Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Wallis Velma

Author:Wallis, Velma [Wallis, Velma]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

At nightfall, when their daily chores were completed, the women wove the rabbit fur into blankets and clothing, such as mittens and face coverings. Sometimes, to break the monotony, one would present a woven rabbit-fur hat or mittens to the other. This always brought wide smiles.

As the days slowly passed, the weather lost its cold edge, and the women savored moments of glee—they had survived the winter! They regained what energy they had lost and now they kept busy collecting more firewood, checking the rabbit snares and scouting the vast area for other animals. Though the women had lost the habit of complaining, they grew tired of the daily fare of rabbit meat and found themselves dreaming of other game to eat, such as willow grouse, tree squirrels, and beaver meat.

One morning, as Ch’idzigyaak awoke, she felt something was not quite right. Her heart pumped rapidly as she slowly got up, fearing the worst, and peeked out of the shelter. At first, all seemed still. Then suddenly she spotted a flock of willow grouse pecking at some tree debris that had fallen not far away. With trembling hands, she quietly got a long, thin strand of babiche out of her sewing bag and slowly crept out of the tent. Selecting a long stick from the nearby woodpile, she fashioned a noose at the end and began to crawl toward the flock.

Nervously, the birds started to cluck as they became aware of the woman’s presence. Knowing that the birds were about to take fight, Ch’idzigyaak stopped for a few minutes to give them time to calm down. They were not too far from her now, and she hoped that Sa’ would not awake and make a noise that would scare away the birds. With knees aching and hands slightly trembling, Ch’idzigyaak slowly pushed the stick forward. Some grouse excitedly flew away to another patch of willows nearby, but she steadfastly ignored them as she continued to lift the stick slowly as the remaining birds walked about faster. Ch’idzigyaak concentrated on the grouse closest to her. It made small movements toward the noose, its head nodding back to front. As the birds started noisily to run and fly off, Ch’idzigyaak shoved the noose forward until the bird’s head slipped right into it. Then she jerked the stick upward as the bird squawked and twisted until it hung motionless. Standing up with the dead grouse in her hand, Ch’idzigyaak turned toward the tent to find her friend’s face wreathed in smiles. Ch’idzigyaak smiled back.

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