14. The Hunter’s Wife Who Became a Beaver[2]

A man and his dear wife went out hunting raccoons. He went to his hunting-ground where they had been many times before, and he

built his hunting-lodge there. Many days passed by after they had reached this place. One morning the man went out to put up his raccoon traps, while his wife staid at home in the camp. The man came home late in the evening; and two days later he went to look after his traps, which he had put up a few days before. He had built many all along the valley. When he came to his traps, they all had caught animals, and he set them again. Then he carried the raccoons to the camp, and his wife was very glad to see her husband’s good luck. Late at night he finished his work, and on the following morning he began to skin the raccoons, and his wife helped him. They dried the skins and the meat, and both worked all day until late at night.

On the following day he went again to his traps, and he caught more than he had before. His wife helped him carry the animals to the camp, and early the next morning they skinned the animals. The woman was very happy because her husband had caught many raccoons.

The sun was shining on their camp when she went to the place where her husband was working. She said, “My dearly beloved husband, just look at me for a while!” The man had no time to look at her, and did not pay attention to what his wife said. She, however, forced him to look at her. When she thus compelled him to look at her, the man said, “You are no better than these raccoons.’

Then the woman was very much ashamed, and left her husband weeping. She sat down on the bank of a brook that ran between those two mountains. There she was sitting and weeping; but her husband did not pay any attention to her, because he had much work to do with the animals he had killed. The woman continued to cry. When her husband saw this, he said to her, “Stop crying, my dear, and come home with me!” but she replied, “No, I won’t; I am no better than these raccoons. I am ashamed on account of what you have said to me. Go away! I am no better than the raccoons.”

She cried again; and so her husband went away, and went on with his work. She continued to weep. Before the sun went down she felt very warm, and therefore she stopped crying and went down to the little river to cool herself. She took gravel and small pebbles and dammed up the water to make a small pool, in which she intended to swim. Soon the water began to rise to her knees. Then she took more stones and gravel to dam up the water. There was a rock in the middle of the pool which she had made. She went there and rested on it.

When the sun went down, her husband came down and called her ashore; but she refused to come, and said, “I am no better than your raccoons. I am much ashamed on account of what you said to me.” Then the man saw her swimming about in the pond. Late in the night he went home; but his wife was still in the water, and staid there all through the night. The man did not sleep. He hoard his wife striking the water with her apron whenever she turned.

Early the next morning he arose and went down to look after his wife. Then he saw a lake below the camp, and his wife swimming about in it. Therefore the man stood on the shore of the lake and cried, “Come home, my dear wife! You know I love you better than any one. Come home, now! Do come home!’ She replied, “No, you love the raccoons better than me. I [shall never come back to you. She still worked at her dam, and she would strike the water with her small leather apron whenever she dived.[1]

Then the man was very sorry. He kept on watching for several days, and would call his wife to come ashore; but she would only reply, “I am” very much ashamed on account of what you said to me. Go home, and tell my brothers that I am not dead. [ I am going to live in this lake all by myself.”

Therefore the man went down to his village. When he reached home, he went to his wife’s brothers and told them what had become of his wife. Then these six brothers went with their sister’s husband to the hunting-ground. When they reached there, behold! there was a large lake between the two mountains, and a beaver’s house in the center. The six brothers stood on the shore of the lake, full of sorrow, together with their brother-in-law.

Then the eldest one said, “My only sister, we have come to take you down to our home.” Then she came swimming and stopped in front of them, and said, “No, I will not come. Leave me alone! I am well off here. My husband is not angry with me, but I [am ashamed of myself. No, I will never go down with you, but look well after my poor husband! Don’t hurt him! I intend to stay here by myself. Any time you want to come, visit me.” After she had said these words she dived. ‘Then the six brothers lifted their voices and wept. She emerged on the other side of the large lake.

Then the brothers went home full of sorrow. After two months had passed, they went up to the valley again; and when they reached there, there was a very large lake between the two mountains. It covered the whole valley; and they saw their sister diving, and they saw also three large round objects floating in the middle of the large lake, with three young beavers on them.

The woman had been very good-looking. Her hair was reddish. The brothers were standing on the shore weeping, and their sister came toward them, Then the eldest brother said again, “Will you

not come down with us?” but she could not speak a word. She just dived in front of them. Her leather apron had become a beaver’s tail, and her body was covered with dark-brown fur. She was afraid that her brothers had seen her children swimming about with her.

Then the brothers went home again full of sorrow. The six brothers could not forget her. The following spring they went again to visit her, and they found the large lake full of beavers. There they stood on the shore weeping: and as they stood there weeping, behold! a large Beaver came toward them with a green cottonwood tree in her mouth. Her face was not yet covered with hair. Then the eldest brother said to her. My only sister, will you not come down with us to our house?” but she could not speak. She just dived in front of them, seeming to say that she could not doit. Then the brothers wept bitterly and went home once more.

Now, the brothers considered what they could do with their sister, and finally decided to break the dam. Therefore the following spring they set out, went to the lake that their sister had built, and they worked, trying to break down the dam. Before they started their work they had seen that the large lake was full of beavers, but their sister was not among them. Then they worked on until the dam began to break down and the water burst out; and before the lake was emptied many beavers came out of the empty lake. All the beavers escaped and fled away from them, and scattered all over the land, but the mother-beaver was not with them. Therefore when the big lake was empty, the brothers went into the lake-bed to see if their sister were still there. They went into the beaver houses, and at last they found her right in the bottom of the lake. Her body was all covered with fur, but her face was still the same. She could not speak. Her finger-nails were like animal claws, and her leather apron had become a beaver tail. She was glad to see her brothers. She died right there, because she was on dry ground.

Therefore the people say that all the beavers are females, not males, because the woman was their ancestor. and also because the woman’s hair was brown, therefore all the beavers have brown fur, no black. His is the end.