Wolverene and her brothers

In a secluded mountain village, five brothers lived with their sister, Tuitdjyak. As she matured, they warned her to remain indoors during their hunting trips. Curiosity led her outside, where she heard distant singing calling her name. Terrified, she donned a wolverine-skin parka and teeth, transforming into a wolverine. When five wolves approached, she fled, climbing a spruce tree to escape as they circled below.

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

Forbidden Knowledge: Her curiosity leads her to defy her brothers’ instructions, resulting in unforeseen consequences.

Family Dynamics: The relationship between the protagonist and her brothers highlights themes of obedience, protection, and familial roles.

Conflict with Nature: The protagonist’s transformation and subsequent interactions with the wolves reflect a struggle between human and animalistic instincts.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

Told by Simon’s mother. The narrator says that this is a coast legend, and that she had it from her grandmother, who was a woman of Piamute.

There was once a little village in the mountains where there lived a single family of children, — five boys and their little sister. They did nothing but hunt deer. Fish they knew nothing about, for they were Wolf men. Outside the house, on poles stretched across the racks, how many deer-skins were to be seen, so many deer did they get! Neither did they eat anything but deer-meat. Meanwhile their younger sister was growing up, and in time she became a large girl, and finally she came to maturity. Then her brothers said to her, “Now, while we are off hunting, do not go out of the house. Only when we are in the house do you go out walking, and get the water also,” said they. “Now, Tuitdjyak, while we are away, don’t go out,” said they; for it was the time of her seclusion.

By and by winter drew near. All winter long they spoke to her in the same way, and she began to think it over. “Why do my brothers tell me this?” she thought.

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“I wonder what will happen to me if I go out, that they say this to me!” thought she. “Every day they tell me this,” thought she. At last she thought, “I will go out.” Her brothers went out on another trip. As she sat sewing, she put down her work and went out. She went out to the door, and stood there. “So,” thought she, “I have come out, and here I am, all right.” She went in and sat a while. Then she went back again outside, and listened. And then far away she heard the sound of singing. At that she went down into the house, and thought, “I wonder if this is why my brothers warned me!” and her heart beat fiercely for terror. She went out again and listened. Sure enough, there was singing. There! She heard her own name. “Tuidjyak, go in!” she heard. At that she climbed up into the cache. Bundles of wolverene-skins — many bundles she caught up, and looked through them, and took the good ones with long fur, and with the white parts very clear. She took them into the house, and wet them with warm water, stretched them, and went out again. When she had gone out, she looked up her brothers’ trail and saw five wolves. Sitting there, they sang, “A-yeq-ya, ya-yaq-ya, ho. Teen, Tuitdjyak, it-ka, ho.” She ran in, afraid. She put on the wolverene-skin like a parka, and pulled it around herself; and at the throat it was too short. Then she searched through her work-bag, and got a striped piece, and sewed it on; and again she pulled it around herself, and found that it was large enough. Again she searched in her work-bag, and found some beautiful wolverene’s teeth, and put them in her mouth. She took off the wolverene parka and the teeth and ran out. There they were, coming, close by. They saw her and sat down, and sang their song again. She ran in and put on the wolverene parka again, and put the teeth in her mouth. Then she rushed around the room in the shape of a wolverene. Up to the top of the house they went, and ripped it up with their teeth. Meanwhile the woman was running around as a wolverene. The wolverene made a dash among them, and ran along their trail. They looked, then they too went after her there. While she goes bounding along, over here, close after her they follow. Beside the path stood a great spruce. She caught it and scrambled up. They ran around underneath her, but they could only look up. Then she pushed back her little hood. “My brothers,” said she, “whenever you kill a deer, won’t you please leave the entrails for me?” Then they went off and left her; and the woman came down, and she too went away.

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The Sun and the Moon

In a village shrouded in darkness, a woman refuses all suitors. One night, she discovers her secret visitor is her own brother. Overcome with anger and shame, she cuts off her breasts, places them in a bowl of ice cream, and presents it to him, declaring that sickness will now afflict mankind. She then transforms into the sun, and her brother, in remorse, becomes the moon

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

Creation: The tale explains the origins of the sun and the moon.

Forbidden Knowledge: The sister’s discovery of her brother’s actions reveals hidden truths with significant consequences.

Divine Punishment: The sister’s declaration that “with mankind shall there be sickness” introduces a form of retribution linked to their actions.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

There was once a large village where there lived a family of children, — four boys and their younger sister, making five. Now, the girl did not want to get married. Many strangers wanted her, and came to visit her, as well as the people of her own village; but she was unwilling to marry. At length the women and men of the village took partners. At that time darkness was over all the earth; there was no sun or moon there.

And there that woman lived, and strangers (came) no (more), and the people of the village took no notice of her. She walks outside, but they never look at her, since others are their wives. So then, one night, some one scratched her head while she slept.

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“There are no strangers, who is it that is doing this?” she thought: yet she spoke with him. Daily that man who had come in to her began to do the same thing. He became as a husband to her. “Who is it that is doing this?” she thought. “All the village people have their wives, except my brother; he has none, and when there are no strangers, I will tie a feather to his hair; and when they leave the kashime, I will look for whoever has his hair tied,” she thought. “Come,” said she, “go into the kashime and get some sleep! I am sleepy too,” said she, his hair having been tied (to the feather). So the man went to the kashime; and she lay awake, thinking. Soon it became light, and she went out and stood in the door of their house.

So it came the time when we come out; and then she watched the men as they came out, but there was nothing in their hair. Then her brother leaped out. She looked, and there was the feather. It became dark with her, and her face was suffused with blood; then she became hot with anger.

And when it was day, she brought in her fine parka, the clean one, the best she had. Deer-fat too, and berries, she brought in. Neither did she say anything, though her mother spoke to her; and at the time that she made the fire she bathed herself.

Then, dressed in her fine parka and moccasins, she puts ice-cream into this bowl of her brother’s, and takes a dressing-knife, and, (reaching down) within (her parka), cuts off her breasts. Then next she puts them upon the ice-cream; and in (each) she sticks an awl, and takes them into the kashime. When there, she straightens herself up. There sits her brother at the back of the room, opposite the door. She placed (the bowl) by him.

“It was you, then, that did it,” she said. “I supposed that it was some one else that did this thing. Now, with mankind shall there be sickness,” said she. Then she went out; and there yonder she went, and the sun rose; and her brother too put on his parka and his moccasins also, but only one of them, in his hurry, thinking, “It may be that my sister has escaped from me.” Then he too went away, and became the moon.

The man taken by Ku’staka’

A man quarrels with his wife and encounters a woman resembling her, who leads him to a house. An old woman there reveals it’s the dwelling of the Ku’staka’, malevolent spirits that manipulate minds. Realizing his peril, he escapes but remains mentally affected. Villagers eventually capture and cure him, restoring his sanity.

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

Illusion vs. Reality: The man’s journey highlights the struggle between distinguishing truth from deception, as he grapples with the false reality imposed by the Ku’staka’.

Loss and Renewal: The protagonist experiences a loss of sanity and connection to his world but eventually undergoes a form of renewal as he regains his senses and returns home.

Forbidden Knowledge: The man gains insight into the existence and nature of the Ku’staka’, knowledge that is hidden and perilous, leading to his temporary madness.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Ku’staka’ is a kind of spirit being inhabiting certain parts of the country. They are common in the Tlingit country. They place people under their influence, and make them believe what they want. Finally the people become crazy and wander about. People who get lost are subject to their attacks. Some Indians, in speaking English, called them “monkey people.”

Once a Tlingit man had a quarrel with his wife, and went off in the morning without eating. He had forgotten his basket (?), and thought he would make one. He made a cut around a tree low down, and then climbed up to make the upper cut. He wore neither trousers nor leggings. A woman appeared at the foot of the tree, and spoke to him, saying, “Hurry up!” She looked like his wife, and he thought it was she. She said, “What is that I see up there?” and he answered, “These are my testicles.”

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He was losing his mind, but did not know it. He was under the influence of the woman, and came down the tree. He thought the piece of bark or stick that he was carrying down was a finished basket. The woman said, “Let us go home!” He followed her, and after a while they came to a house and went in. The man thought it was his own house. He saw an old woman sitting there. She said to him, “What are you doing here?” He answered, “I have come home. Why do you ask?” She said, “This is not your house. Wake up, and try to go home! This is the house of the Ku’staka’. I am your aunt, and was lost in the woods a long time ago. I cannot go back now, and live here. Do not stay here; for these people are bad, and make people think what is not true.” The man came half to himself, and, looking around, saw that he was in a hole underneath the roots of a tree, and that the place was not at all like his camp. He ran for home, sometimes being crazy, and sometimes sane. He reached the camp, and thought he went in and the people would not talk to him. Instead he acted like the Ku’staka’, and threw stones and sticks at the camp. When the people came out to look, he ran away like a deer. Several nights he did this. At last he fell sound asleep on a large old log. The log was taken by the tide and carried out to sea. People saw it floating about, and thought they saw the body of a man on it. They approached the log noiselessly in canoes, and saw a naked man asleep. They seized and bound him, although he fought violently, like a crazy man. They took him home, and smoked him repeatedly, using dog’s-hair and rotten urine on the fire for the purpose. At last he became quite sane again, and told the people his adventures and how it felt to be possessed.

The girl who married a toad

A wealthy man’s daughter repeatedly encounters a toad at her door, which she dismisses. One night, the toad transforms into a young man who proposes marriage, and she agrees, unaware of his true identity. They elope to his father’s lakeside home. Later, when she visits her family, they urge her to stay. However, a multitude of toads besiege the house, compelling her to return to her husband. This story explains why women fear toads, believing they can abduct people.

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The girl’s initial acceptance and subsequent return to the toad husband highlight complex emotional dynamics.

Forbidden Knowledge: The girl unknowingly enters a union with a supernatural being, leading to unforeseen consequences.

Cultural Heroes: The narrative serves to explain cultural beliefs and practices, highlighting foundational figures in the society.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

A wealthy man had a daughter who lived in a little room by herself. She had just finished the training that girls undergo at puberty. For several successive mornings she noticed a toad (or frog?) lying at the door, and kicked it out of the road. One night the toad changed into a young man, and asked the girl if she wanted him for a husband. She did not know that it was the toad, and answered, “Yes.” The girl put on her marten robe and eloped with the young man. That night they went to a big lake, where the house of the Toad chief, the wealthy father of the youth, was located. Her parents and all the people searched for her, but could find no trace of her. [Some narrators say that they found her robe.] After she had been with the Toad people a while, the chief, her father-in-law, told her to go and visit her parents. Her people saw her coming, followed by her husband. Her father invited them into the house, and gave them a good (or high) place to sit in [place where nobles or people of rank sit down].

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He ordered his slaves to cook for them and give them to eat. They noticed that the Toad ate no meat, so they gave him berries to eat. He and his wife finished their dishes. The chief asked his daughter not to go back with Toad, but to stay with them. She told her husband, and he left her. Now the people closed all the chinks of the house, so that no Toads could enter. In the morning they saw that many Toads had surrounded the house. Soon they came in; and finally they filled the house, much to the terror and annoyance of the people. The girl’s father offered to pay the Toads for the girl, but they paid no attention. Then the girl said to her father, “Let me go with them!” The girl returned to the Toad chief’s house, and all the Toads left. For this reason women are now afraid of toads, who steal people.

The woman who married the black bear

A woman collecting berries slips on bear excrement and curses the bears. A man appears, offers to carry her berries, and leads her to his den, revealing himself as a bear. She transforms into a bear and becomes his mate, bearing two children. Visiting her people, they mock her bear-like children, prompting her to revert to bear form and attack, leading hunters to kill her and her offspring.

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: The woman’s integration into the bear’s world exposes her to experiences and realms beyond typical human understanding.

Family Dynamics: The tale explores complex relationships, including the woman’s bond with her bear partner and their hybrid offspring, as well as her interactions with her human relatives.

Tragic Flaw: The woman’s inability to fully reconcile her dual identity and the ensuing rage when her children are mocked lead to her downfall and the destruction of her family.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Some women were coming down a steep side-hill, following one another Indian file. They had been out picking berries all day. The last woman slipped on some bear-excrement and fell. She was angry, and said, “Those dirty black bears defecate on the trail all the time!” Soon afterwards a man caught up with her and offered to carry her berries. She agreed, and went with him. She thought he was leading her to the camp, but he led her away to where he had his den. They entered and sat down. The bear bent his head down, but the woman sat upright. Bear said, “Bend your head forward as I do.”

She did this, and at once changed into a bear. Now they lay down together to go to sleep. She put one of her hands out of the den. The bear told her not to do this, and she obeyed; but after a while she stretched out her hand again involuntarily.

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One day her brother was hunting below the den. She knew he was near and below her. She took some snow, kneaded it into a ball, and let it roll down the slope. The snowball hit the toe of her brother’s snowshoe. He looked up, and saw what looked like a small hole in the hillside. He examined the snowball, and saw that it had been kneaded and bore the marks of fingers. He returned to the camp and told the people. On the following day they went to the den, but found it empty. During the night the bear and the woman had gone off and made a new home near a salmon creek. Here they lived, and the woman bore two children to the bear. After a time the bear told her she might go back to her people and see them, but forbade her to talk to her former husband. [Some informants say that the bear was a grizzly, and not a black bear.] On this visit she reverted to her former human form. One time the people made fun of her children because they looked like bears and had long nails. Then she became angry, changed into a bear, and killed many people. Then some hunters killed her and her children.

The faithless wife; or, the origin of witchcraft

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

► Themes of the story

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

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

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

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

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

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

Story of Go’nexha’tca, the snail

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

► Themes of the story

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

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

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

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

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

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

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

Story of Dca’ndui

Dca’ndui, a renowned hunter, struggled to catch marmots as his traps were mysteriously sprung. After fasting and strengthening his traps, he captured Wolverene, who offered assistance. Wolverene advised Dca’ndui to fast and save his urine, which Wolverene used for cleansing, leading to successful hunts. He also warned against eating a specific marmot bone; when Dca’ndui disobeyed, bad weather ensued. Upon confession, Wolverene rectified the situation, resulting in abundant meat. Dca’ndui returned home with a massive load, attributing his success to Wolverene’s guidance.

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: The tale emphasizes the importance of adhering to specific taboos, such as avoiding the consumption of certain marmot bones, and the consequences of violating them.

Moral Lessons: The story imparts ethical teachings about honesty, respect for traditions, and the repercussions of one’s actions.

Harmony with Nature: The narrative underscores the significance of living in balance with the natural world and respecting its inherent rules.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Dca’ndui was a celebrated hunter who killed and trapped all kinds of game. Once he went trapping marmots, but could not catch any because his traps were sprung. Although he watched, he could not find out what sprung them. He fasted three days, and then made his deadfalls heavier. Again he fasted three days, and this time he caught somebody by the hand. The man begged him to spare him, and told him that he would go to his camp with him and help him. Dca’ndui agreed; and the man, who was Wolverene, accompanied him. Wolverene told Dca’ndui to fast for three more days and to save all the urine. Dca’ndui wondered what he wanted to do with the urine, and watched through a hole in his blanket. When it was nearly daylight, he saw Wolverene get up and wash himself in the urine and then dry himself. That day they both set traps. Next day Wolverene had a marmot in each of his traps, while Dca’ndui had none.

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Wolverene now told Dca’ndui that he must not eat the small bone at the back of the knees of marmots. He wondered why Wolverene had told him that, and one day he ate one. Then came a spell of rain, snow, wind, and bad weather. All the marmots staid in their holes, and they could not catch any. Wolverene charged Dca’ndui with having eaten the forbidden bone, but he denied it. Then Wolverene went and examined his excrement and found it. He said to Dca’ndui, “You lied about not eating the bone, but I found it.” He wrapped it in feathers and burned it, saying, “Tomorrow good weather will come.” After this they caught many marmots in their traps, and they soon had the camp full of meat.

When Dca’ndui was ready to go home. Wolverene said he would carry the meat for him. Dca’ndui made up a pack for Wolverene of about the same size and weight as he himself could carry. Wolverene said it was too light, so Dca’ndui added more to it. Wolverene said, “I can carry more;” so he added more. At last all the meat was in Wolverene’s pack, and he walked off with it as a man does with an ordinary load. When they arrived on the outskirts of the village. Wolverene put down his load and returned. He told Dca’ndui not to tell any one that he had helped him. When Dca’ndui arrived home, the people asked him what luck he had had. He answered, “Poor luck. I have a very small pack of meat. I left it some little distance away.” He told a man to go out and bring it in. The man could not move it, so he came back and told all the people to go and see it. They went out, and it took all of them to carry it in. They thought Dca’ndui must be a very strong man. This is why wolverenes can carry such heavy loads now, and also why the Indians never eat the small bones at the backs of marmots knees.

Origin of the Death-Chant

Hunters passing through the Lava Beds at night heard an old woman urging someone to hurry, saying, “Nia’ma, the house is full now. We shall soon have no room. Hurry up!” They also heard many people singing a strange chant. All but one hunter fled in fear. The remaining hunter listened to the entire song and later taught it to his people. That night, all the men who had heard the song died, except for the one who had listened without fear. The community adopted this chant as a death-chant, one of four mourning songs still used today. The next morning, villagers found no trace of the singers, realizing the hunters had encountered ghosts.

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: The lone hunter acquires a chant associated with death, knowledge that proves perilous.

Origin of Things: The hunters encounter what are believed to be ghosts singing the death-chant.

Ancestral Spirits: The chant is believed to originate from ancestral spirits, connecting the living with the deceased.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

Long ago some hunters were coming home from the hunt in the dark; and, as they passed the place now known as Lava Beds, they believed that they heard people talking and singing in a house. There seemed to be an old woman addressing some one else, and saying, “Nia’ma, the house is full now. We shall soon have no room. Hurry up!” Then they heard the voices of a great many people singing a strange chant. All the men were afraid and ran away, except one man, who listened until the song was finished, and thus learned it.

That night all the men who had heard the song died, except the man who was not afraid and who had heard the song through. He sang the song, and thus introduced it to the people, who adopted it, and used it afterwards as a death-chant. It is one of four mourning songs used at the present day.

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The next morning after the men who heard the song had died, a number of people went back to the place, but found not the slightest trace of people. They knew, therefore, that the men heard the ghosts speaking and singing.

The runaway wife

A Haida youth, eager to marry his cousin to inherit his uncle’s position, faced repeated rejection when she continually fled. Seeking help, he consulted a mystical, oversized woman who provided him with a ritual involving land otters and an eagle’s tail. Though the ritual worked and his wife returned, he spurned her for another, leaving her heartbroken despite compensating her with property and slaves.

Source:
Tlingit Myths and Texts
by John R. Swanton
[Smithsonian Institution]
Bureau of American Ethnology
Bulletin 39
Washington, 1909

► Themes of the story

Forbidden Knowledge: The young man seeks out a mystical woman who provides him with a ritual to win back his wife, involving esoteric practices and supernatural elements.

Cunning and Deception: The youth employs the ritual, a form of cunning, to manipulate his wife’s actions and compel her return, despite her repeated attempts to leave.

Love and Betrayal: The narrative centers on the young man’s desire to marry his cousin, her continual fleeing, and his ultimate rejection of her after using the ritual to bring her back, highlighting themes of unrequited love and betrayal.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tlingit Lore

Learn more about the Tlingit people

Myth recorded in English at Wrangell, Alaska, in January-April 1904

A high-caste youth among the Haida was determined to marry his uncle’s daughter, because his uncle was a very old man and he wanted to take his place. But, after he had given a great deal of property for the girl and taken her, she ran away. He followed her and induced her to come back, but before long she ran away again, and she kept on acting this way for a long time. Finally the young man heard of a very large woman who knew of medicines to get anybody with whom one was in love. When he came to her village her people treated him very kindly, asking him to come up and eat with them. After they had fed him and his companions they made a large fire on top of the retaining timbers for the woman to take her purifying bath. She had a little girl to wait upon her when she bathed, and she was so large that this girl could bathe only one leg at a time.

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After she had finished bathing, the large woman came out and gave the youth an eagle’s tail across which ran a single streak of red paint. Then she said, “Right around the point from your father’s village you will see land otters running up from the water. As soon as the white one among them steps up on the beach, raise your eagle’s tail and see whether she will stand still. If she stands still and does not run away go right past without touching her. Then you may know that you will get your wife and that she will never leave you again; otherwise she will never come back. When you get to the village, that woman you are having a hard time with will come directly to you.”

The young man did as this woman had told him, and, sure enough, when he reached the village his wife was very anxious to see him. She tried to fight against the inclination, but finally she had to go. When she entered, however, her husband refused to take her back. Instead he went to another village along with his father and married somebody else. His first wife took all this hardly, and, when they returned, came to him to demand property. Then the young man gave heir some of his own and some of his father’s property and some slaves so that she would not bother his new wife. At the same time the girl felt very badly. Not a day passed but she cried to think that the husband who had formerly thought so much of her now had another wife.