The adulteress

A woman dissatisfied with her husband secretly visits a large, hollow birch tree inhabited by two giant ants that embrace her. Suspicious of her nightly absences, her husband follows her and witnesses the encounter. Distressed, he abandons their home. The woman attempts to track him but never succeeds, leaving their fates unknown.

Source:
Chipewyan Tales
by Robert Harry Lowie
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 3
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Love and Betrayal: The woman’s infidelity and the resulting betrayal of her husband are central to the narrative.

Cunning and Deception: The woman deceives her husband by pretending to gather firewood while secretly meeting the ants.

Conflict with Nature: The woman’s unnatural relationship with the ants represents a transgression against natural order.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Chipewyan Lore

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

There was a woman who did not care for her husband. Every evening she went out to gather firewood for the night. However, she never got enough to last through the night, so she would leave in the middle of the night under pretext of fetching more. In reality she went to a rotten birch tree as large as a lodge, in which two large ants were dwelling. These would embrace her. At length her husband grew suspicious and followed her one night. He saw her tapping the tree and turning her back towards it. The ants came out and embraced her. When the man saw this, he turned back home and left the country. Not finding him on her return, his wife tracked him, but never found him. Perhaps they are still traveling that way today.

► Continue reading…

Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page

Ennou’s hunting trip

The story recounts a journey during which Ennou faces harsh winter conditions, encounters multiple moose without success, and navigates deep snow to various lakes. Over several weeks, he traps lynx, chisels through beaver houses, and confronts wolves without a gun. Ultimately, Ennou returns with a significant haul of furs and sells them for a substantial sum, reflecting on the numerous experiences of the expedition.

Source:
Chipewyan Texts
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 1
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Trials and Tribulations: Throughout his expedition, Ennou confronts numerous obstacles, including harsh weather conditions, deep snow, and encounters with wolves, testing his endurance and skills.

Conflict with Nature: Ennou’s journey involves direct struggles against natural elements, such as navigating through four-foot-deep snow, facing cold weather, and dealing with wildlife like moose and wolves.

Cunning and Deception: Ennou demonstrates resourcefulness by setting traps, chiseling through beaver houses, and utilizing the help of dogs and companions to achieve his hunting objectives.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Chipewyan Lore

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

After there had been three weeks of cold, snow, and wind, the weather cleared. We started on the trip and camped that night six miles away. The next night we reached the base of Goose Lake where we camped for the night. As we were going along the shore, the next morning, we all saw a moose. I went toward it but did not succeed in killing it. We saw three moose that day. I shot at the nose of one which was all that could be seen of it and missed it. That was why I did not kill any that day.

We went on from there but the snow was four feet deep and I had to tramp back and forth to make a road. Finally, we came to a small lake called Big Log Lake. From there we went to Wolf Lake where we stayed for a short time.

► Continue reading…

Going out from that place, I set traps for lynx. I killed one. We went on from there to the opposite side of Black Fox Lake. We camped there three weeks during which time I killed nine lynx. We walked to White Fish Lake. I killed one lynx on the way. There was a beaver house at the lake. I chiseled through it with the help of a young woman. While we were there some wolves came after us. We had no gun. We killed four beaver at White Fish Lake outlet.

I went back for the traps and other property. It was a two day’s journey, but I brought back seven lynx. Starting down the White Fish River one morning, we came where there were beaver living, five of which we killed. From there we went to Big Beaver Lake where I trapped a lynx and we chiseled out three beaver and killed one mink. We then turned back, traveling over the same way we had come. Nine lynx had been caught in the traps set as we first passed over the road, but one had gotten away taking the trap. The next morning I went, after this one with the dogs. With the help of the dogs, I killed, that day, one moose and a lynx. We came back from there to Goose Lake at the outlet of which we found some Indians. At the narrows there were more Indians. Finally, we came back to Cold Lake and into the Reserve and stopped at Alfos house. I had twenty-five lynx, six beavers, and one mink. I sold them to Baptiste Jacob for four hundred ninety dollars, two horses, and a spring wagon. I also bought a cow. I could not tell in a whole day all that happened on that trip.

Bear and Squirrel

Bear desires perpetual night to aid his hunting, but Squirrel challenges this, highlighting the difficulties of living without light. Conceding, Bear agrees to daylight. They then compete in various contests, with Bear winning unfairly. Frustrated, Squirrel cries, his tears forming stripes below his eyes, and decides to amuse children, becoming small and climbing a spruce. Bear declares he will serve as a food source when other meat is scarce and becomes large.

Source:
Chipewyan Texts
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 1
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Cosmic Order and Chaos: The discussion about having perpetual night versus daylight reflects a struggle to determine the natural order.

Cunning and Deception: Bear’s victories in the contests are achieved unfairly, indicating deceitful behavior.

Family Dynamics: The interaction between Bear and Squirrel highlights sibling relationships and the dynamics of elder and younger brothers.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Chipewyan Lore

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

This controversy between the squirrel and the bear concerning the prevalence of light or darkness is mentioned in a myth concerning the end of the world recorded by Petitot at Great Slave Lake in 1862. In this myth of Petitot the bears have all the elements suspended in bags from an enormous tree and the other animals succeed in securing the one which contains heat and unintentionally let it loose upon the earth resulting in a flood.

Bear once said, “There will only be night. In the summer, when the nights are not long, I cannot find anything good to eat. For that reason there shall only be night.” Then Squirrel, who was his younger brother, replied, “If there is only night how would you manage to live without being able to see?” “I could find food by smelling it,” Bear replied. “But,” asked Squirrel, “what would you do if something should stick in your nostrils?” “Oh, I could feel for food with my paw,” Bear suggested. “Well, but if you should stick something in your paw, what then?” Squirrel asked. “Why, then I would roll around until I found something,” Bear said. “But if something should stick through your body, you would kill yourself,” Squirrel warned him. “Well, then, let there be daylight,” conceded Bear.

“Come let us have some contests,” said Bear. “The one who jumps the farthest will be Bear.” Bear won. “Let us see who can jump the highest over a tree,” Bear again proposed. Bear won again. “Let us see who can run around this small lake first,” Bear said. Because Bear was the larger (being the elder brother) and Squirrel the smaller. Bear was first to run around the lake. Bear had beaten him each time, but not fairly.

► Continue reading…

Squirrel, still saying, “I will be Bear,” began to cry. His eyes became red and the tears made stripes below his eyes. Finally he said, “I shall not be good for anything. I shall just amuse the children.” Then he climbed a spruce and became small.

Bear again spoke, “When there is no other meat, I will be a supply for them.” He ran along the side of the world and went inland where he became large.

Ceremony for otter

In a dream, a man overheard otters singing about an impending threat at the narrows, predicting all but one would be killed. Upon reaching the narrows, the man killed all the otters except the one that had foretold its escape. This narrative explains why otters are now drawn to him. However, if someone sings the otters’ song mockingly, the otters may not approach.

Source:
Chipewyan Texts
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 1
New York, 1912

► Themes of the story

Dreams and Visions: The man receives a prophetic message through a dream, guiding his actions.

Prophecy and Fate: The otter’s song foretells the future, and the events unfold as predicted, highlighting themes of destiny.

Cunning and Deception: The man uses the knowledge from his dream to outwit and hunt the otters.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Chipewyan Lore

Learn more about the Chipewyan people

A man in a dream heard some otters say. “They will kill us all, ahead there in the narrow. I am the only one who will be able to run away.” He heard the otters singing this as they walked. When they came there to the narrows, he killed all of the otters except the one who had said this. He escaped. “That is why otters now come to me,” he said. Sometimes when one sings that song the otters do not come to him because he only laughs.

► Continue reading…

The Fish-Hawks

Two brothers venture out to hunt. The younger brother encounters a young woman and takes her as his wife. The elder brother, desiring her, sends the younger on a perilous quest to a distant mountain. There, he confronts and kills a family of Fish-Hawks. Upon returning, he discovers his brother has taken his wife, leading him to kill his brother and reclaim her.

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

Conflict with Authority: The younger brother challenges his elder brother’s authority and desires.

Cunning and Deception: The elder brother deceives the younger by sending him on a dangerous quest.

Revenge and Justice: The younger brother seeks retribution against his elder brother for his deceit.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

From Tanana

There were two brothers who went out to hunt; and the younger found a nice young girl, and asked her to be his wife. She said, “Yes, I will go with you.” Then they went home-, and his brother said, “I will take your wife away from you.” He answered, “No, you will not. I want her for my wife.” “Well,” said he, “if you want her, go a long way off, and you will find a high mountain.” And he said, “Yes, I will go, because I want my wife.” So he went away, and came to the mountain, and went up the mountain, and came to a tree that had a big nest on it; and when he climbed up to it, he saw a little girl and a little boy in the nest. He killed the boy, and asked the girl where her mother was, and her father. She said, “My mother and father have gone out to hunt.” And he said to the little girl, “I will not kill you, but I will ask you what time your father and your mother are coming back.”

► Continue reading…

She said, “It will rain when my mother comes, and it will snow when my father comes.” And he said, “Now I will hide;” and she said, “I think that when my father comes, he will kill you.” It was the Fish-Hawk and his wife. When her mother came, she cried, “Oh, where is your little brother?” and the little girl said to her mother, “He fell down and killed himself. “— “Oh,” she said, “who, who? Where is my dear little boy?” And while she was crying, the youth killed her; and after a while the father came, and he said, “Where is your mother?” The little girl said, “She has not come back yet,” and he was very angry. And the young man killed him, and the little girl too; and afterward he went home and asked his brother for his wife, but his brother refused; so he killed his brother and took his wife, and was very happy because he had her to live with him again.

Little-Hawk

A mother hawk diligently hunts mice to feed her five offspring. A raven observes and criticizes her parenting, suggesting she should teach her young to eat only dog meat. The mother hawk retorts that while raven chicks consume only dog, her children eat various animals. This exchange highlights differing dietary habits and perhaps underlying cultural values.

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

Conflict with Nature: The hawk family faces hunger, a natural challenge, prompting the mother to hunt for mice to feed her children.

Cunning and Deception: The Raven attempts to deceive or provoke the Hawk by questioning her love and teaching methods towards her children.

Family Dynamics: The narrative focuses on the relationship between the mother hawk and her offspring, highlighting her efforts to provide for and nurture them.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

Some Hawks sat in the shelter of a spruce. There were five children in the family, and with the mother they were six. They were hungry; and in the morning, before sunrise, the mother flew off to get mice for the children. She caught an abundance of mice, and put them beside her children, and tore them in pieces for them. “Come,” said she, “rejoice!” and she sang for them, –

Aiyuwo’ma, yuka’iuq cik.
Tcimu’qtiya’xya tatlie’myunu’k ka.

A Raven flew to the top of the spruce and spoke to her. “Oh, you don’t love them very well!” said he. “Say, do you teach them well to eat only dog?” The mother answered him angrily. “You scoundrel! Your children eat nothing but dog, my children eat only animals,” said she. Then Raven flew away from up there, angry.

► Continue reading…

Children and giantess

A giantess deceives children into her garments, intending to cook them. A bird aids their escape, replacing them with sticks and stones. Upon discovering the ruse, the giantess attempts to capture them but overexerts herself and bursts, releasing various fish and human bones. The children transform into birds and find her dwelling filled with human remains.

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

Cunning and Deception: The children, with the bird’s assistance, use cunning to escape and deceive the giantess.

Conflict with Nature: The children face a natural threat in the form of the giantess and must navigate their environment to escape her.

Moral Lessons: The story imparts lessons about the dangers of trusting strangers and the value of cleverness in overcoming threats.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

Some boys and girls were playing on the ice. “Hark!” said one of them; and they heard an old woman singing in the bushes. Soon she came in sight, and they saw that she was very large. She told them that she had plenty of nice things in her house, and that if they would wait for her, she would go and get them for them. They said that they would; and to make sure, she put all the boys into her parka and tied it up, and then took off her breeches and put the girls into them and tied them up, and went away. When she had gone, a little Bird came and sat on. the outside of the parka, and told the boys that the old woman had lied to them. One of them told the Bird that he had some fine paint, and that if he would let them out, he would paint him in beautiful colors.

► Continue reading…

So the Bird pulled at the string until he had untied it, and the boys came out and filled the parka with sticks and tied it up again. Then they let the girls out, and filled the breeches with stones and tied them up again; and then they all got upon the Bird’s back, and he carried them to a distance, and they all sat down to see what would happen. Soon they saw the old woman coming back, followed by her slut. She had a large wooden bowl and a spoon; and she was singing, “Now I shall have some nice brain-soup!” When she came near the parka, she called out, “Here are the nice things that I promised you!” and then she took her knife and slit the parka open, but found nothing but sticks inside. Then she went to the breeches and cut them open; but her knife struck the rocks, which dulled it. One of the boys laughed so loudly that she heard him; but the ice had now melted, and there was a stream between them. So the boys mocked her, and told her that if she should drink the water up, she could get them. She put her mouth down and drank in one place, and the water went down a little. Then she drank in another place, and it went down still more. Then she drank in another place, and it all disappeared, so that she might have got them; but the effort proved too much for her, and she burst open; and out of her came white whales, ling, pike and all kinds of fish, men’s bones, and other things. The children were changed to birds and flew to her house, where they saw a great many bones of men and boys and girls.

A young man in search of a wife

A young man paddles along a river, encountering various female figures who claim not to be human. Each time he approaches, they transform into natural elements or animals—a birch tree, a rabbit, and a goose. Frustrated, he finally meets a shaman who, along with his companions, transforms into aquatic creatures, prompting the young man to become a hawk and fly away.

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

Illusion vs. Reality: Each encounter challenges the young man’s perception, as what seems to be human women are illusions masking their true forms.

Quest: The narrative follows the young man’s journey and efforts to find a wife, leading him through various encounters and challenges.

Cunning and Deception: The beings deceive the young man by presenting themselves as potential partners, only to reveal their true, non-human nature upon closer interaction.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

A young man is paddling along. As if expecting to hear something, he turns his head and listens. Hark! Some one is singing. It is a woman singing. “Ya-xa-nna,” she says, they say. Thereupon he disembarks. A woman stands on the beach. She has long hair, which she is washing in the current, and she is singing. He goes quietly up to her and catches her by the waist. “I’m not human, I’m not human!” says the woman. The man shuts his eyes tight (as she struggles). There is nothing but a birch lying in the water, the current flowing among its branches. The man is holding the birch. Angrily he got into his canoe and paddled off. Again he paddled along, and turned his head as though he expected to hear something, and listened.

► Continue reading…

Hark! There is singing again, like another woman. “Another, the same as (the one who sang) just now!” he thinks. “Good enough!” he thinks. “Is it a woman, for sure, that is making this noise?” he thinks. Again he sees some one singing under the bushes. “A-ha-yu-ha-ha,” she says, they say. He gets out of the canoe. What a beautiful woman (he sees), girded with a deer-tooth belt, gathering willow-bark! He grasps her waist. “I’m not human, I’m not human!” she says.

He let her go. “Seems to me you are human, you make so much noise with your songs,” (said he.) She bounded away in the shape of a rabbit. Angrily he went off in his canoe. Again he listens. There is shouting. In the direction from which it comes he disembarks. Under the bushes he goes. What a crowd of people are here! They are playing ball upon the beach. What fine-looking people, men and women together! He keeps (out of sight) in the grass, (and) looks at them. “If they throw (push?) a woman upon me,” thinks he, “I will catch her.” At length they push one upon him. In a twinkling he catches her. He jumps up. “I’m not human, Tm not human!” says the woman, (as) she struggles. He lets her go. A Canada goose, she runs screaming away. The players became geese (and) flew away. Angrily the man got into his canoe. He went on, and again he listened. He hears a sound of men’s voices (and) disembarks. Back toward those who were speaking he went, under the bushes. There is a pond. Here are many men in the water, (and) some one is conjuring, a big man, a huge old man, a shaman, in an otter-skin parka. “Right here,” says he, it seems that you are now to perish.” “Nevertheless,” said they, “notwithstanding what you have told us, let us settle here.” Out of the grass bounds that young man. Down to the side of the shaman he bounds. The shaman became an otter. He dove and swam around; and all the men dove in the form of animals, mink and muskrats and divers and loons, and staid down at the bottom, while the young man became a hawk and flew off.

No’unne’gu

A wealthy young man named No’unne’gu seeks to marry Ka’muxa’isyuk’s daughter. Ka’muxa’isyuk, a powerful shaman, has previously killed No’unne’gu’s brothers using two brown bears. No’unne’gu overcomes deadly challenges, including retrieving lava stones from Siberia and confronting the bears. After marrying the daughter, he kills her in revenge for his brothers and leaves her body in her father’s fish-net.

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

Quest: No’unne’gu embarks on a perilous journey to Siberia to retrieve lava stones, a task assigned by Ka’muxa’isyuk.

Cunning and Deception: Ka’muxa’isyuk employs deceitful tactics, such as creating a storm and setting traps, in attempts to thwart No’unne’gu’s mission.

Revenge and Justice: After successfully completing the tasks and marrying Ka’muxa’isyuk’s daughter, No’unne’gu exacts revenge for his brothers’ deaths by killing her and leaving her body for her father to find.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Koyukon Lore

Learn more about Koyukon people

A story told in connection with the feast of animals’ souls.

No’unne’gu is a rich man, who has a parka of marten skins. He lives with several of his brothers at a place on the Yukon some distance above Anvik. He is the youngest of the family. Below Anvik lives a rich man, who has a wife and a daughter. His name is Ka’muxa’isyuk. He has two sons. They live in one of the Ingalik villages. Every year one of the young men of No’unne’gu’s family goes down to court Ka’muxa’isyuk’s daughter, but her father kills them, with the help of two brown bears that he keeps. Finally it comes No’unne’gu’s turn to go down. He is a strong man. Ka’muxa’isyuk sends him to Siberia to get tcachl (lava-stones) to put into the fire when the kashime is heated, so as to preserve the heat. He takes his baidara and sets out. He gets the stones; but when he starts to return, Ka’muxa’isyuk, who is a powerful shaman, creates a great storm.

► Continue reading…

But No’unne’gu has a charm bound up in his hair at the back of his neck. It is a small, black stone. He takes this out, and throws it toward the shore from which he has come, and a path of smooth water appears, while the waves rage on each side. The shaman thinks that he has finished him; but he gets back, with the stones. Then the shaman sends him into the woods for a load of fuel. There is a path under the spruces; but the two brown bears have been set to watch for him, one on each side of the path. He is not afraid of them, but takes one with each hand, by the back of the neck, and gives them a shaking and goes on. He brings back the wood and splits it in front of the door of the kashime, and makes a fire, and heats up the stones that he has brought. The shaman thinks that by sending him into the kashime while the fire is hot, he will cause his death; but he survives, and the shaman gives in, and lets him have his daughter. He takes her in his canoe and goes off; but on the way he takes off her parka, and ties a string around her neck, and throws her, screaming, into the water, and drags her until she is dead, in revenge for the death of his brothers. When he reaches her father’s fish-net, he fastens her body in it and goes home. The next day her father finds the body in the net, with the rope around the neck, and he understands.

The young man and the Ku’staka’

A skeptical young Tlingit man, disbelieving in the existence of the Ku’staka’ (mythical shape-shifters), camped alone and taunted them. One night, he encountered these beings, rendering him unconscious and attempting to extinguish his fire. Upon awakening, he found his gun missing, only to later discover it far from his camp. This experience instilled in him a profound belief and fear of the Ku’staka’.

Source:
Tahltan Tales
by James A. Teit
The American Folklore Society
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.32, No.124, pp.198-250
April-June, 1917
Vol.34, No.133, pp.223-253
July-September, 1921
Vol.34, No.134, pp.335-356
October-December, 1921

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The narrative centers around the young man’s encounter with the Ku’staka’, entities with supernatural abilities.

Cunning and Deception: The Ku’staka’ employ tactics to disorient and overpower the young man, such as rendering him unconscious and relocating his belongings.

Transformation: The protagonist undergoes a significant change in belief, shifting from skepticism to fear and belief in the supernatural.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Tahltan Lore

Learn more about Tahltan people

There was a young Tlingit who did not believe in Ku’staka’. He was not afraid; and when he camped alone, he called to them, and said, “You cannot harm me.” One night when he was camped alone, he heard noises. He started a large fire, and lay down beside it with his gun loaded. He saw a Ku’staka’, and was going to shoot at it; but the being saw him, and he became unable to pull the trigger. Afterwards he was so affected by its influence that he became unconscious. Then the Ku’staka’ tried to put out the fire by throwing snow on it, but did not succeed. After a while the youth awoke. He saw another Ku’staka’. He tried to shoot it, but, as before, the trigger would not pull. Again he became unconscious, and they tried to put out the fire, but it was too hot. When he woke up again, his gun was gone. When daylight came, he called loudly, asking the Ku’staka’ to return his gun. They never answered.

► Continue reading…

He heard no sounds, saw no one, and could see no tracks. He started for home, where the people were. The trail passed through a narrow defile between hills. Here he saw a stump with his gun leaning up against it. This place was a long way from his camp. After that the young man believed in Ku’staka’, and was afraid of them. [These events are said to have happened lately, since guns were introduced.]