This tale is about two elders living among a band of people in Alaska. They live off the land, hunting, fishing and gathering what they can to survive. The story begins with a harsh winter, game and other food are sparse, and the group struggles to feed themselves. In a desperate move, the Chief and group council decide to leave behind the oldest, weakest of the group, two women named Ch’idzigyaak and Sa’. These two old women don’t do much and are always complaining. This has been done before, leaving people behind, but the women never thought the same would be done to them.
The group leaves them with their belongings, a hatchet and strips of rawhide, called babiche. Babiche can be used to make fastenings, animal snares or snowshoes. The women are hurt and stunned by the actions of their people, but they decide that if they are going to die, they will die trying to survive. They begin their attempt to survive, by building a fire and setting traps around camp for small game.
The women decide to move to a fishing ground they remembered from their youth. They packed all their belongings on sleds and walk for days to get to this camp. Along the way they make snowshoes, mittens and hats from the small game they catch. They are surprised at how well they can still perform these skills.
Once they reach the fishing ground, they work to insulate the area and set up animal traps. Their work pays off, they regularly check their traps, and fish. They have more than enough, store what extra they have, and survive the winter.
Spring and summer come and winter is approaching again when the Chief and his people return to the old camp in search of food – they are not doing well. Game was scarce and they are starving. The Chief finds signs that the women were there but moved on. He sends a tracker, named Daagoo, and a few young men out to look for them.
Daagoo finds them and the women reluctantly let him enter their camp. Daagoo informs the women that their people are starving and have returned to the camp where they were abandoned. He explains that they are a search party sent by the Chief to look for them. The women are suspicious and do not trust their people’s motives. They agree to help but only from a distance. The men agree and relay their findings to the Chief. The Chief and the group agree to respect the women’s wishes and accept their help. Slowly, over time, trust and respect is rebuilt, with lessons learned. The women are now a valued part of their community.
During the winter, these two women were successful and their people were not. Ch’idzigyaak and Sa’, who were older, not as strong or fast, relied on past experiences to find a better camp. They were too old to catch big game, so they set several traps for smaller. They stored and packed away their extra food, which is why they were able to survive the winter and help others. These two women who were thought to be weak and useless by others, proved themselves to be strong and valuable. In the end they saved their people. Two Old Women by Velma Walis is a great story! People of all ages should give it a read.