Stories

Click on a story to discover the ecological knowledge it contains

Once, before there were any people in the world, the different animals and trees lived and moved about and talked together just like human beings . . .

A man and his wife were travelling with other people. The woman had a heavy load, and was following behind. She came to a hill where the people had slid down with their toboggans on the snow. Here she found a ball of fat which must have been lost from one of the toboggans . . . 

Coyote started to trot along. While he was on his way he met Turkey and her children. When he saw them the mother turkey was in front and all her children were following in a line behind her. Coyote thought this looked nice, with all the little turkeys in single file, so he said to Turkey, “Why is it, my cross-cousin, that your children always follow you in a line like that ?” Then Turkey said . . .

Among all the Kutenai there was sickness. They arrived at one town and told the news to one another. It was everywhere the same. At one town they did not see anybody. They were all dead. Only one person was left. One day the one that was left was cured. He was a man. He was alone . . . 

Coyote was going somewhere with some one. He was going to a dance with Coon. They returned to their houses. On the way a squirrel ran into a hole on the road. “You scare him out the other side,” said Coyote. “All right!” said the other. So he scared him . . .

There was a young man who went around alone one winter. He had neglected to provide himself with the proper stones for making fire before the snow came and covered them up. He was therefore obliged to carry fire with him wherever he went . . .