Copper Eskimo Traditions 73 A 



48. The Mouse 



(Told by Ilatsiaq, a Kilusiktok shaman) 



A little mouse, a'vMyaq, whenever it visited the holes of the other mice, 

 would say: 



pulaqaynaxiuvu'ya hitaqaynao^iuvu'rja nuna'nun pi^-u^ui't-uya 

 "I always visit the others; I keep close to the holes and don't wander 

 about the land." 



49. The Mammoth 



Two Copper Eskimos said that, according to the tradition handed down 

 to them by their forefathers, the kiU'yvak was a very large animal whose feet 

 were doubled under. The ground cracked as it walked along. They had never 

 seen one themselves, nor any bones of it. 



50. The Mammoth and the Mtjsk-ox 



(Told by Ilatsiaq, a Kilusi'ktok shaman) 



Once the kih'yvak and the musk-ox agreed to change horns. The musk-ox 

 tried his new horns against a stone and broke them, so they changed back again. 



51. The Brown Bear 



(Told by Avranna, who learned it from Atqaq, an Eskimo from the Akiliniq 



or Thelon river) 



The brown bear once said: 



akxlat dnixuitune' yamik oki'umi ociyxiJl-un 



xitiqaiyune' yamif] opinya'qxami xiyxi-'t dniaya'yata 



dniya'yamik neqiq-aiyune'yamik xi.yxi.' ynik xiyxi-'t 



hitai'n xakdlakxuym 



"Brown bears don't do out in winter, there are no squirrels. They always 

 have holes. In spring, when the squirrels come out, they have plenty 

 of food from squirrels. The squirrels' holes they scratch up." 



52. The Rough Seal and the Wolf 

 (Told by Ilatsiaq, a Kilusiktok shaman) 



Once the wolf met a rough seal on the ice, both having the forms of men. 

 The wolf said to the seal, "Whenever an arrow is shot at me I jump quickly to 

 one side and it misses." The seal answered, "I too, whenever a spear is hurled 

 at me, dodge to one side." The wolf retorted, "I can jump out of the way 

 quicker than you." So the seal took a bow and shot three arrows in succession, 

 which struck and killed the wolf. Then the seal put on its seal-coat and dived 

 into the water. 



53. The Wolf 

 (Told by Uloqsaq, a Coppermine river man) 



In the first days, the wolf used to attack both men and caribou. To check 

 his ravages, people tied a fox to his tail so that he could not run. This rendered 

 him harmless, but some other people removed the fox, so now he is as dangerous 

 as ever. 



