Two old women

Two old women is a short story by Velma Wallis that was published in 1993 under the English title Two old women. Appeared on Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival in Fairbanks .

Two old women hibernate alone in the wilderness.

A number in round brackets indicates the page in the source.

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Long before the Europeans arrive, nomads roam the polar region of Alaska in the constant search for game that can be hunted . The Gwich'in (111) people, belonging to the Athabaska tribes, roam the areas through which the Yukon River and its tributaries, the Porcupine River and Tanana River, flow.

One of these Gwich'in nomadic groups decides in the face of the severe winter and acute food shortages to simply leave two old women behind in the snowy wilderness.

The 75-year-old Sa ' and the 80-year-old Ch'idzigyaak remain speechless with shock after the chief announced the decision to them and the tribe made preparations to march. Before that, Ch'idzigyaak's daughter brings untanned elk skin to the two doomed people . Ch'idzigyaak's grandson secretly slips the two of them his ax. The tribe is indeed sneaking away. The two women sit there in silence. In their desperation, however, they want to die in action (25). Sa 'succeeds in killing a squirrel with the ax as a projectile . The two women eat meat broth by the fire. The women make rabbit traps and set them up. Two rabbits fall into the traps. The two women make snowshoes together and set off with walking sticks to the river where the tribe once fished successfully. On the multi-day march, they dig their makeshift tent in the snow every evening. Embers from the campfire are your best-kept treasure in your pack. The fire never goes out. In the morning, the old women fight against joint pain every time they march on. The women reach the river, but set up their winter camp in hiding, a long way inland because they fear not only wolves but also people and their cannibalism in the event of famine. Fortunately, the two old women can make a camp with smoked muskrats and beavers . After overwintering, they dry large quantities of fish in summer.

In the following winter, the tribe comes to the area. At the sight of the signs, the chief is convinced that the two old men must have survived. Even more. He thinks that if the old women are found everything will be fine (88). The tribe, again without any luck in hunting, is starving again. The chief dispatches the tracker Daagqq and a few young hunters. The weakened group staggered away. After a successful search, Daagqq sniffs the smoke of the fire of the two very successful old fisher women. At first, Daagqq goes to the camp alone. The women don't trust him. But Daagqq gives both of them his word: The men want to submit to the two women. The women hesitate for a long time. But they feel that Daagqq means it honestly, and in the midst of their piled up mountains of supplies they are very alone. They miss the tribe that abandoned them very much. However, they are not so quick to admit that. Despite deep-seated distrust, their hearts soften (95). The two old women give plenty of their provisions to the starving tribesmen. Ch'idzigyaak's grandson comes to the camp. The daughter is still ashamed. The mother and daughter finally reconcile. The tribe has received its lesson. Never again do they want to abandon old people.

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The fable is presented soberly - and therefore convincingly. Every step the old women take is believable. Because there are two women, buried in the snow, they can tell each other about their lives (with men) and thus timidly come closer to each other. The psychological changes in the story - from the initial horror, to trading, hoarding food and finally not wanting to give up supplies to the starving tribesmen - are quite understandable for the reader. There is thus a coherent prose work in which no break is noticeable.

Reading makes you contemplative. Some things only become clear after reading. For example, cannibalism is initially discussed. However, the problem solves itself in the course of action; namely, while the two old women are drying fish and smoking game, it becomes irrelevant. Nothing in the text is fanciful.

source

Velma Wallis: Two old women. A legend of betrayal and bravery , by Christel Dormagen. 129 pages. Munich 1994, ISBN 3-492-24034-8