Reading Notes: Alaskan Legends Part B

The First Woman

Three Young Eskimo Women

A long time ago, there were many men but no women, only one woman was known to live in the Southland. A young man from the Northland traveled South and married the woman, and thought to himself that now he had a wife whilst the headsman's son had none. Then the son of the headsman also traveled South and started pulling the woman away by her shoulders in the middle of the night. The husband awakened and also tried to pull the woman away, only by the feet, thus they ripped the woman in half. The son of the headsman took the upper body North, whilst the husband remained south with the lower body. They both then created wooden parts to complete the woman's body. The woman in the South was a really good dancer, but could not do fine needlework for her hands were wooden. The woman in the North could do fine needlework but was a terrible dancer because of her wooden legs. Even to this day, northern women are skillful with their hands, whilst southern women are good dancers, therefore the story must be true.

Story source: Myths and Legends of Alaska, edited by Katharine Berry Judson (1911).