 Tlingit Indians of Southeastern Alaska
This story was adapted from John R. Swanton's
Tlingit Myths and Texts (1909), page 108.
Illustrated for AME by Nancy Logue
Printed at the
Alaska Bilingual Education Center
Alaska Native Education Board
Anchorage, Alaska
for use in the
TLINGIT INDIANS OF SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
Social Studies Unit
Produced by:
ALASKA MULTIMEDIA EDUCATION PROGRAM
ALASKA STATE MUSEUM
JUNEAU, ALASKA 99801
RAVEN AND THE FOG WOMAN
Raven wanted to get married. He went to the
chief called Fog-Over-The-Salmon, who had a young daughter of marriageable age.
The chief was glad that Raven wanted to marry his daughter, but he said,
"You must promise to treat my daughter
well. You must have respect for her, and look after her. If you behave
badly, she will leave you and you won't get her back."
Raven agreed to what the chief demanded, and
the couple were soon married. They lived contentedly in the village near the
water all summer and fall. Then winter caine, and they were without food.
One, bleak rainy day, after they had been hungry
for some time, Raven's wife started making a basket.
"What are you making a basket for?"
asked Raven testily. "We have nothing to put in it."
His wife did not answer him, but continued making
the basket, until it was very big.
That night they went to sleep hungry again,
and the next morning when Raven woke up, he saw his wife sitting on the floor
washing her hands in the basket. He got up to look at what she was doing, and
when she had finished, there were salmon in the basket! These were the first
salmon ever created.
Raven and his wife were very glad, and they
cooked and ate the salmon. Every day, she did the same thing: she washed her
hands in the basket, and when she had finished, there were salmon in it. Soon,
their house was full of drying salmon, and they had plenty to eat.
After a while, however, Raven forgot that he
owed his good fortune to his wife. He quarreled with her. Every day they would
exchange bad words with one another; and in the end Raven got so angry that
he hit his wife on the shoulder with a piece of dried salmon! He had forgotten
the words of his father-in-law, the chief.
Raven's wife ran away from him. He chased her,
but when he tried to catch hold of her, his hands passed right through her body
as if through mist. She ran on, and every time Raven clutched her body, there
was nothing to hold on to. He closed his hands on
emptiness.
Then she ran into the water, and all the salmon
she had dried followed her. Her figure became dim and she slowly disappeared
into the mist. Raven, could not catch her, because she was the fog.
Raven went to his father-in-law, Chief Fog-Over-
The-Salmon, and begged to have his wife returned. But
his father-in-law looked at him sternly, and said,
"You promised me that you would have respect
for
my daughter and take care of her. You did not keep
your promise. Therefore, you cannot have her back."
RAVEN AND THE FOG WOMAN
Discussion
(Ideas for you to talk about with your friends or your teacher;
or you could write out your thoughts if you wish.)
- Why did Raven lose his wife?
- Do you think it would be easy or difficult to be married
to Raven? Give reasons for your ideas.
- Whom do you feel sorry for in this story? (You may feel
sorry for more than one person!)
Writing
| 1. |
The story doesn't say what Raven and his wife quarreled
about. Write a story about their quarrel in your own words. Get some of
these things into your story (but not necessarily in this order):
What Raven did to make his wife angry.
What the wife did to make Raven angry.
What both of them said and shouted.
Where they quarreled.
What they did and what they looked like when they
were quarreling.
|
| 2. |
What do you think happened to the Fog Woman after she left
Raven? Write a story about where she went and what she did. |
| 3. |
Write this story out as a play and read it, or perform
it to your friends. |
| 4. |
Write anything else that this story suggests to you. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MATERIALS LIST & GOALS
SECTION 1: Tlingit
Country
SECTION 2:
Clans
SECTION 3: Summer
Camp
SECTION 4: Tlingit
Economy: Surplus
SECTION 5: Wrap
Up
APPENDIX A: Brief
Description of Tlingit Culture
APPENDIX B: A Sample
Winter Clan House
APPENDIX C: Northwest
Coast Materials in ASD AVS Center
APPENDIX D: Juvenile
Literature on Northwest Coast Cultures
APPENDIX E: Art
Bibliography
APPENDIX F: Northwest
Coast Cultures Bibliography
APPENDIX G: Schools
Which Own Northwest Coast Study Prints
APPENDIX H: Raven
Stories (reprints)
APPENDIX I: Recorded
Versions of Clan Crest Stories
APPENDIX J: Some
Northwest Coast Art Activities
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