An
exciting day today, having found another Alaskan oral variant of story
in the Charles Lucier Collection at the UAA Archives here in Anchorage.
This Eskimo variant, coming from Kotzebue in northwest Alaska, fits
quite clearly into Group C as described in my book (see pages 8-12).
But it is also unique in that the blind man's vision is not restored by
diving underwater with the loon, but by the loon laying the man down on
the shore of the lake and pulling something out of his eyes that allows
him to see again.
Another unique feature is that the loon's markings are the result of the blind man giving the loon a belt decorated with rows of caribou teeth. This is in contrast to the Indian variants in Group F where the loon's markings come from a gift to the loon in the form of a dentalium necklace. This belt, to my knowledge never mentioned in the ethnographic record, is taken from the blind man's sister, and it seems to have a ceremonial use, a kind of magical power. Perhaps some day such a belt may turn up in the archaeological record.
At any rate, here is the text of the story, which has never been published, as it was told by Ralph Gallahorn (Angnoiaq) of Kotzebue in Iñupiaq, circa 1950-1952 and translated by Judith Bailey. I typed it up from the original, which was written in pencil. There may actually be an oral recording of the performance in Lucier's extensive collection of tapes, but I will have to save that search for another day.
The Blind Young Man and the Loon
Charles Lucier Collection, Box 7, Folder 43, UAA Archives, Anchorage
Away on the coast there was a family living alone. The father was dead, there was only the mother and her son and daughter.
The son was a good hunter. He got caribou in winter and seals in summer. His mother was always busy drying caribou and seal meat. She was always tired because her son was such a good hunter.
One time when the mother was tired of her work, she put urine in the son's food. He ate the food that was mixed with his mother's urine. He began to be blind and got completely blind.
The son wanted fresh food, but his mother didn't give any to him. The dried meat from the animals he hunted was almost used up. The mother complained that they were getting short on food. When they ate, the mother gave her son only a little piece of meat. He got thin. His sister gave him food when her mother wasn't watching.
The son was very thin and crawled on hands and knees. When it was fall time, cool and dark, loons (malaGi) made noises, "Aa a a a", on a lake in back. He listened to the loons.
The son decided to go to the lake.
While his mother and sister were asleep, he searched for his sister's belt, the one with rows of caribou teeth all around. He found the belt and took it.
He crawled toward the lake. He heard loons hollering in the dark. He crawled toward the loons' voices and came to the edge of the lake.
He held up his sister's belt. A loon swam to him. The loon became like a human being.
The loon lay the blind young man down and worked on his eyes. The loon seemed to pull something from the blind man's eyes.
The light was so bright that he had to shut his eyes. Then he could see again.
The loon told the young man why he got blind. The young man gave his sister's belt to the loon to show his thanks.
The loon didn't know where to put the caribou tooth belt. The young man put the belt on the loon's wing.
The young man got strong again. He went hunting. The family lived there for one year: spring came and summer came. When belugas came, the son got ready to harpoon them from the beach.
Belugas came swimming close to the shore. The son harpooned a beluga. The mother and the sister helped to hold the harpoon line.
Then the young man wrapped the harpoon line around his mother. The beluga dragged his mother away.
Those caribou teeth stayed always on the loons' wings.
That's the end.
Another unique feature is that the loon's markings are the result of the blind man giving the loon a belt decorated with rows of caribou teeth. This is in contrast to the Indian variants in Group F where the loon's markings come from a gift to the loon in the form of a dentalium necklace. This belt, to my knowledge never mentioned in the ethnographic record, is taken from the blind man's sister, and it seems to have a ceremonial use, a kind of magical power. Perhaps some day such a belt may turn up in the archaeological record.
At any rate, here is the text of the story, which has never been published, as it was told by Ralph Gallahorn (Angnoiaq) of Kotzebue in Iñupiaq, circa 1950-1952 and translated by Judith Bailey. I typed it up from the original, which was written in pencil. There may actually be an oral recording of the performance in Lucier's extensive collection of tapes, but I will have to save that search for another day.
The Blind Young Man and the Loon
Charles Lucier Collection, Box 7, Folder 43, UAA Archives, Anchorage
Away on the coast there was a family living alone. The father was dead, there was only the mother and her son and daughter.
The son was a good hunter. He got caribou in winter and seals in summer. His mother was always busy drying caribou and seal meat. She was always tired because her son was such a good hunter.
One time when the mother was tired of her work, she put urine in the son's food. He ate the food that was mixed with his mother's urine. He began to be blind and got completely blind.
The son wanted fresh food, but his mother didn't give any to him. The dried meat from the animals he hunted was almost used up. The mother complained that they were getting short on food. When they ate, the mother gave her son only a little piece of meat. He got thin. His sister gave him food when her mother wasn't watching.
The son was very thin and crawled on hands and knees. When it was fall time, cool and dark, loons (malaGi) made noises, "Aa a a a", on a lake in back. He listened to the loons.
The son decided to go to the lake.
While his mother and sister were asleep, he searched for his sister's belt, the one with rows of caribou teeth all around. He found the belt and took it.
He crawled toward the lake. He heard loons hollering in the dark. He crawled toward the loons' voices and came to the edge of the lake.
He held up his sister's belt. A loon swam to him. The loon became like a human being.
The loon lay the blind young man down and worked on his eyes. The loon seemed to pull something from the blind man's eyes.
The light was so bright that he had to shut his eyes. Then he could see again.
The loon told the young man why he got blind. The young man gave his sister's belt to the loon to show his thanks.
The loon didn't know where to put the caribou tooth belt. The young man put the belt on the loon's wing.
The young man got strong again. He went hunting. The family lived there for one year: spring came and summer came. When belugas came, the son got ready to harpoon them from the beach.
Belugas came swimming close to the shore. The son harpooned a beluga. The mother and the sister helped to hold the harpoon line.
Then the young man wrapped the harpoon line around his mother. The beluga dragged his mother away.
Those caribou teeth stayed always on the loons' wings.
That's the end.
