Guwakaan
Káa
A Deer
Man
A story told to Albert Duncan
by his father Peter Duncan in the early
60's. On a cold winter day I went
out hunting in the woods. I walked through the cold
winter day as the snow fell down on the ground.
Without warning, a winter storm came in from the
North and soon there was a white out. I lost sense
of direction and could not find my way back out of
the woods. Suddenly a deer came in front of me. I
shot the deer and immediately cut it open. I put my
hands inside the deer's stomach and ate a piece of
the fresh stomach. By placing my hand in the
stomach, I was able to bring warmth to my whole
body. Eating a special part of the stomach, helped
me to keep my strength. When a deer is first shot
the hide will peel right off. I peeled the deer
hide off, cut around the arms, and left some meat
down on the end of the tail to keep the fur
anchored down. I put the fur on me with the fur
inside. The fur kept me warm, almost throughout the
cold winter night. The next day, a hunting party
came looking for me. When my friend came upon me he
became alarmed. He did not trust I was Peter
Duncan. He thought he had found the world of the
Land otter. I asked him to trust me and know that I
was not a land otter trying to trick him. The
natives believed that when you come upon a land
otter you chew and bite down on wood and you will
be safe from the land otter Kooshdaa. When he bit
down and could taste the wood my friend realized
that the man with deer hide was really Peter Duncan
and not the Kooshdaa.
© Albert Duncan December
23, 2000 Story is dedicated to all of
Peter Duncan's Family
Al recalled the story when
his wife showed him deer hides from the tannery.
That December arrival prompted him to share the
story with his wife, sons, daughters, and
grandchildren on a cold winter night.
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