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Two Old Women by Velma Wallis

by Caroline Tirona, Circulation on 2025-08-01T00:00:00-04:00 | 0 Comments

This story is about a legend that happened with the group of people called Alhabaskans who traveled the Yukon River and Chalkyitsik in Alaska. There were two old women who were left out by themselves because they were old and were slowing the people down in their search for food to survive the winter. The two old women (the main characters) were Sa (75 years old) and Ch'idzigyaak (80 years old).

Nobody in their group opposed it, not even their family. The two old women were left in the cold to die. But when they were on their own, both ladies decided that they would die trying. And they thrived and survived. They were able to hunt for their food, sew babiche and store food.

After a year their people went back to where they left them and were surprised that they were not there. They were surprised that they were in better shape than when they left them. They even had enough food to share with their people.

It was easy for them to share their stored up food, but it was not easy to forget what their people did to them. But eventually they did forgive them and since then, as the legends were told through each generation, no elderly people were left behind.

Cover Art Two Old Women [Anniversary Edition] by Velma Wallis
ISBN: 9780062244987
Publication Date: 2013-11-05

 

  


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