Unit: Native American Hero Tales by Stith Thompson
The Jealous Uncle
The "Unnatural Uncle" was known for killing his nephews when they came to visit him in Alaska. His wife went to the mother of the two young boys that the Uncle had already killed and told her to hide the gender of the next nephew, if he were to be born a boy.
When another nephew was born, his gender was revealed to the uncle as female. The boy was dressed and told to act like a girl so that the Uncle would not kill him. The Uncle wondered why the child looked like a boy, so he exposed his nephew one day and found out the real gender.
The Uncle's wife and the boys mother wept when the Uncle demanded that the nephew be brought to him. When the wife and mother told the nephew about what had happened in the past, the boy went to look at his dead older brothers' belongings, in order to prepare himself. He found a piece of a knife, some eagle-down, and a sour cranberry.
The Uncle and the nephew went to fetch some wood and kept going further into the forest until they reached a bare plain. When they reached a big log, the Uncle told his nephew to jump in because a wedge had fallen in when they began splitting it. The Uncle knocked out the other wedges, trapping the nephew inside the log. The Uncle walked off leaving the helpless boy. The boy stayed for awhile and remembered his sour cranberry. He rubbed the interior of the log with the sour cranberry, causing the log to open its mouth. On his way back to the village, the nephew gathered some wood and left it at his uncle's door. The Uncle was determined more than ever to kill his nephew. The Uncle's wife threatened her husband not to kill the boy, for grief will come to him, but this did not change the Uncle's mind.
The second day, the Uncle told the boy to come and find some ducks and eggs. When they came to a steep bluff, the Uncle pushed his nephew off. But, before this, the nephew knew what his Uncle intended to do so he prepared by taking the eagle-down in each hand, between his thumb and finger. He floated easily down after his Uncle pushed him. The Uncle did not wait, so he could not see that his nephew was descending safely. The boy grabbed some ducks and eggs and ascended by holding up the down and blowing under it. The Uncle was surprised to see him again, and the next day, summoned the boy to go with him after clams.
These clams were large enough to enclose a man. The Uncle kept inching further and further out to find better clams. When the Uncle saw the biggest clam, he told the boy to go after it, and the clam enclosed the boy. The Uncle was happy and walked away, sure of his plan to kill the boy. The boy cut the ligament in the clam with a piece of his knife and slowly opened the valves on the clam. Once free, he gathered some clams and left them at his uncle's door.
Angrily, the Uncle made a box as a plaything for his nephew. When he sent for his nephew, the boy, like each time before, assured his parents that he would be back. This time, the boy said that he might be gone for a long time, but he will return.
*In many Native American cultures, "four" is the special number for storytelling. So, the uncle is making four unsuccessful attempts on the boy's life. 'Four' is an important thing to note in this story, as well as the importance of eagles.
The nephew got into the box because the Uncle wanted to see if the boy could fit into it. The boy felt himself on a boat from the waves. The box was lowered, and he felt his Uncle shove the box adrift in the sea. It was stormy and the boy often thought of himself as lost because of the multiple times the box was turned. The boy drifted for a time he was unsure of until he heard the waves beating against the beach. The box would stop for a moment but then float on again. This happened multiple times until the box finally stopped. He heard women speaking about the box in which he was contained. The women tried carrying the box, but when it was heavy, they untied it to see its contents.The boy saw two beautiful girls, a large village, many people, and to his surprise, he realized that they were Eagle people in Eagle land.
Adults had white faces and heads, like full grown eagles, and the young people, like young eagles, had dark faces and heads. He saw many eagle skins hanging about the village, and he was amused to see that when the people put on the wings, they turned into eagles that would fly, but when they took them off, they turned back into humans.
The two girls were the daughters of the village chief, who ended up giving the boy to the older girl. They lived happily, but he would often think about his family and his horrible uncle. When his wife noticed his depressed moods, she asked him about them. His wife learned of his past. She told her father (the village chief). The chief gave his son-in-law his eagle skin and told him to go visit his parents and bring them back to Eagle land.
When the eagle went back home, he grabbed a whale and left it on the beach so that all of the village would come and get some meat, but the eagle learned that his Uncle had mistreated his parents ever since he left. The eagle could forgive the uncle of everything except for the mistreatment of his parents, so he planned his revenge. The eagle swooped at his uncle four times, and on the fourth try, the eagle grabbed his uncle and dropped him on a high, steep rick not far from shore. The eagle took off his wings and told his uncle that if he could swim back, his life would be spared. The Uncle admitted that he could not swim and tried to plead with his nephew, but the nephew could not forgive his uncle for the mistreatment of his parents. So he turned back into an eagle, and dropped his uncle into the sea, where the uncle drowned. The eagle grabbed his parents and headed to Eagle land, where they lived happily.
The Jealous Uncle
The "Unnatural Uncle" was known for killing his nephews when they came to visit him in Alaska. His wife went to the mother of the two young boys that the Uncle had already killed and told her to hide the gender of the next nephew, if he were to be born a boy.
When another nephew was born, his gender was revealed to the uncle as female. The boy was dressed and told to act like a girl so that the Uncle would not kill him. The Uncle wondered why the child looked like a boy, so he exposed his nephew one day and found out the real gender.
The Uncle's wife and the boys mother wept when the Uncle demanded that the nephew be brought to him. When the wife and mother told the nephew about what had happened in the past, the boy went to look at his dead older brothers' belongings, in order to prepare himself. He found a piece of a knife, some eagle-down, and a sour cranberry.
The Uncle and the nephew went to fetch some wood and kept going further into the forest until they reached a bare plain. When they reached a big log, the Uncle told his nephew to jump in because a wedge had fallen in when they began splitting it. The Uncle knocked out the other wedges, trapping the nephew inside the log. The Uncle walked off leaving the helpless boy. The boy stayed for awhile and remembered his sour cranberry. He rubbed the interior of the log with the sour cranberry, causing the log to open its mouth. On his way back to the village, the nephew gathered some wood and left it at his uncle's door. The Uncle was determined more than ever to kill his nephew. The Uncle's wife threatened her husband not to kill the boy, for grief will come to him, but this did not change the Uncle's mind.
The second day, the Uncle told the boy to come and find some ducks and eggs. When they came to a steep bluff, the Uncle pushed his nephew off. But, before this, the nephew knew what his Uncle intended to do so he prepared by taking the eagle-down in each hand, between his thumb and finger. He floated easily down after his Uncle pushed him. The Uncle did not wait, so he could not see that his nephew was descending safely. The boy grabbed some ducks and eggs and ascended by holding up the down and blowing under it. The Uncle was surprised to see him again, and the next day, summoned the boy to go with him after clams.
These clams were large enough to enclose a man. The Uncle kept inching further and further out to find better clams. When the Uncle saw the biggest clam, he told the boy to go after it, and the clam enclosed the boy. The Uncle was happy and walked away, sure of his plan to kill the boy. The boy cut the ligament in the clam with a piece of his knife and slowly opened the valves on the clam. Once free, he gathered some clams and left them at his uncle's door.
Angrily, the Uncle made a box as a plaything for his nephew. When he sent for his nephew, the boy, like each time before, assured his parents that he would be back. This time, the boy said that he might be gone for a long time, but he will return.
*In many Native American cultures, "four" is the special number for storytelling. So, the uncle is making four unsuccessful attempts on the boy's life. 'Four' is an important thing to note in this story, as well as the importance of eagles.
The nephew got into the box because the Uncle wanted to see if the boy could fit into it. The boy felt himself on a boat from the waves. The box was lowered, and he felt his Uncle shove the box adrift in the sea. It was stormy and the boy often thought of himself as lost because of the multiple times the box was turned. The boy drifted for a time he was unsure of until he heard the waves beating against the beach. The box would stop for a moment but then float on again. This happened multiple times until the box finally stopped. He heard women speaking about the box in which he was contained. The women tried carrying the box, but when it was heavy, they untied it to see its contents.The boy saw two beautiful girls, a large village, many people, and to his surprise, he realized that they were Eagle people in Eagle land.
Adults had white faces and heads, like full grown eagles, and the young people, like young eagles, had dark faces and heads. He saw many eagle skins hanging about the village, and he was amused to see that when the people put on the wings, they turned into eagles that would fly, but when they took them off, they turned back into humans.
The two girls were the daughters of the village chief, who ended up giving the boy to the older girl. They lived happily, but he would often think about his family and his horrible uncle. When his wife noticed his depressed moods, she asked him about them. His wife learned of his past. She told her father (the village chief). The chief gave his son-in-law his eagle skin and told him to go visit his parents and bring them back to Eagle land.
When the eagle went back home, he grabbed a whale and left it on the beach so that all of the village would come and get some meat, but the eagle learned that his Uncle had mistreated his parents ever since he left. The eagle could forgive the uncle of everything except for the mistreatment of his parents, so he planned his revenge. The eagle swooped at his uncle four times, and on the fourth try, the eagle grabbed his uncle and dropped him on a high, steep rick not far from shore. The eagle took off his wings and told his uncle that if he could swim back, his life would be spared. The Uncle admitted that he could not swim and tried to plead with his nephew, but the nephew could not forgive his uncle for the mistreatment of his parents. So he turned back into an eagle, and dropped his uncle into the sea, where the uncle drowned. The eagle grabbed his parents and headed to Eagle land, where they lived happily.
Comments
Post a Comment