A man, frightened by his wife, kills swimming caribou

A man and his wife face starvation due to a lack of caribou. When two caribou appear swimming across a lake, the man initially hesitates to hunt them. His wife’s desperate gestures prompt him to overcome his fear, successfully kill the caribou, and provide sustenance for them both. The man briefly distances himself but eventually returns to his wife.

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

Conflict with Nature: The man engages in a struggle to hunt caribou, highlighting the challenges humans face against natural forces.

Family Dynamics: The interaction between the man and his wife, especially his fear and subsequent actions, underscores complex marital relationships.

Trials and Tribulations: The couple faces the hardship of potential starvation, representing the broader theme of enduring and overcoming life’s challenges.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

A man and his wife were sitting where the caribou cross the lake. It looked as if they would starve to death. There were no caribou. Then suddenly there were two caribou swimming across. He had a canoe there into which he went and started to paddle toward the caribou. He did not paddle long and did not kill them, but turned around and started to paddle back. “What is the matter?” his wife said to herself. She was very hungry. He was paddling close to her. “What is the matter? We were about to die before; now we cannot live,” the woman was thinking. The deer were swimming over there in the middle of the lake. The man was paddling close and she spread her legs toward him. He was afraid and paddled away from her.

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He really left her and killed the caribou, and they blew ashore where the woman was sitting. The woman sat there, but the man was gone; he was far away. “I think he deserted me,” she said to herself. She did not know where the people were and feared she would die. Then he came back to her.

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Two brothers escape the enemy by flight

Two brothers camped together, despite ominous dreams. Spotting approaching Cree enemies, they fled, with the older brother insisting on carrying a roasted beaver for sustenance. After three days of pursuit, they managed to escape, ate the beaver, and regained their strength, ultimately finding safety.

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

Trials and Tribulations: The brothers face the challenge of evading their pursuers over an extended period, testing their endurance and resolve.

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on the relationship between the two brothers, highlighting their cooperation and differing perspectives during their escape.

Cunning and Deception: The brothers employ their wits and strategies to outmaneuver the Cree and ensure their survival.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

Once there were two brothers who were camping together. They were not having good dreams. “We better not do as we are doing,” one of them said. “We are doing all right here,” the other replied. “We will roast the beaver and eat it, and remain here until the snow melts.” The older brother looked around and then said to his younger brother, “You say we are in a good place. What is that over there?” He looked and saw there were Cree in the direction they were going. “What shall we do?” asked the older brother. “I will carry the beaver,” he said. “We will run away,” said the older one. “Never mind the beaver, throw it away,” the younger one said. “Well, if we get out of this alive it will be hard to get along without meat. I will carry it over there,” the older brother said.

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They ran off and the Cree chased them. They could not get away from the Cree who came up to them and were about to kill them. The younger brother was usually able to run very fast but he could not run like that now. “He will be killed; he is clumsy with fright,” the older brother said to himself. His legs were pounding together with fear. Then he ran like a moose and got some distance from the Cree. “You carry this beaver,” the older brother said. “Never mind it, we will throw it away,” the younger brother replied. “Do not do that. Carry it,” he insisted. Then he consented to carry it and they ran away from the Cree nevertheless.

After they had been running three nights they made a camp and slept. They roasted the beaver and ate it. After that they lived happily again. They were very tired but after they had eaten they were all right again.

A young man tries to escape the responsibility of parenthood

In a time of scarcity, a young man persuades his father to camp separately from their group. Despite initial doubts, the young man successfully hunts two moose, providing for his family. Later, he rejoins the main group and faces criticism over a woman, leading him to return to his father’s camp. Unbeknownst to him, he has fathered a child, whom his mother eagerly accepts, hoping the child will become a hunting partner for her son.

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

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on the relationships within a family, highlighting the young man’s attempt to escape his role as a parent and his parents’ willingness to assume responsibility for their grandchild.

Conflict with Authority: The young man’s decision to abandon his parental duties can be seen as a challenge to societal and familial expectations regarding responsibility and duty.

Community and Isolation: The young man’s actions lead to a form of isolation as he distances himself from his familial and societal roles, contrasting with the communal approach of his parents.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

The people were very hungry. It seemed as if they would not live. They had made a cache and were going to that. When they were not yet in sight of it, the son of an old man suggested they camp about alone. “We cannot do that,” his father said, “we shall die.” The young man insisted that they camp by themselves. “Are you able to keep the fire pushed together if we do as you say? ‘ the father asked his son. “Yes, I will keep the fire pushed together,” the son promised. “Well, start off in the direction you want to go,” the father said. The young man started off and left a big pile of wood as a sign of the place where they were to camp. “Why do not you look after things? You said you would keep the fire pushed together. What is the matter?” his father said.

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“You said you would push the fire together. You do not act like a man. My children would be fed at the cache and now, because you talked that way, I fear they will die,” the old man said. The young man took the snares and set two for moose. Before long the snares made a noise and two moose had been caught. The old man moved the camp to them. “Father, I am going ahead where the other people are,” the young man said. “Do not go,” his father said, but the boy insisted he would go there.

He started off and came where the other people were. They scolded him because of a woman. Soon after that he went back to his father’s camp. The old man was on ahead. A woman had given birth to a child of which he was the father. “My grandchild,” the woman said, “I wonder whose it is?” “I guess it is that young man’s child,” someone said. The old man’s wife asked if it was a boy. “Yes, it is a boy,” they told her. “Go after him quickly,” the old woman said. “I will raise it. I have one child and this one will be his partner and they will hunt together.”

The rival husbands

A strong man takes another’s wife but fails to provide for her and her children. The original husband, though poor, eventually hunts successfully, bringing back meat for his starving children. The stronger man, unable to match this feat, returns the wife, acknowledging his inadequacy. This story highlights themes of true capability and responsibility.

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

Love and Betrayal: The narrative centers on a man who takes another’s wife, leading to complex interpersonal dynamics and feelings of betrayal.

Family Dynamics: The story highlights the struggles of a father striving to provide for his children amidst challenging circumstances.

Cunning and Deception: One character deceives others by pretending to have hunted successfully, using blood from his nose and arranged pine brush to simulate a kill.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

Once there was a man who, although poor was strong. There was a married man, camped by himself who was not so strong. Having lost his wife to the stronger man, he said to himself, “Why is it he does not kill anything? They will kill my children.” He continued living with them in the same camp. The man who had taken the wife away hunted a good deal but did not kill anything. Although the children were about to die of starvation he paid no attention to them. The other man who had always been poor hunted but did not kill anything. Finally, the grandmother of the children said to her son-in-law, “It seems as if your children will starve. Why do you not do something about it?” “Well, get my arrows out,” he replied to his mother-in-law.

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He hunted along one side of the road until he came to a band of caribou. He killed them all and carried a large quantity of the meat back with him for the children. The poor man who shared the camp with him had said he would move the camp to a considerable distance. The father went back to the road which he followed. He had already passed the new camp. They had not gone further than he had in hunting. Suddenly, he saw the tent standing in front of him. He put the load down outside and went in without it. “Mother-in-law, you will find some partridge dung over there from which you can make some soup for the children,” he said. “I brought it for that purpose; bring it inside.” His partner spoke up, “I saw it lying there and left it. Do not get it, for my children will choke on it.” The old woman brought the load in, and when the other man saw it was meat he was much pleased. They went for the remainder of the meat.

The other man went away hunting the next morning and came home in the evening. His leggings were covered with frozen blood. He did not bring back meat but said they would go for it in the morning. When they came where he claimed to have killed the animals it was apparent the caribou had run away from him. The blood on his leggings was from his nose. He had broken pine brush and covered it with snow thinking it would be mistaken for caribou carcasses. “What is the matter; it is nothing but pine brush. He said it was caribou meat,” the father of the children said when he saw it.

They went back and the man who had taken the wife away gave her back, for he concluded he was not capable enough around the camp to have the responsibility of a wife. They say he was that kind of a man.

This happened when they were wearing breechcloths of skin.

A man wins his faithless wives by wrestling

An elderly chief with two wives struggled to provide food during a harsh winter. Suspecting his wives were mistreating him, he discovered they had left him for another man. Determined, the chief tracked them down and challenged their new husband to a wrestling match. Proving his superior strength, he defeated the rival and reclaimed his wives.

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

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on the complex relationships within a family, highlighting issues of loyalty and betrayal between the husband and his wives.

Trials and Tribulations: The protagonist faces significant challenges, including abandonment and the struggle to reclaim his family, which he overcomes through personal effort.

Revenge and Justice: The old man seeks to restore his honor and rightful place by confronting and defeating the man who took his wives, serving as a form of personal justice.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

There was an old man who was highly respected and the chief of his band. He had two wives. They were starving, for although he was trying to secure beaver he did not succeed in killing any. He thought the women were starving but wondered at the way they were treating him. Occasionally he killed a small beaver. He would give it to the women and ask them to cook it for him. “Take it up away from the water,” he would tell them. They would leave only the shoulder of the beaver for him. The old man ate only that. “I think they are trying to starve me,” he said to himself. Wondering what they were planning to do, he went to bed. In the morning the two women got up. “Get up,” they told the old man, “what is the matter? You never acted this way before.”

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The two women went off and left him. The old man pretended he was trying hard to get up. “They are alive all right I guess but mean,” he said to himself.

He remained there all winter alone. When the snow was all melted he started off in the direction the women had gone. They had both married the same man. The man they had married was also a strong man. “I will go and see my wives’ other husband,” the old man said.

His rival was not far away. He came to him and they began to wrestle. The man who had taken the women away was thrown down for the other man was the stronger. They say the first man was called, “Strong Man.” The other one was strong. He left the man saying, “You wanted them; marry them.” He went off and began to chisel for beaver with a moose horn. This happened before there were any white people.

A woman agrees to betray her sons to the Cree

A widow with three sons is visited by a Cree band. They threaten to kill her unless she agrees to keep their plan to attack her sons secret, promising her a husband in return. She consents, but her youngest son overhears her anticipation of their demise. The brothers decide to flee but, before leaving, one fatally wounds their mother, thwarting her betrayal.

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

Love and Betrayal: The mother’s betrayal of her sons for personal gain.

Revenge and Justice: The sons’ act of killing their mother as retribution for her treachery.

Family Dynamics: The complex and tragic relationships within the family, highlighting themes of loyalty and betrayal.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

Secured in English from Ike through John Bourassa.

There was a woman whose husband died leaving her with three small boys. She supported herself and her sons by killing rabbits and other small game. When the boys were grown up and were away one day hunting, a band of Cree came to their camp. They told the woman that they were coming the next morning to kill her sons. They were going to kill her right then unless she promised not to tell the sons. If she did not tell them they would let her live and she might have her choice of the whole band for a husband. She promised on this condition.

The sons came home late and went to bed. The youngest woke up early in the morning and saw his mother looking through a hole in the tipi. She was saying to herself, “I wish day would come quickly so I may have a husband and be rid of these boys.”

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When the son heard this he pushed a stick through a birchbark dish, lighted it in the fire for a torch, and ran outside. There he found the strangers’ tracks. When he told his brothers what he had heard and seen they agreed that they had better go to the larger camp. As they went out the door one of them shot the mother in the throat saying, “You will not have a husband.” When the Cree came they found the woman dead.

A man overcomes obstacles in rescuing his sisters

A man embarks on a journey to rescue his two sisters, who have been taken by a distant tribe. Despite their warnings about their powerful husband, he insists on bringing them home. They face supernatural obstacles, including impassable cliffs and lakes, which vanish after they sleep. Upon returning, they discover that many years have passed, though it felt brief to the brother.

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

Quest: The protagonist embarks on a journey to retrieve his sisters.

Time and Timelessness: The discrepancy between the perceived short journey and the significant passage of time upon their return.

Family Dynamics: The central focus on the brother’s determination to rescue his sisters.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

A man who had just come home was scolded by his wife and went out again. The wife thought that he had gone out without any particular intention, but asked her son to look for his father. The boy wondered what was the matter and replied that his father was still standing there.

The man had run off. The woman looked after him and then set out to follow him. He had just come back from killing a caribou and he took along the head, dragging it behind him. His wife followed the mark left by the dragged head and by the bones which lay along the way. After a time she turned back, but the man kept on.

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Finally, he came to the trail of some strange people and followed it until he overtook them. He thought they were people but they were really partridges. They gave him some of their food. He went on again and found another trail which he followed. They were porcupines this time. They gave him some of their food, pitch, which seemed to him to be meat.

This man’s two sisters had been taken by a people who lived at a great distance and he was going to get them back. After a time he saw their trail and followed it until he overtook them. He found they were both married to the same man. When he told his sisters that he had come for them, they told him their husband was such a powerful man it was no use, he could do nothing to help them. The young man declared that having come so far for them he would not go back without them.

His brother-in-law had killed a moose and told his wives to bring the meat before it spoiled. “This is our chance,” the young man said, “now we will start back.” They traveled toward their homes day and night without stopping to sleep. Finally sleep was overpowering them and they lay down. When they got up in the morning their way was barred by a sheer cliff no man could climb. The girls began to cry but their brother said they would lie down and sleep again. When they got up the next time the cliff had disappeared.

They went on again toward their homes until sleep again forced them to he down. When they awoke, a lake which they could not cross lay in front of them. The brother told them to lie down again. When they got up the next time a narrow neck of land ran across the lake on which they were able to pass to the other side.

When they came back to their home they found their father so old he could not get up. The man’s wife had been in the prime of life when he left and now her hair was white. The man who had made the journey was a young man when he set out. It had been a long time since he left but it did not seem so to him. He thought it was only a short time before. That was a powerful man who by supernatural power made a long journey, although it did not seem long to him.

A man marries the daughter of a bird

A solitary man encounters a small man with two daughters and marries one. The father-in-law invites him to hunt “moose,” which are actually birds called tsebise. Confused, the man kills two owls in anger. Later, he hunts real moose, but the father-in-law, frightened by their size, flees, revealing that the “moose” he referred to were indeed birds.

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

Conflict with Nature: The protagonist’s hunting experiences and the differing perceptions of animals highlight a struggle or misunderstanding between humans and the natural world.

Family Dynamics: The relationship between the man and his father-in-law, including their misunderstandings and interactions, showcases complex familial relationships.

Cultural Heroes: The protagonist’s actions and experiences may reflect foundational narratives within the Beaver Indian culture, portraying him as a cultural hero.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

There was a man who was traveling around alone. At first he did not come where there were any people, but after a time he came where there was a small man living by himself who had two daughters. He was given one of these for a wife and lived there with them.

“There are some moose that live over here,” the small man said to his son-in-law one day, “let us go over there.” They went over there. He was living on birds only. “You stand here and watch that big tree and I will drive the game to you,” the father-in-law said. The Beaver was watching there supposing it was moose that was meant.

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Not long after, some birds flew by, but he paid no attention to them. After that his father-in-law ran up and asked where they were. “I did not see any moose, only some birds flew by,” the man replied. Those birds are called tsebise and stay here all winter. “You say only birds passed. Those are the ones. They are moose,” the father-in-law said.

Then the young man was angry and went back into the woods. Two owls had lighted there, and he went to them and killed them both. He was angry. He brought them to the old man and threw them at him. The head of one of the owls fell in the fork of a stick. The old man tried in vain to lift it out and when he could not, he cut it up where it lay. He told the son-in-law to go home and tell his mother-in-law to come after the meat quickly. When he came home he told them, “Go after the meat quickly, he tells you.” They went there and brought the meat back. They made a soup of the owl’s head. The old man said to his son, “Go and tell your brother-in-law to come here and eat the head soup.” When he told his brother-in-law that, he replied that he hated the water of owls’ eyes. “I will not go there,” he said. The old man was angry about it.

The next morning the large man went hunting and killed two real moose. They went out for the meat and the old man went out behind them. The moose had not yet been cut up, and when he saw the moose he was afraid and ran away. “It is the large animal that eats people he means,” the old man said and then he ran away from it. Those are the birds one sees around here which stay all winter. They say those birds were men at first.

The beaver who went home with a Cree

A lone Beaver man and a Cree warrior, both having lost their companions, confront each other. The Cree takes the Beaver to his camp, where the people attempt to burn the Beaver alive. Using supernatural powers, the Beaver summons otters to cause chaos, leading to a series of events where alliances shift, and ultimately, the Beaver integrates into the Cree community by marrying one of their women.

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

War and Peace: The narrative centers on the conflict between the Beaver man and the Cree, each having lost their respective groups to the other’s people.

Revenge and Justice: The Beaver man’s younger brother seeks to avenge their fallen kin by attacking the Cree.

Family Dynamics: The narrative highlights the bond between the Beaver man and his younger brother, focusing on their collective response to their family’s demise.

► From the same Region or People

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

Learn more about the Dane-zaa people

There was a powerful man all of whose young men had been killed by the Cree. He himself, a Beaver, was the only one alive. There was a Cree too, all of whose followers had been killed. Just the two men were alive, and they tried in vain to get the best of each other. Then the Cree went to his camp accompanied by the Beaver. There was another Cree at the camp who was a powerful man. When these men approached and the people saw them, the Cree was asked what he had done with his band and how it happened that he was accompanied by one of the enemy. The head man of the camp directed that a fire be made to burn the stranger. They got a lot of wood and set fire to it. Then they brought the man up to the fire which was burning fiercely.

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It happened that the man they were going to roast carried a wooden spoon. He held this up between himself and the fire, but it kept catching fire.

He began to study the situation intently. “I wish otters would run among the people,” he said to himself. Then otters rushed among the people who were standing at a distance. “Otters are running among us,” one of them said. They rushed away from there and where there had been many people there were now none. He sat there by himself while the otters rushed out on the ice. His former companion, alone, was running near them. Then the Beaver man himself ran with them. At one place where the otters were running the Beaver ran in front of them and caught two of them. He threw them at his former companion who caught them both and threw them back. The Beaver caught them again. Just as he caught them the other Cree said, “Do it to me.” He threw them at him. They really knocked him down because the Beaver was stronger than he. They started to kill him and just the otters were coming out of the snow covered with blood. The man himself was under the snow and the otters only were to be seen. Then the Cree who had been the companion of the Beaver caught the otters, held them together, and killed them. He was a powerful man. “This man was with me and alive and yet you spoke as you did,” he said to the other Cree.

He gave one of his wives to his companion and made a relative of him. The Beaver lived with him and had some children. After this, his younger brother, a boy, started after him accompanied by some others. He saw his brother’s tracks and followed him. He came back and reported that the man they were to attack was powerful, but that now they had started they would not turn back. “If we do not succeed we will all be killed,” he told them. “We will attack them tomorrow morning.” He came back and worked against them with his mind, using supernatural power. He appeared to kill them.

When the Beaver heard his younger brothers attacking them, he immediately ran to his former partner and began to kill him. “Now I can do nothing,” the Cree said, and after that was killed. Some of the younger brothers were killed, but they killed all of the Cree.

Second version

Obtained in English from Ike through John Bourassa.

The Cree living to the east were the first to come in contact with white people and consequently had guns before the Beaver did. The Cree used to fight with the Beaver and by the use of their flintlock guns killed a good many of them. Among the Beaver were some good medicinemen who had flint for medicine and were able therefore to keep the flints on the guns from acting on the powder.

There was a battle one time in which there was a Beaver who was a powerful medicineman and on the other side a Cree who was equally strong. All the Cree in the band were killed except this Cree medicine-man and all the Beaver save their medicinemen. These two being left were so evenly matched in supernatural powers neither could prevail over the other. The Beaver went home with the Cree and became a second husband of the Creeps wife, living in the same tipi with him.

The Beaver was bad and used to go about killing Cree whenever he could find one by himself. He was so powerful as a medicineman the Cree could not kill him. One day as he was returning from a hunt he fell in with a Cree who had killed two swans and was taking them home. The Beaver killed the Cree and took the swans. When the swans were cooked, he left a portion for this Cree he had killed, thinking to hide his guilt. One day as he was hunting he met his Beaver friends. He planned with them an attack upon the Cree promising them the aid of his supernatural help. He spent the night making medicine to weaken the Cree, but told the Cree the medicine was to make them irresistible. The Beaver had agreed to join the attacking party some distance from the camp to protect them by his medicine, but fearing they would not be able to kill the powerful Cree medicineman he rushed into his tipi and said, “I am coming to kill you.” The Cree, baring his breast said, “Stab me here.” The Beaver did so and killed him. Then the Beaver killed all the Cree.

The interpreter omitted the two following incidents which the narrator included in the story:

At the first fight the Cree sent two otters against the Beaver which the Beaver medicine-man caught and taking one in each hand knocked them together killing them. When the Beaver man met his friends he went to their camp. One of his moccasins was torn and his sister-in-law mended it for him using a piece of moose skin which had been used to tie up vermilion paint. When he returned, his Cree wife noticed this mended place, but said nothing and did not warn the Cree.

The man’s name in Chipewyan was said by Fournier to be Satselle’.

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.