The cloud woman

Two brothers and their mother hunt marmots in the mountains. The elder brother, initially unsuccessful, marries a cloud woman who brings him abundant game. His family discovers his mystical wife, who aids them but warns against mentioning “cloud” in her presence. When the mother inadvertently says “cloud,” the wife vanishes, leaving the elder brother desolate.

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

Supernatural Beings: The elder brother marries a cloud, a supernatural entity that assists him in hunting and household tasks.

Cunning and Deception: The elder brother warns against mentioning the word ‘cloud’ to prevent his supernatural wife from leaving, suggesting an element of caution and secrecy.

Sacred Spaces: The lodge in the secluded valley serves as a significant setting where the interactions with the supernatural occur.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tsetsaut Lore

Learn more about the Tsetsaut people

Two brothers, with their mother, went up the mountains to hunt marmots. They built a lodge, and the younger brother and the mother stayed at home while the elder one went into a neighboring valley to hunt. While the younger brother was very successful, the elder one was almost starving. One day, however, a cloud came to his lodge and married him. From that time on he caught great numbers of marmots. After some time he went to visit his mother. He brought her two marmots. It was clear weather, and his mother noticed with surprise that at the time of his arrival he was quite wet. On the following morning he again departed, and stayed away for a long time, so that his mother and brother began to worry about him. Finally his younger brother started to look for him.

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He crossed the mountain, and reached a beautiful valley. At some distance he discovered a lodge. He thought: “This must be my brother’s lodge,” and went down to it. When he had reached it he entered, but did not see a soul. The lodge was built of bark. It was full of meat. Now he heard somebody laughing and speaking, but he did not understand what was said. He looked around everywhere, but he did not see any one. Finally he discovered a small cloud of mist which was moving about in the house. He entered and sat down. He saw the mist moving towards a small basket, which was then taken to a large basket and filled with berries. Then the mist moved to a spit, which was lying near the fire. It was lifted, covered with a slice of meat, and put close to the fire. When the meat was done, the mist enveloped a dish and a knife, and moved to the spit. Then the meat was put into the dish, and the mist carried it to the young man, who began to eat. When he had finished, the mist brought a basket filled with water, and the young man drank. Next came a dish filled with salmon berries mixed with bear grease. The mist enveloped a spoon, which began to stir the mixture, and then stayed in front of the young man. While he was still eating, his elder brother entered the lodge. Again he heard the laughing of women. The young man said: “Both mother and myself thought you were dead, and I came to search for you.” Then the mist gave to the elder brother a basket filled with berries, and left the house. It reappeared, carrying a basket filled with water. It took up the elder brother’s pouch. It opened, and marmots fell out of it. Then the mist lay over the marmots, and the young man saw that they were being skinned and dressed. Soon the mist left the lodge, carrying the skins. The elder brother spoke: “That cloud of mist is my wife. Do not ever mention the word ‘cloud’ in her presence, else she will leave me.”

In the evening the elder brother gave a skin blanket to his visitor and they went to sleep. The mist settled at the side of the elder brother. On the following morning, after they had taken breakfast, the young man prepared to return to his mother. He was going to tell her that his lost brother had been found, and to invite her to come and stay with him. He started, and when he had reached his lodge he told his mother that her eldest son had married a cloud, and that he desired them to stay with him. The old woman packed her belongings and they started to cross the mountains. When they approached the lodge, the cloud woman was engaged in drying marmot skins. When the young man, who had gone in advance, reached the house, his elder brother sent his wife to meet his mother, and to help her carry her load. Swiftly the cloud moved up to the old woman, and flew around her, emitting a hissing noise, which frightened the woman. Then the cloud returned to the lodge. Her husband asked: “Did you bring the load?” She replied: “Your mother declined to give it to me.” Then the man sent her back, and asked her to take the load. She obeyed. When she reached the old woman, she found her resting her load on a rock. She took it from her back, and carried it home. Before the old woman had been able to reach the lodge, the cloud had left again to pick berries. Soon she returned. She put stones into the fire and boiled meat for her guests.

The man’s mother and brother continued to live with them. After some time, they saw the toes and the fingers of a woman protruding from the cloud of mist. Gradually arms and legs and the body began to appear, and finally they were able to see her face. She was very beautiful. One morning when they awoke the last trace of the mist had disappeared, and they saw a beautiful woman in its place. The younger brother said to her: “Why did you never speak to me?” She replied: “I spoke to you, but you did not understand me.”

She was with child, and after some time she gave birth to a boy. He had red hair. And after some time she gave birth to a girl. The children grew up.

One day, while the brothers were out hunting, the children were playing in front of the lodge. Their mother was putting on her moccasins, preparing to pick berries in the woods. Then the boy said: “O mother! see the cloud on that mountain.” At once the woman began to vanish, she took her daughter in her arms, a hissing sound was heard, the house burst, and she was transformed into a cloud. The grandmother held the little boy in her arms, while the cloud carried away the girl. The mountains were covered with clouds, and it began to rain in torrents. The brothers heard the cries of the girl in the clouds and saw her being wafted from place to place. The “cloud woman” was not seen any more. Later on the elder brother was lost while hunting. I suppose his wife took him with her.

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The origin of mountains

Two brothers unknowingly marry animal spirits. While hunting, they release a giant from a bag, kill him, and cook his body. Their wives, upon discovering they’ve eaten their lover, pursue the brothers. The men create valleys and canyons to hinder the chase, leading to the formation of mountains. Eventually, a horned monster kills the vengeful wives, and the brothers return home.

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The narrative explains the creation of mountains and valleys, detailing how the brothers’ actions led to the formation of these natural features.

Supernatural Beings: The tale includes encounters with extraordinary creatures, notably the ‘adeda,’ a monster resembling a bear with huge claws and horns, and another horned monster, both playing pivotal roles in the brothers’ journey.

Cunning and Deception: The brothers employ clever tactics to evade their pursuers, using the transformed contents of the caribou stomach to create obstacles and seeking protection from formidable creatures.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tsetsaut Lore

Learn more about the Tsetsaut people

A woman had two sons. She died, and her sister took charge of the boys. When they had grown up, they built their huts next to that of their aunt. One day the latter saw that each of the young men had a wife. She did not know whence they had come. I suppose the women were animals who had taken the shape of men. Once upon a time, the men went hunting. When going up the hill, they saw a large bag hanging from the branch of a tree. They cut it open. A large man fell out of it, whom the men killed with their clubs. He had an immense membrum virile, which they cut off and took home. Then they chopped it, mixed it with caribou meat, and boiled it. The women had gone up the mountains to bring home meat that their husbands had hidden in a cache.

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When they came home, their husbands gave them of the dish they had boiled. The women ate heartily. After a while the men took a stomach of a caribou, left their home, and when they had gone a short distance they shouted: “Our wives have eaten the membrum virile of their sweetheart.” When the women heard this, they ran to look after the bag in which the man had been hidden. When they found the mutilated body, they took their clubs and pursued their husbands. When they drew near, the men threw part of the contents of the caribou stomach over their shoulders. It was transformed into valleys and canons, which obstructed the progress of the women. While fleeing from their wives, the men came to the monster adeda, which looks like a bear with huge claws and horns. They said: “Please, protect us. We are fleeing from our large wives.” The adeda asked them to stand behind it, but when the women reached it they killed it with their clubs. The brothers ran on, and continued to throw parts of the caribou stomach in the way of the women. After some time they reached another horned monster. They said: “Please, protect us! We are fleeing from our large wives.” The monster replied: “Hide behind my body.” Soon the women approached laughing. They struck the monster with their clubs between its horns, and they had almost killed it. But finally it gave a jump, gored the women, and threw them about until they were dead. The head of the monster was full of blood, which the brothers washed off. They returned home, but it took them a long time to cross all the mountains and valleys that had originated from the contents of the caribou stomach.

Story of the baby stolen by Wolverene

A woman is killed by a giant, leaving her infant motherless. A marten nurtures the baby until the father avenges his wife by killing the giant. Later, a wolverine deceives the community and abducts the child. The father tracks them, eventually reuniting with his now-grown son. Together, they confront the wolverine, restoring their family bond.

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

Family Dynamics: Central to the tale is the relationship between the father and his son, emphasizing the father’s determination to rescue and reunite with his child.

Cunning and Deception: Wolverene’s deceitful act of stealing the baby under false pretenses showcases themes of trickery and manipulation.

Trials and Tribulations: The father’s relentless journey to retrieve his son involves overcoming numerous challenges, reflecting perseverance in the face of adversity.

► 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 towards where the people lived. The woman was taken in travail, and, as was the custom of the people, she had to go in retirement during and for some time after her confinement. When they camped for the night, the husband made a camp for himself, and another for his wife some distance away.

One night a giant came to the woman’s camp, threw a noose around her neck as she was sitting at the fire, choked her, and dragged her body away in the snow. The baby, which remained alone, began to cry. The husband called out to his wife, “Why does the baby cry so much?”

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Receiving no response, he went over to see. When he arrived, the baby was quiet, and he found Marten suckling the baby with his tongue. He asked him what he was doing; and he said, “I am suckling the baby with my tongue, for his mother is dead.” The husband took his bow and arrows and followed the giant’s track in the dark, and after a time came to where the giant had lighted a big fire and was about to eat. He saw him sucking the milk out of the woman’s breasts, and then he put them on sticks before the fire to cook. The man crawled up close to the giant, and fired an arrow into his body. The giant immediately put his hand up to the place, and said, “My! A spark has burned me!” He said to the fire, “Why did you do that?” Again the man shot him, and he did the same. Then he said, “It is strange, I feel sleepy.” He lay down, saying, “I will sleep a little while before eating the breasts.” He was dying, and did not know it.

When the man returned, he found Marten caring for the baby, and suckling him, as before. The man gave his breasts to the baby, and milk came. After that, in the day-time Marten suckled the baby with his tongue, and at night the father gave him his breasts. At last they reached the people, and the man gave his baby to the women to rear. He hunted, and every five days returned to see his baby, and was glad to see that he was doing well.

One day, when he was away hunting, Wolverene came to the camp and told the people the father had sent him to get the baby and take it to him. The people thought this strange, but gave him the baby. After five days the father came back, and asked to see the baby. The people said, “Why, don’t you know, Wolverene came here some days ago, saying that you had sent him for the baby, and we gave it to him.” The man stated that he had not sent Wolverene, and at once started in pursuit of him. At Wolverene’s first camp he found baby-moss, his son being still a baby; at the second camp, small snowshoes, showing that the baby was now a boy and walking; at the third camp he found larger snowshoes, and saw that the boy had been using small arrows; at the fourth camp the snowshoes and arrows were larger; and at the fifth camp the tracks showed that the boy was now a man. Next day he found where the boy and Wolverene had separated, and he followed the tracks of the former.

The Wolverene always counted the lad’s arrows when he returned home at night. When the man came to his son, the latter thought him very strange, for he did not remember having seen people. His father told him, “You are my son.” He showed him his breasts, saying, “I suckled you. Wolverene stole you, and I have followed you a long way.” The lad at last believed him. His father said, “Tell Wolverene, when you see him tonight, to follow the sun on the morrow, and camp where the sun goes down, and there you will join him tomorrow night. Also tell him that you shot an arrow up in a tree, and you are going back after it.”

That night Wolverene counted the birds the lad had shot, and his arrows, and found one of the latter missing. Wolverene agreed to the boy’s proposal. In the morning he travelled towards the setting son, while the lad returned. That night the lad did not come to camp, and next morning Wolverene started to look for him. He came to the lad up in the top of a tree, pretending to look for his arrow, and his father standing at the bottom. Wolverene asked the latter who he was, and what he was doing there; but when the man answered and talked with him, Wolverene told him to shut up or he would kill him. The father had already arranged with his son how they would act. Wolverene told the boy to come down out of the tree; but he answered, “Father, I can’t descend, my moccasins are frozen to the tree.” Wolverene said, “Very well, don’t try to come down, you may fall. I will climb up and carry you down.” When Wolverene got beside him, he turned around to get in position to carry him down, and the lad struck him on the head, knocking him off the tree. His father at the bottom of the tree then killed Wolverene, who was already stunned by the fall.

Wolverene

Wolverene, a skilled beaver hunter, uses his penis as an ice chisel to set nets quickly. When his brothers-in-law discover his method and mock him, he withholds food from them. They eventually hunt a moose, leading to a conflict where they kill Wolverene and his family, except for the youngest child, who transforms into a wolverene, vowing to steal from people’s caches and traps.

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

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on complex relationships within a family, highlighting tensions between Wolverene, his wives, children, mother-in-law, and brothers-in-law.

Revenge and Justice: After Wolverene’s mistreatment and deceit, his family exacts retribution, culminating in his demise.

Cunning and Deception: The story features acts of deceit, such as Wolverene’s trick with the beaver and the family’s strategy to punish him.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Kaska Lore

Learn more about the Kaska people

Wolverene had two wives and several children. His wives’ mother, and two brothers of his wives who were yet boys, lived with them. He always caught many beavers, and gave plenty of meat to his mother-in-law and brothers-in-law as well as to his own family. He was very quick at setting beaver-nets, for he used his penis as an ice-chisel. The boys tried to find out how he managed to set the nets so quickly, but he always managed to conceal himself when making holes in the ice. One day, however, they happened to see him, and made remarks about the shape of his ice-chisel. One of his own sons told him of these remarks. He became angry, and said he would starve them.

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After that he fed his own wives and children, as usual, but gave nothing to his mother-in-law and brothers-in-law. He allowed them a fire, however, but he gave orders to his wives not to give them any food.

When Wolverene’s daughter saw that her grandmother was starving, she went to her mother, saying she was very hungry, and asked her for some beaver-meat. Pretending to eat the meat, she passed it down her dress, and carried it to her grandmother and the boys. The latter now began to hunt, for they were very hungry. One day they chased a moose by the place where Wolverene was working beaver on the ice. They asked him if the moose was far ahead; and he answered, “Just a little ways.” The lads chased the moose a very long way before they caught up with it and killed it. They brought back some meat and fat to their camp. That night they broke some bones to extract the marrow, and Wolverene heard them. He called out, “Oh, you have some meat! You are eating marrow-bones.” The old woman was angry, and answered back, “No, you are mistaken. We are breaking old bones. Where should we get meat? We are starving.”

That night, when Wolverene was asleep, the old woman and boys shifted camp to where the moose was. Next morning Wolverene noticed that there was no fire at their camp, and sent one of his sons over to find out the reason. He came back and told his father that there were no people there. Wolverene knew now that the lads had killed the moose. He made up his mind to follow them, and told his wives to go ahead. He would stay behind and finish catching beavers, and then overtake them. He killed a number of beavers, and, taking one of them on his back, he set out. Before long he passed his wife, who was pregnant, and therefore walking very slowly.

When he reached the people’s camp, he said, “I have brought you some good meat;” and he gave the beaver to his mother-in-law. He had defecated inside the beaver. The old woman threw it away, saying, “We do not eat your dirt.” Wolverene said, “How nice the moose-fat smells!” The people said, “We will feed you fat; sit down and close your eyes.” He was not particular now about concealing his privates, but sat down before the fire and lifted up his apron (or shirt?), exposing himself to view. When he shut his eyes, the people poured hot grease on his privates. He began to scratch at the burnt place; and while he was doing this, they clubbed and killed him. They then went out and met the wife who had the children and was pregnant, killed her, and cut open her belly. They also killed all the children excepting the youngest, who managed to escape and climbed a tree. Here he became a wolverene, and said, “Henceforth I shall break into people’s caches, and steal out of their marten-traps.”

The fog-man

Two sisters, scolded by their mother for consuming scarce food, flee to the mountains and encounter Fog-Man. He replaces his malevolent wives, Porcupine and Beaver, with the sisters, turning the former into animals. Fog-Man’s hunting skills provide abundance, but after a dispute, he conceals his meat cache under a mountain. Later, he reveals it, teaching the people to store food, though his mother-in-law’s gluttony leads to her demise.

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

Divine Punishment: Fog-Man transforms his two malicious wives, Porcupine and Beaver, into their respective animal forms as punishment for their malevolent behavior.

Conflict with Nature: The human characters face challenges in securing food, highlighting their struggle against natural scarcity.

Cunning and Deception: Fog-Man conceals his meat cache beneath a mountain to prevent access by those who quarreled with him, demonstrating strategic cunning.

► 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 out hunting. They had two daughters who staid in camp. There was little to eat; and the girls, being hungry, ate about half of the back-fat that remained in the camp. Their mother was angry when she returned and found that they had eaten so much fat.

She said to them, “Go up in the mountains and marry Fog-Man. He is a good hunter, and always has plenty of fat.” The girls ran away from home, and, going up in the mountains, came to the place where the Fog people draw water. They met a woman there who was the mother of Fog-Man. The girls told her their story, and she said she would tell her son.

► Continue reading…

Fog-Man had two wives, Porcupine and Beaver. They were bad women. They ate people, and they were always angry and cross. As soon as Fog-Man learned of the girls from his mother, without saying anything, he arose and hit Porcupine with his axe, and drove her from the house. He said, “Go up to the timber-line among the balsam and become a porcupine. People will eat you.” Then he hit Beaver with a stick, and drove her, too, from the house. He said, “Go down to the river and become a beaver. People will eat you also.” He brought the girls in, and now had two good wives. He hunted and put up a great quantity of meat of caribou, sheep, etc., and fat groundhog. He made a very big cache of meat in the mountains. Then he went to visit his parents-in-law, taking his wives with him, and plenty of meat. He staid a long time with his wives’ people; and while he remained there, the people always had plenty to eat, for Fog-Man was a good hunter. His chief food was sheep’s horns, which he called fat, and cut just like back-fat.

Each of his wives bore him a son. One day some of the people quarrelled with him, and he left them. On his way home he put a mountain on the top of his meat-cache, so that the people could not get at it. They could find no game, and were starving. They went to the cache to get meat, but were unable to remove the mountain which covered it. The woman (viz., mother-in-law) sent Fog-Man’s sons to look for their father. She said to them, “When you see your father’s tracks and follow them, paint the soles of your feet with red paint, and never look back.” They did as directed, and found their father. Many Fog people were living there. When they went in, they gave the lads sheep’s horns to eat.

When Fog-Man heard that the people were starving, he was sorry. He went to the cache and took the mountain off the top. The people now had plenty to eat. Fog-Man’s mother-in-law ate so much fat, that she became too full, and, when reaching over to take some more, she broke in two. After this, people used caches and put up meat in caches. Fog-Man taught them. This is why the Indians now cache their meat and make caches.

Story of lynx-man

The story narrates the experiences of a man and his wife who, while hunting in the mountains, encounter the enigmatic Lynx-Man. This being abducts the wife, leading the husband on a journey aided by a benevolent Eagle to rescue her. The couple ultimately reunites and overcomes Lynx-Man.

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

Cunning and Deception: The couple’s strategic planning and execution of Lynx-Man’s demise showcase the use of wit to achieve their objective.

Guardian Figures: The Eagle serves as a protector and guide, assisting the husband in locating and rescuing his wife.

Love and Betrayal: The narrative centers on the husband’s deep affection for his wife and the lengths he goes to in order to save her from abduction.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Kaska Lore

Learn more about the Kaska people

Once a long time ago a man was hunting in the mountains with his wife. At that time there was no game in the low parts of the country. People lived on sheep, marmots, and ground-squirrels, all of which abounded in the mountains. The man wanted to procure some eagle feathers: so, taking a rope with him, and accompanied by his wife, he went to a cliff where there was an eagle’s nest. He tied the rope around his waist, and got his wife to lower him down. Just when he had reached the ledge where the nest was, Lynx-Man appeared at the brink of the cliff, and ordered the woman to let go the end of the rope. Being afraid, she did as directed. Lynx-Man then took her away to a place in the bottom-lands where the brush was very thick and there were many Jack pines.

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Here he set many snares, and always caught plenty of rabbits. He cooked and offered the woman rabbits, but she would not eat. On the way to this place the woman had carried some grouse that Lynx-Man had caught, and, as she went along through the brush, she plucked the birds and dropped the feathers along the way as a sign.

When the Mother-Eagle came back to the nest, she found the man there. She said, “What are you doing here?” and he answered, “I came here to get some eagle-feathers. My wife let me down, and I had barely reached the ledge when for some reason the rope fell down. Now I have no means of getting up or down.” Eagle said, “Why, Lynx has stolen your wife; that is why the rope fell down. Get on my back, and I will take you down and show you where to find your wife.” The man did not answer, as he was afraid, and Eagle knew it. She said, “There is no danger. I am able to carry you. Put that big stone on my back, and I will show you.” The man did as directed, and the Eagle flew away with the stone on her back, and threw it off on the opposite mountain. Returning, the man got on her back, and she flew down with him. Eagle then said, “Watch my flight. I will fly to where your wife is. When I circle four times, you will know she is directly below where I am.” Eagle flew off, and the man watched. After flying some distance, Eagle circled twice, and then went on. After a time she circled four times, and then returned. On arriving back, Eagle asked the man if he had noticed where she went, and he answered, “Yes.” Eagle then told him there was a large Caribou below where she had circled twice, and his wife’s camp was underneath where she had circled four times. Eagle plucked a number of feathers from her body and gave to the man, saying, “I will now leave you. My children are hungry, and I must go and feed them.”

The man went to where the Eagle had circled twice, and found a caribou there, which he killed. He then went on, and came to Lynx’s camp, where he found his wife alone. She was glad to see him, and said to him, “When Lynx comes, you must say you are my brother, and address him as brother-in-law.” Towards evening Lynx came to camp, carrying a load of rabbits. When he saw the man, he drew his bow and was about to shoot at him. The woman cried out, “This is my brother come to visit me. Don’t shoot at him!” Lynx said, “Oh, my brother-in-law indeed!” and came into camp. He cooked many rabbits for his supposed brother-in-law. That night, when Lynx-Man was asleep, the man and woman killed him. Then they shifted camp to where the carcass of the caribou was.

The dog-man and dog-children

A young woman marries a mysterious man who is actually a dog in human form. After giving birth to seven puppies, she is abandoned by her family. The puppies transform into children when alone, and the mother eventually burns their dog skins, making the transformation permanent. The children grow rapidly and become successful hunters due to their keen sense of smell inherited from their canine heritage.

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

Supernatural Beings: The husband in the story possesses the ability to transform between human and dog forms, indicating interactions with beings beyond the ordinary.

Family Dynamics: The tale explores complex relationships within the family, including the mother’s reaction to her daughter’s unconventional offspring and the interactions among the siblings.

Cunning and Deception: The mother employs clever tactics to uncover the truth about her children’s transformations and the inappropriate relationship between her youngest son and his sister.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Kaska Lore

Learn more about the Kaska people

The narrator said that he thought this story may have come from the Tahltan to the Kaska some time ago, as both tribes have the story localized in the Tahltan country.

A family consisting of parents and daughter lived together. They had an old dog who always lay at the entrance of the lodge. Whenever the girl went outside, she had to step over the dog. One day they moved camp, and as usual put a pack on the dog. When they reached the camping-place, the dog was missing. The parents sent the girl back to look for him. She met a good-looking man accompanied by a dog carrying a pack. He asked her where she was going, and she told him she was looking for their dog, who had gone astray with his pack. He answered, “This must be your missing dog. I found him, and am bringing him along.” The girl, becoming fascinated with the man, ran off with him, and camped in a different place. The man hunted, and always obtained plenty of game. He told his wife, “When you throw away bones, never throw them far.” The woman noticed that when her husband hunted, she always heard barking where he was. She asked him about this, and he answered that he knew nothing of the barking. She also noticed that the bones she threw out were always eaten up or gone in the morning.

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One night she pretended to sleep, and watched. Her husband arose, and soon afterwards she heard something eating the bones outside. She looked, and saw that it was an old dog. She now knew that her husband was a dog or dog-man, and, taking a club, she struck the old dog on the head and killed him. She then went back to her parents and told them she had been living with a man, and that she was pregnant. Her mother, thinking she would have a nice baby, prepared for it by making a fine marten-skin robe, and a nice bed for the baby to be born in. The girl gave birth to seven pups; and her mother became so angry and disgusted, that she snatched away the robe, took away all the food and everything in the lodge, and left the place. Her father and all the people also deserted her.

The girl lived by picking berries. When their mother was away gathering food, the pups turned into children and played together. There were six boys and a girl, and the girl always watched while the others played. The mother noticed, when she came home, that the brush on the floor of the lodge was disturbed and turned over, as if children had been playing; and she thought it strange that dogs should do this. She picked up some rags and made them roughly to resemble clothes, which she stuck up within view of the lodge one day when she was out. The girl watched this, thinking it was her mother. The latter crept around behind, seized the dog-skins the children had discarded, and threw them into the fire. The girl, however, managed to get on part of her skin, and thus remained half dog. Later the mother managed to get the rest of her skin, and she then became like her brothers.

The dogs were now really children, and they grew up fast. The young men hunted, and always brought back plenty of game. They had the power of scenting game, as dogs do, and therefore were very successful in hunting.

Now, the mother was suspicious that one of her sons slept with his sister, and she determined to find out which one it was. She smeared pitch all round where her daughter slept, and next morning she noticed the side of her youngest son marked with pitch. She was sorry about this, and began to travel with her family. When about to cross the Stikine River in the Tahltan country, she said to the girl, “Look at your brothers bathing in the river down below! “As soon as she looked, all were changed to stone, including the mother. Some were ashore at the time, and some were in the river. All of them are now rocks to be seen at this place.

The deceitful wife

A woman with two husbands encounters a war party while retrieving a forgotten needle-case. After being assaulted, she returns with ptarmigan, lying about their origin. Her mother-in-law suspects deceit, and upon the husbands’ return, they confirm wrongdoing. They share a final meal, send their mother away, and then kill their wife for her betrayal. The war party arrives, but the brothers escape into the darkness.

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

Love and Betrayal: The woman’s infidelity and deception lead to a tragic outcome, highlighting the destructive consequences of betrayal within familial relationships.

Cunning and Deception: The woman’s attempt to conceal her actions demonstrates the use of deceit, and her mother-in-law’s suspicions showcase the dynamics of uncovering hidden truths.

Revenge and Justice: The brothers’ decision to kill their wife as retribution for her deceit reflects themes of justice and the lengths individuals may go to restore honor or balance.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Kaska Lore

Learn more about the Kaska people

A woman had two husbands who were brothers, and their mother lived with them. [Notice the common reference to women with two husbands in Kaska. It appears also in Tahltan myths. This does not occur in any Salish stories that I have collected.] She and her mother-in-law shifted camp while her husbands went hunting. When about to make camp, she noticed that she had forgotten her needle-case in the last camp, and she went back for it. On her return she fell in with a war-party of many men, who intended to attack her people. They had connection with her until she became quite exhausted. They told her not to tell the people, gave her a lot of ptarmigan, and let her go. She carried the birds to camp and gave them to her mother-in-law.

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The latter asked her how she came by them, and she told her that she had killed them with stones. The old woman examined them, and saw that they had been killed with arrows. She said to her daughter-in-law, “Get some water for your husbands; they will be coming home soon.” When she had returned with the water, she immediately lay down and slept, for she was very tired. Just when the men were coming, the old woman spilled the water, then woke up her daughter-in-law and sent her for more water. She noticed that she was very lame. While she was gone, the woman showed the birds to her sons, who at once knew there was something wrong. They had brought home some fat caribou meat. They told their mother they would have a last big feed together, and that when the meal was finished she must go out and try to escape. They cooked and ate a hearty meal. When the repast was over, the old woman took the pails, pretending that she was going for water. She left the camp, and ran off into the woods. The men built up a huge fire so as to intensify the darkness surrounding it. They then attacked and killed their wife, because she had deceived them. The war-party heard her cries and rushed into the camp. The brothers ran out in the darkness and escaped. This is why since then women have been deceitful and hide their actions and wrong doings.

The sisters who married stars

Two sisters, enamored by a red and a white star, wish to marry them. Their wish is granted, and they find themselves in the sky, each with a star-husband. Longing for Earth, they craft a rope from skins and descend. Encountering Wolverene, they cleverly escape his advances and return home. This story highlights themes of desire, ingenuity, and resilience.

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

Forbidden Knowledge: The sisters’ discovery of a way to return to Earth from the sky-world involves uncovering hidden truths and crafting a plan to escape their celestial confines.

Cunning and Deception: The sisters employ cleverness to deceive their star-husbands and later the wolverine, orchestrating their return to Earth and evading unwanted advances.

Journey to the Otherworld: Their initial ascent to the sky represents a voyage to a realm beyond human experience, exploring the unknown and interacting with otherworldly beings.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Kaska Lore

Learn more about the Kaska people

Once two sisters made camp together, and before retiring looked up at the stars. They saw two particularly brilliant stars, — a red and a white one. One sister said to the other, “I shall take that red one for my husband, and you may take the white one.” That night, when asleep, they went up to the stars, and awoke next morning in the sky, each with a man by her side. The sister who had chosen the red star was covered with a red blanket belonging to the man with whom she slept, and the man of the other sister had a white blanket. The women lived with these men in the sky-world, as they knew no way of getting back. Their husbands hunted every day, and killed plenty of game. Thus they had an abundance of food.

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The women decided to try and get back to earth. They cut up skins and made a very long rope. When their husbands were away hunting, they worked at digging a hole in a hidden place in the timber. At last they dug through, and could see the earth beneath. They tied a stone to the end of the rope and let it down, but the rope was too short. By adding rope to rope they at last found that the stone reached the earth. They made many pairs of gloves to wear while sliding down the rope, to prevent friction on the hands and to guard against the rope getting worn out. One day when their husbands were away, the younger girl slid down and reached the earth, and the elder followed her.

When the men returned from hunting, they searched for the women, and, finding the hole and rope, they threw the latter down. The sisters found they had alighted on the top of a large tree near a main trail where people were constantly passing. They saw the Moose, Wolf, and many others pass. As each one passed, he called, “My brother-in-law is coming behind!” At last the Wolverene came in sight, carrying his snare on his back. (This is why the wolverene now has the peculiar marks on his back like a snare.) When he arrived under the tree, the women whistled, and he looked up. When he saw the women there, he was glad, and climbed the tree. When he reached them, he wanted to have connection with them; but they said, “Take us down first!” He carried one of them down, and then wished to have connection with her; but she said, “Bring my sister down first.” He ascended and brought down the other woman. Then he wanted to have connection with both; but they told him, “You must provide us with food first, for we are hungry.” Wolverene went off and stole dried meat from somebody’s cache. When they had eaten, he demanded again to have connection with them. They told him, “Our father advised us never to have a man unless he was able first to provide fat caribou-meat. You cannot expect to have a woman until it is certain you are able to kill fat caribou.” He went off hunting, and the sisters fled. They ran until they came to the canyon of a river, which they were unable to pass. They sat down, and before long they saw Wolverene coming. He was carrying a heavy pack of fat caribou meat. As soon as he arrived, he wanted to have connection with the women, without even waiting to take his pack off. The sisters knew what he would do when he reached them, and had arranged that one of them would pretend to let him have connection, and the other one would then kick him over the cliff. One woman lay down near the edge of the cliff, and he went to have connection with her. She told him the right way to do was first close his eyes and fold his arms. The other sister then kicked him over the cliff into the river below. The women then ran along the canyon to a narrow place, where a large man (who was a kind of snipe) aided people in crossing. There was very bad water (rapids) in the river at this place. They called on the man to help them cross; and he stretched his long legs across, and they walked over on them. They said to him, “We will pay you porcupine quill garters if you will let Wolverene drop into the river. When he comes, just stretch one leg across, and turn it when he is half way over.” He agreed, and they gave him the garters. Wolverene came along, carrying his pack. He said to the man, “Where did you get my garters? I will kill you if you do not help me to cross at once.” The bird man stretched one leg across for him to walk on. When he was half way over, he turned his leg, and Wolverene fell into the river and was drowned.

The sisters went back to their parents, and lived with them. They told their parents, “When we travel, you must go ahead and make bridges for us over every creek, and even over every swampy place and wet spot.” Their father always did this. At last one time, feeling tired, he neglected to bridge one little spot. The sisters never came to camp, and their mother went back to look for them. She found that they had turned into beavers, and had already built a house. After this they were beavers.

The giants and the boys

Two boys were captured by a giant who intended to fatten and eat them. His wife, preferring their help with chores, delayed their fate by feeding him beaver meat instead. Eventually, she killed one boy, but the other escaped. The giant pursued him to a village where the residents cleverly trapped and killed the giant, ensuring the boy’s safety.

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

Mythical Creatures: The story features a giant who captures two boys, representing an encounter with a mythical being.

Cunning and Deception: The surviving boy uses clever tactics to escape the giant and ultimately contributes to his demise.

Revenge and Justice: The community aids the boy in exacting justice by killing the giant who terrorized and consumed humans.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Kaska Lore

Learn more about the Kaska people

Two boys were stolen by a giant, who gave them to his wife to fatten for him. He hunted beaver all the time, and killed plenty; but he was very fond of human flesh, and preferred it. He always told his wife to cook something nice for him, meaning the boys; but she always cooked beaver-meat, as she liked to keep the boys to help her fetch water and do other things. At last she thought her husband would some time get angry if she did not take his suggestions: so one morning early, after her husband had gone hunting, she woke up one of the boys and told him to take the buckets and go for water. She wanted him to be absent, so that he would not know that she had killed his brother.

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As soon as he left, she pulled off his brother’s penis, and then killed him. The lad heard his brother’s cries, and knew what had happened. He kicked the buckets to pieces, and then went back to the house, where he called, “Give me the arrows! I see a grouse on the water trail!” She gave him the arrows. He broke them to pieces, and then ran away. As he did not return, the giantess went to see what was keeping him so long. When she saw the buckets and arrows broken, she called to her husband, who came back and started with a spear in pursuit of the boy. The boy hid in a crevasse of a glacier, where ice was piled up. The giant was too large to enter, and he could not break the ice: so he poked in the hole with his spear, thinking he could thus kill the boy. The boy rolled up his blanket and put it to one side. The giant thought this was the boy, and kept stabbing it. The boy hit his own nose and made it bleed, and rubbed the blood on the spear-point. The giant thought he had killed the boy, so he left his spear there and went home. He told his wife, “You killed one for me yesterday, and I have killed one for you today.” She had already cooked the boy’s privates and his body, and now the couple ate all except the bones.

The giant told his wife, “We will shift camp to where the other boy is, and eat him next. When they reached the ice, he told his wife to crawl in and bring out the body. She crawled in, and found nothing but blood-stains. The giant said, “His body is certainly there. Where are your eyes?” His wife then pointed out the broken spear, and they knew that the boy had escaped. After feeling around in the hole, the giant started in pursuit.

The boy reached a place at a large lake where there was a large camp of people fishing. They made ready all their weapons, and sharpened many sticks. When the giant arrived, he asked, “Has my grandson come here?” and the people answered, “Yes, he is here.” The giant said, “His grandmother weeps for him, and I have come to get him.” He asked the boy if he would come back; and the boy answered, “Yes.” The people invited the giant in, asked him to be seated, and gave him fish to eat. After eating, the giant asked the boy to louse his head. The boy loused his head. The people stuck the sharpened sticks into the ground all round, and the boy tied the ends of the giant’s hair to the sticks. While the boy was lousing his head, the giant thought of eating the boy, and pierced his leg with a bone. The boy jumped away, and the giant reached out to catch him. As he did so, he found that his hair was tied to pegs all round, and that he could not arise. The people then attacked and killed him.

The giant had told his wife to follow him. The people made a new camp on the way she was to come, and prepared to receive her. They cooked the fat from the stomach of her husband, and had it ready for her. When she arrived, she was carrying a bundle, and pretended that it was a baby. She herself cried, imitating a baby. Then she would say, “The baby is not crying: I am doing this to fool the Indians.” She asked where her husband was, and the people told her he was at the camp beyond, but would soon be back. She answered, “My husband is not in the habit of going to other camps.” The people had already told her the camp she was now in was made by her husband especially for her. They assured her that her husband would be back soon, and said to her, “Sit down, and we will give you something good to eat.” She sat down on the pretended baby. The people asked to see her baby; but she said, “It cries when anybody looks at it.” The people gave her husband’s fat to eat. She said it had a bad taste, and they told her it was perhaps a little old. She began to eat again. Some of the people went behind her, and tied the ends of her hair to the neighboring willow-bushes while the others spoke to her and entertained her. When all was ready, they began to laugh at her, and said to her, “That was your husband’s fat you ate.” She got angry and opened the sack she carried, in which were stones for throwing at the people. The people attacked and killed her. When they opened the bundle to look at the baby, they found only the bones of the boy she and her husband had eaten.