By Jordan Cryderman

“It was long winters, and the method by which we were taught, was by legends.”

To teach the young, Yekooche elder, Henry Joseph, says that elders convey lessons through legends. These lessons are passed down from generation to generation to teach many virtues of life.

These legends ultimately teach a child how to be an adult. They emphasize kinship, respect for living creatures, and respect for each other, humour, patience, and generosity.

Joseph says that when the baby is in the womb, the elders put their hands on the mother’s stomach and sing to it; grandparents, fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles. When they are born, they know these voices, and they become curious. The elders determine the youth’s aptitude, and then enhance that character by way of telling legends.

Henry clearly recalls a legend about a young hunter and the moon, and has a clear message about patience and opportunity. The hunter is in a hurry to go hunting, and he grows angry at the moon for taking too long to revolve around Earth.

“The window of opportunity is there – we take it. We learn about patience. The seasons will change, [so will] our opportunities to hunt throughout the year,” says Joseph.

“To us Indian time is not derogatory, it doesn’t mean you’re late. Indian time is all the time, we make the best use of our time.”

Henry Joseph was generous enough to share this legend with us. Mussih cho Henry for sharing this amazing story with us.

Stay tuned for more legends like this in the coming weeks! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up to date: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM-ItKQDmaRt7UbVn8T_P9A? 

Sources Used:

Brown, D. (2002). Carrier Sekani self-government in context: Land and resources. Western Geography, 12(2002), 21-67.