to warm myself.” Bear told it to come and pick his lice. The little bird assented, and began to hop all over Bear, picking his lice. While doing this, it also picked the string which fastened the fire-stone to Bear’s belt. When the string was completely picked asunder, the bird suddenly snatched the stone and flew off with it.

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Now the animals had already arranged for the stealing of the fire, and waited in line, one behind another. Bear chased the bird, and caught up with it just as it reached the first animal of the line. As it threw the fire to him, he ran with it; and, as Bear in turn overtook him, he passed it on to the next; and so on. At last the fire was passed to Fox, who ran up a high mountain with it. Bear was so exhausted that he could not follow Fox, and turned back. Fox broke up the fire-stone on the top of the mountain, and threw the fragments a piece to each tribe. Thus the many tribes all over the earth obtained fire; and this is why there is fire in the rocks and woods everywhere now.

Fox then descended to a creek and threw a stick down into the water, saying, “When people die, they shall come back to life again, even as this stick rises again to the surface of the water; also old people, when they die, shall come back young again.” Just then Bear came there, and, feeling angry because the people had stolen his fire, he threw a big rock into the water on top of the stick, so that the stick never came up again. Bear then said, “Henceforth, when people die, they shall be dead always, and shall never come back again.” If Fox’s stick had come up again after being hit by the rock, Fox would have won, and people would have had their lives renewed each time they died. There thus would have been no real death. Bear now, having no fire, said, “I will make a hole in the earth, so I shall be able to keep warm in the winter-time. I shall make my hole right on the trail.” Fox said, “If you make your house right on the trail, people will always find you. Make it on the mountains.” This is why bears now make dens in the mountains.

A man turns into a squirrel and escapes from a bear

A man is pursued by a large bear and seeks refuge in a tree. When the bear climbs after him, the man transforms into a squirrel, leaps to another tree, and descends safely. He then gathers wood, ignites a fire at the base of the bear’s tree, causing the bear to burn and fall. The man reverts to his human form and escapes unharmed.

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

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The protagonist undergoes a physical change by turning into a squirrel to escape the bear.

Conflict with Nature: The man faces a life-threatening encounter with a bear, representing a struggle against natural forces.

Cunning and Deception: The man uses cleverness to outwit the bear, first by transforming and then by setting a trap.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

A man lay down for the night by a river where there was a trail with the prints of animals’ feet. He heard a big noise made by a large bear. He ran to it and then he ran away from it. There was nothing he could do and he could not get away from the bear. He climbed a tree and the bear jumped up and climbed until he was not far below him. The bear was so big and fat he could not climb higher and he would not go away. The man was worn out for sleep and he could not go down for he was afraid of the bear which was watching him. “What can I do?” he said to himself. He turned himself into a squirrel and jumped far over to another tree which was standing there.

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He ran to the trunk of that tree and went down without the bear which was sitting high up in the tree knowing it. The man gathered many knots and brought them on his back to the foot of the tree and set them on fire. The fire shot high up the tree and set it on fire. The bear was big and could not do anything. He began to burn and fell down. He became a man again and ran off. That is the way he avoided being killed.

The moose that had been a man

An old hunter plans to pursue two moose. The moose, aware of his intentions, attempt to evade him. The hunter successfully kills one and chases the other, which eventually reveals itself as his younger brother who had transformed into a moose. Recognizing this, the hunter spares the moose, allowing his brother to return to human form.

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

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The younger brother undergoes a physical change from human to moose and back to human.

Family Dynamics: The relationship between the hunter and his younger brother is central to the narrative.

Loss and Renewal: The younger brother’s disappearance and eventual return to human form symbolize themes of loss and restoration.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

A large band of Indians were moving about when one old man said that he would hunt the next morning along the mountains. There were two moose together who heard the old man say that. “That old man has great supernatural power; he is coming after us and we will not be able to get away from him. We will travel very slyly,” the moose said. They had heard the old man talking and therefore traveled about with great caution.

When the old man came along he did not follow the tracks of the moose, but went around another way and shot one of them with arrows. He did not stop to cut up the moose he had killed, but, saying to himself that there had been two of them and that one was missing, he went after it.

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The moose ran very fast and lay down quietly at the end of the path. The old man went directly to the place where the moose was lying, following a direction at right angles to that taken by the moose. The moose got up. The old man had feathers on his bow (arrow) which showed the way he should go. When these feathers moved the moose heard it. He saw the man. “What shall I do now, he has me killed long ago?” the moose said to himself. He looked about to see where the trees were thick and ran there. The man ran along beside him so that the moose could not escape. Seeing a small open place, the moose said to himself, “Let him kill me there.” Seeing that there was nothing more that he could do, he ran to the open place, jumped to the spot, and fell.

It seems that the moose was a person. This old man had had a younger brother who had disappeared into a herd of moose. That was the moose he was following. “I am that one,” the moose said, “what do you want?” “It is better for you to go to some larger country,” said the man. He did not kill the moose for he knew it was his younger brother. Then he left him and became a man again.

Agait’osdunne marries the chief’s daughter

Agait’osdunne, a man of low status, impregnates the chief’s daughter. To identify the father, the chief uses his thunderbirds, which reveal Agait’osdunne’s guilt. Banished together, Agait’osdunne utilizes his supernatural abilities to provide for them, while their former tribe faces starvation. Despite adversities, including an attack that nearly kills him, Agait’osdunne’s resilience and powers ensure their survival.

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

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Agait’osdunne, initially perceived as a miserable man who had never killed anything, demonstrates supernatural abilities and resourcefulness, transforming his and his wife’s dire circumstances into a sustainable life.

Conflict with Authority: The chief, representing authority, casts out his daughter and Agait’osdunne, leading to their struggle against this imposed hardship.

Revenge and Justice: After being ostracized, Agait’osdunne ensures that those who cast them out receive only animal blood to sustain themselves, serving as a form of retribution for their earlier actions.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

They did not know what kind of a man Agait’osdunne was. He was a miserable man and miserable beyond that; and they had no respect for him since he had never killed anything. There was another man who was highly respected, the chief. He had a daughter of whom he took great care to guard her from evil. All at once it appeared from her shape that she was pregnant. Her father was determined to find out by whom she was in that condition. He was a man who had very great supernatural power, and had some young thunderbirds that he was keeping in a cage. He thought he would find out what he wanted to know through the help of these birds. He brought the men all together and asked each of them who did it.

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They all denied knowing who had done it. Then he made them go in where the birds were. If the man who was guilty went in the birds would ruffle up their feathers. He was going to find out about it in this way. They went in one by one but the feathers of the birds did not move.

“Are these all the men?” he asked. “There is one man who is not here,” they told him. Then Agait’osdunne came in and the feathers of the birds stood out immediately. “Her child is from that man,” he concluded. He sent his child away in very pitiful condition. “Let them die,” he said. He cast them off, leaving them no clothes to wear. They were in pitiful condition and there was nothing they could do. Agait’osdunne was determined they should live. With his supernatural power he caused a moose to come there and killed it. From its skin he made two good garments. He was that kind of a being. If he said something should happen that thing happened.

By means of that power they lived all winter without suffering hardships. Those from whom they had moved were starving to death. Because they had cast him off to die, he would give them nothing but the blood, and he gave them much of that. “Let them live on the blood of the animals that are killed,” he said. When he went after animals he told his wife that the one which came first should be spared. There was one mean man who shot it and killed all the animals that they lived on. When she saw her husband was not around she thought something might have befallen him. She took a mooseskin garment and went to him. When she came up to him he was still alive. She put a skin over his head and made him well again. Agait’osdunne was from an animal. Nothing was difficult for him.