Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage, and Survival

by Velma Wallis

Overview

Based on an Athabascan legend passed along from mother to daughter for many generations on the upper Yukon River in Alaska, this is the tragic and shocking story--with a surprise ending--of two elderly women abandoned by a migrating tribe that faces starvation brought on by unusually harsh Arctic weather and a shortage of fish and game. The story of survival is told with suspense by Velma Wallis, whose subject matter challenges the taboos of her past. Yet, her themes are modern--empowerment of women, the graying of America, Native American ways.

Twenty years after its first publication, Two Old Women continues to be a publishing phenomenon, despite scant national publicity. This word-of-mouth book has been translated into seventeen languages, selling more than 1.5 million copies. This twentieth anniversary edition includes a new introduction by the author, new afterword by the editor, and a discussion guide for book-group readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780972494496
Publisher:	Epicenter Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/15/2004
Edition description:	20th Anniversary Edition
Pages:	148
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.41(d)
Lexile:	1030L (what's this?)

About the Author

Velma Wallis was born in Fort Yukon, a remote village of about 650 people in Interior Alaska, near where the Porcupine River flows into the Yukon. Wallis was raised in a tradtional Athabaskan family, one of thirteen children. When she was thirteen, her father died and she left school to help her mother raise her younger brothers and sisters. Later, she passed her high school equivalency exam and moved to a trapping cabin twelve miles from the village, where she learned to live off the land by hunting, fishing, and trapping. Wallis based her first two books, Two Old Women and Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun, on the Athabaskan stories her mother told her when she was growing up.

Read an Excerpt

The air stretched tight, quiet and cold over the vast land Tall spruce branches bung heavily laden with snow, awaiting distant spring winds. The frosted willows seemed to tremble in the freezing temperatures.

Far off in this seemingly dismal land were bands of people dressed in furs and animal skins, huddled close to small campfires. Their weather-burnt faces were stricken with looks of hopelessness as they faced starvation, and the future held little promise of better days.

These nomads were The People of the arctic region of Alaska, always on the move in search ,of food. Where the caribou and other migrating animals roamed, The People followed. But the deep cold of winter presented special problems. The moose, their favorite source of food, took refuge from the penetrating' cold by staying in one place, and were difficult to find. Smaller, more accessible animals such as rabbits and tree squirrels could not sustain a large band such as this one. And during the cold spells, even the smaller animals either disappeared in hiding or were thinned by predators, man and animal alike. So during this unusually bitter chill in the late fall, the land seemed void of life as the cold hovered menacingly.

During the cold, hunting required more energy than at other times. Thus, the hunters were fed first, as it was their skills on which The People depended. Yet, with so many to feed, what food they had was depleted quickly, Despite their best efforts, many of the women and children suffered from malnutrition, and some would die of starvation.

In this particular band were two oldwomen cared for by The People for many years. The older woman's name was Ch'idzigyaak, for she reminded her parents of a chickadee bird when she was born. The other woman's name was Sa', meaning "star," because at the time of her birth her mother had been looking at the fall night sky, concentrating on the distant stars to take her mind away from the painful labor contractions.

The chief would instruct the younger men to set up shelters for these two old women each time the band arrived at a new campsite, and to provide them with wood and water. The younger women pulled the two elder women's possessions from one camp to the next and, in turn, the old women tanned animal skins for those who helped them. The arrangement worked well.

However, the two old women shared a character flaw unusual for people of those times. Constantly they complained of aches and pains, and they carried walking sticks to attest to their handicaps. Surprisingly, the others seemed not to mind, despite having been taught from the days of their childhood that weakness was not tolerated among the inhabitants of this harsh motherland. Yet, no one reprimanded the two women, and they continued to travel with the stronger ones--until one fateful day.

Table of Contents

	Dedication	vii
	Acknowledgements	ix
	Introduction	xi
Chapter 1	Hunger and cold take their toll	1
Chapter 2	"Let us die trying"	17
Chapter 3	Recalling old skills	31
Chapter 4	A painful journey	45
	Map	74
Chapter 5	Saving a cache of fish	77
Chapter 6	Sadness among The People	93
Chapter 7	The stillness is broken	107
Chapter 8	A new beginning	123
	About the Gwich'in People	137

What People are Saying About This

Ursula K. Le Guin

This story speaks straight to the heart with clarity, sweetness, and wisdom.

Reading Group Guide

Introduction

Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River area in Alaska, this suspenseful, shocking, and ultimately inspirational tale of survival follows two old women who are abandoned by their tribe during a brutal winter famine. Though these two women have been known to complain more than contribute, they now must either survive on their own or die trying. In simple but vivid detail, Velma Wallis depicts a landscape and way of life that are at once merciless and starkly beautiful. In her old women, she has created two heroines of steely determination whose story of betrayal, friendship, community, and forgiveness will carve out a permanent place in readers' imaginations.

Questions for Discussion

1. Two old women are left to die so that the rest of the tribe might have a better chance to survive, but they do not die; in fact, after overcoming incredible environmental conditions and physical limitations, they survive the winter and prepare for the next better than the tribe. What does this story illustrate about society? How does it seem a particularly "American" story (consider the role of the individual versus the group, attitudes toward overcoming adversity, the physical environment)?


2. The two women rediscover skills they had not used in many years. If they had never been abandoned, they would never have discovered what they are capable of. What do the two women gain and lose from this experience?


3. Compare and contrast the two women. How do their histories contribute to their survival?


4. Are you surprised when you learn that these women who have lived and worked together did not really know each other? Why do people who live together or in close proximity keep an emotional distance? Does the story of the two women suggest that intimacy makes for a better quality of life?


5. The chief regrets his decision to leave the old women. Was the chief's decision the correct one? What if the women had died -- is your answer the same?


6. The women are left with all their belongings, which ultimately was crucial to their survival. Why did the tribe allow this, especially in light of its own desperate circumstances?


7. Ch'idzigyaak is heartbroken when her daughter and grandson allow her to be abandoned. Do you blame them? What would have happened if they had stayed behind with her? How does their relationship change?


8. Though this story describes an ancient culture's mores, in what ways does it resemble modern life? Compare the role of women in an Athabascan tribe with modern day American women.


9. What does this story tell you about how Athabascans view women? How does Two Old Women compare with other fablelike feminist stories, such as Lilith or Persephone?

About the Author

Velma Wallis was born in 1960 in Fort Yukon, a remote village of about 650 people in Interior Alaska. Growing up in a traditional Athabaskan family, Wallis was one of thirteen children. When she was thirteen, her father died and she left school to help her mother raise her younger siblings. Wallis later moved to her father's trapping cabin, a twelve-mile walk from the village where she lived alone intermittently for a dozen years, learning traditional skills of hunting and trapping. Wallis lives in Fort Yukon with her husband, Jeffrey John, and their two children.

Editorial Reviews

"Though these women have been known to complain more than contribute, they now must either survive on their own or die trying. In simple but vivid detail, Velma Wallis depicts a landscape and way of life that are at once merciless and starkly beautiful. In her old women, she has created two heroines of steely determination whose story of betrayal, friendship, community and forgiveness 'speaks straight to the heart with clarity, sweetness and wisdom.' "

--Ursula K. Le Guin

From the Publisher

Growing up Gwich'in (one of the 11 distinct ethnic peoples of Alaska) in Fort Yukon, closer to the Arctic Circle than Fairbanks, Wallis had been hearing all her life the legend of the two old women abandoned to die by their starving tribe. Their own children abetted the cruel (not, incidentally, just to Western civilization) tribal decision. Wallis' rendition in serviceable prose of this culturally famous story is somewhere between translation and what is sometimes called "re-creation". The tale (which has a happy ending) deserves a place in every regional collection but has a greater appeal, too.

Roland Wulbert