A hunter raised a wolf as a dog, and together they successfully hunted game. When the hunter’s brother-in-law borrowed the wolf-dog but failed to feed it properly, the wolf returned to its pack. The hunter sought the wolf and was given a magical feather by the Wolf chief. This feather, when pointed at game, would kill multiple animals in succession, ensuring the hunter’s continued success.
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
Conflict with Nature: The hunter utilizes the wolf’s natural instincts to hunt game, highlighting the relationship and tension between humans and the natural world.
Moral Lessons: The narrative imparts a lesson about respect and proper treatment of animals, emphasizing that mistreatment can lead to loss and consequences.
Sacred Objects: The golden-eagle feather given to the hunter by the Wolf chief serves as a powerful artifact with mystical significance, aiding in hunting.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Tahltan people
Once a man caught a young wolf, and raised him as a dog. He took good care of him, and gave him the best of meat to eat. When he went out hunting, and saw sheep or caribou, he showed them to his wolf-dog, who chased them to the bottom of the hills, where he killed them one after another. The man followed him, and opened and skinned the animals as fast as possible. The wolf lay down some distance away, waiting to be fed. As soon as the man cut up an animal, he gave some of the best meat and fat to the wolf. Thus, through the aid of his dog, the hunter always had an abundance of meat on hand. The people found out how the hunter obtained so much game, and were jealous of him. One day his brother-in-law asked him for the loan of his dog. He agreed, on condition that, as soon as he killed game, he would be careful to feed some of the best parts of each animal to the dog. They found a herd of sheep, and wolf killed them all.
► Continue reading…
When the man opened them up, he offered some of the entrails to the wolf, saying, “Here, dog, are some entrails. Dogs eat entrails, and you are a dog.” The wolf moved farther away, and looked at the man; then he moved still farther away, and looked again. The man called him; but he paid no attention to him, and left. The man went home and told the wolf’s owner what had happened. The latter at once arose, and said, “I must follow him.” After going a long way, he caught up with the wolf, and called him, but the wolf kept on. At last he came to the house of the Wolf people, and entered. It was a long-lodge made of brush, and within were many people. The Wolf chief was sitting there, and he recognized his Wolf-dog sitting next to him. The chief said, “Come in and sit down, and tell me why you have come here!” The man said, “I have come to get back my friend.” The chief answered, “He cannot go back with you. He is my nephew, and you did not treat him well.” The hunter said, “It was my brother-in-law, and not I; for myself, I always treated him well.” The chief said, “Well, if some one of you does wrong, it is just the same as if you yourself had done wrong.” This is why now, in hunting, when one person does wrong, it brings bad luck on all. The man was sorry that the chief would not consent to the return of the Wolf-dog. The chief said, “My nephew cannot return to you; but I will help you, as you yourself have always treated him well.” He brought out a large feather from a golden-eagle’s wing, saying, “This is what we Wolves use as bow and arrows. I will give you this: it is just as good for you as my nephew, or even better.” The man hesitated at first, but at last believed what the chief said, and accepted the present. The chief directed him: “Point this feather at game, and it will leave your hand and enter the body of the game next to you; pass through, and go on to the next, until all are killed that are there together. Watch the last one killed, for the arrow will be sticking in it. Push the nock of the arrow, and it will come out through the animal’s mouth. Then wipe and wash and dry it before using it again.” After leaving the Wolf people, the man saw some sheep, and thought he would try the feather on them.
The arrow worked in every detail as said, and killed them all. The hunter used it as long as he lived, following all the directions he had received from the Wolf chief, and thus had all the meat he could use. Because wing-feathers of the golden eagle were used for killing game, some Indians consider them lucky for procuring game, feathering their arrows with them, or wearing them on their heads, one feather on each side, when approaching game.
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