I

The Boyhood of Ekeuhnick

Ekeuhnick was the name of a man of ancient times. His name was given him by a prophet called Aungayoukuksuk. After the prophet gave him his name, Ekeuhnick learned many things that would come to pass for his people. The Eskimo ancestors, Ekeuhnick’s people, respected Ekeuhnick a lot because he knew more. He led his people into a better living of their life. Even though these people did not use their minds very much, they knew how to govern themselves. There were no fights among them; and they did not know what war was.

When Ekeuhnick, before he got his name, began growing to a boy, he was already different than the others. Everyone noticed it. He always helped the older men and women and everyone liked him.

When Ekeuhnick was a small boy, his father took him to a mountain. It was some distance away from the place the family stayed. This large mountain had many springs. Most of the animals would go to one special place to drink the very clear water that flowed down from under the mountain top. The mountain was too steep for the animals to climb. Ekeuhnicks’s father told him: “This mountain is so sharp men and animals cannot walk on it. We believe it is forbidden for us to go to the top.”

The boy and his father looked to the east. There was a great big mountain far off. Ekeuhnick’s father told him: “No one knows what kind of a place that is, in that country where that mountain is, because no one has reached it yet.”

“Here we are, we know every slope and river by this mountain. Below it, at the springs, many different kinds of animals we know about come to drink water. Son, you may reach that far off mountain when you grow up, if you live long enough to reach it.”

The boy heard his father. Finally, he turned to him and asked: “Where do the people go when they die?”

“I do not know,” his father answered. “That question — it is very hard to answer it.” The father went on, “We take the bodies and put them deep down in a cave. This is like when your grandfather died. That is where we put his body.”

“Most of our people live for five generations to come. Most men and women live to see five generations. They are active people.”

Many years later Ekeuhnick grew up to become a young man. He was muscular in body and very strong. Everyone considered him to be the most developed and muscular man of all, for they had never seen anyone like him. He did everything well and excelled in all things done by the people of his area. He was a helper to his people and yet he was a young man. He was always doing his best to help whoever needed it. His father was very proud of him because he never made any trouble to anyone. He was always concerned about whatever he might find and tried to find better ways of doing things. Lots of people could see that Ekeuhnick was a different person from many of the other boys and young men.

He was a peaceful person with a friendly manner toward people. He was quiet and always ready to smile or help anyone. Sometimes he wanted to be alone and would work in his mind to think. Sometimes he told people to try to make some things to be useful to them. Other times he made them happy by doing things for them.

II

Aungayoukuksuk Comes

A long time ago, when Ekeuhnick was a young man, he always went to watch the animals at the springs that flowed from the mountain top. It was the place he visited with his father when he was a boy. Ekeuhnick went right to where the animals drank the clear water coming down from the top of the mountain. He saw many kinds of animals there. He approached close to those animals and yet they did not seem to be afraid of him. He walked all around them. All they did was just look at him. Many times after this, the man went to this place.

One day when he went to see the animals, there were none. No kind of animals went that day to drink water. Ekeuhnick went to the place on a warm sunny day, and like a dream, he saw in a vision all kinds of animals around the spring. He saw all kinds from an elephant to very small creatures. He was so surprised he stopped. He marveled at what he saw. He said to himself: “Why do I see all these creatures?”

Someone answered him. Whoever spoke, it seemed at first that the voice came from very far off. Then it came closer and closer, but the young man could see no one anywhere. There was only a voice that said: “Come here to me.”

The young man looked around for where the voice came from. He heard, “I am here, Ekeuhnick.”

The man looked where the voice was coming from. Here he saw a bearded and aged old man. His hair was gray and also his beard. His beard was hanging down. The young man was terrified. He had never seen any man like him.

The old man beckoned to him. He said: “Do not be afraid of me.”

Ekeuhnick moved with slow steps toward the old man. Then, Ekeuhnick stood before him. The old man said: “Please sit across from me so we sit face to face to each other. I will tell you who I am. I come as a prophet to your people.”

The old man began to talk. He told the young man that the earth would one day begin to shake. He said that after the shaking, this big mountain where they were sitting would soon blow up. He told how all the animals would move to a different part of the world. He said it would get so cold that plants of all kinds would freeze. Even the fruits and berries would freeze up from the cold.

He said: “I have seen you come to this place many times. I have come to meet you here where lots of animals come to drink the water from the springs. I have chosen you to be a leader to your people who are living in many places. I will meet you here this same place several times to teach you things that will be happening to this part of the world.

“I have chosen you because you are different than the others. You are intelligent. You are active and you already have some knowledge. You must carry all you learn and repeat it to the people. You must tell them what will happen to them. Each of them will be destroyed in all the places that they live together.

“First, when the trouble will be coming, the ground will shake off and on. The trees and rocks will shake so bad the trees will fall on the ground. Rocks will slide down. This will be a warning of the disaster to come, only no one will die this time. This thing is called an earthquake.

“I want you to tell each individual about the earthquake so they can learn from you about what will be next to come.”

Aungayoukuksuk pointed to the mountain standing over the spring. “Next, what will happen is this big mountain will erupt one of these days. Before it happens, you may tell your people to leave this country and go into another place some distance from here. All around this mountain will be desolation. All the living creatures will be gone. You will give direction to your people whichever way you want them to go.”

Next, the old man pointed his finger to the sun and to the moon. “These two take care of the earth. The sun keeps the cold climate away from this land. In days to come, this western country will depart away very slowly from the sun. The climate will be cold here. The heat of the sun will not reach the earth, making a warm climate like you have now. There will be only about six months of warm summertime.”

“You must come tomorrow,” the old man said. “There are many things to learn and events which shall come to pass that I will tell you about. You will pass this along to your people.”

Ekeuhnick started toward his people’s place. He looked back at the springs. The old prophet was gone — disappeared. Ekeuhnick was amazed. He remembered what Aungayoukuksuk said and he went to tell his people.

III

Aungayoukuksuk Teaches

The next morning Ekeuhnick sent another man out to spread the news about the prophet, Aungayoukuksuk, to the people in many places. Ekeuhnick went back to the springs to meet the old man and to learn more from him. The prophet was already there. He was glad to see Ekeuhnick present before him.

At this time the old man told him: “I will give you Wisdom and the Power of Imagination because your Eskimo people have none of these. You have to make every effort to teach them many things they have to learn to do to live in the changes to come. You must organize yourselves and struggle to live when this time comes. Now, the people live without problems. You will have to encourage them into a process so they will learn a new way of life. When this climate changes they will never know how to survive from destruction.

“The earth will depart farther from the sun every month. Soon the sun will run behind the moon. This is an eclipse. This will be the first disaster. The whole land will see it. It will happen all of a sudden. No one will know when it will be. Even the birds and animals will not know. It will be all unexpected when it happens.”

The old prophet continued teaching Ekeuhnick. He told him: “You must try to advance your learning and understanding, no matter what it is you are doing. Accept it and do it. You and your people will go through great difficulties and afflictions in time to come. One of these days you and your people will find a new way to live. The present ways of life you are in will change. I tell you, before the changes come, you must prepare yourselves. This continent will be changed and it is going to be a different country altogether. You and your people will have to begin to use your minds to think. If you are wise enough, you will come through.

“Now, after the earthquakes and the eruption of this big mountain, for years to come, new plants will grow. Your future will change to meet the different climate that will come. The sun will be afar off because the earth itself will be changing. It will be moving away from the sun. When this time comes, you will be surprised to see how different the weather is. The earth will turn away from the sun, changing the weather.

“Before anything happens to all of this country, but after the disaster comes, your people must find another place to live by. I want to tell you I will direct you to a mountain in a land which will be a good land for your people.

“I have seen you come to this place often to watch the animals big and small. You always enjoy looking at them. You drive the wild animals away from the caribou and the little creatures. The wild animals just look at you. They do not seem to be afraid of you.

“I have watched you, and I have chosen you to be a prophet and a leader for your people. You will tell them of things to come before them like earthquakes or other things to harm them. When you go home you must tell them to move out of this place. In three days this big mountain will erupt and will burn the ground. A big fire will flow out from it. After it has done that, I want you to come back here. I want to talk to you, same time, two days after the eruption. Come back one more time before then and we will talk.”

No sooner than the old man said the last words then he disappeared. He was nowhere that Ekeuhnick could see. Ekeuhnick looked all around for him, but he was gone.

With much wondering, Ekeuhnick returned to the place his people were staying. He told them about the prophet and what he had said. He told them that this ground will earthquake and that the big mountain will blow up any time. He told them: “Aungayoukuksuk said we must move far away before three days when the mountain will blow up. Before this happens, we must move.”

So, in the morning they moved.

IV

How to Tell Time is Passing — The Eskimo Calendar

After his people had moved a safe distance from the mountain, Ekeuhnick went back to the spring. He started before the sun went down toward the west. When he got there Aungayoukuksuk was sitting in the same place. He raised his hand and said: “Ekeuhnick, I am waiting for you. We will study weather tonight and we will carve a four corner stick for a calendar. At this time I will teach you how to keep track of the month of each moon. When the moon becomes a full moon that means one month has passed. The days all together in that month make up the time from one full moon to the next one, and we will give them a name.

“The Eskimo calendar has twelve months for one year. It has names for each month. Each month is told by something to remember. April is the time of the New Year. To keep track of the months, Eskimos must carve a four corner stick. Along each side, on the edge, a notch will be carved out for each of the twelve months. A string of rawhide can be tied on the end of the stick and the calendar stick should be hung up in every home.

“When the moon is full in April, a notch is cut to show the start of the New Year. Every time the moon is full, a new notch is cut on the same edge of the stick. When the next year comes, a new edge of the calendar stick is started. Eskimos keep track of the months by the moon, not by the days passing. Each calendar shows the time passed for four years.

“The months are named this way:

V

How to Tell Weather

Now, Aungayoukuksuk had told Ekeuhnick about the Eskimo calendar. It was still daytime. The old man said: “Come, Ekeuhnick, sit at this place and I will tell you what will happen many years from now. This will come in your time.

“This part of the earth will change as the northwest part of the country moves farther and farther away from the sun. Now we all can see that the sun is close to this part of the earth. We will notice the wind has come and the sun is not so warm any more. Late in this year, there will come a cold time. You will see a snow. It is a real white snow and it will come and stay for some months. Then it will become warm weather again. This snow weather will be called “winter.” Those other months will be called “summer.” All together, twelve months to a year.

“Tonight, I will show you how to go by the moon and stars to tell weather. You must tell your people about this. Keep this way to tell about the weather the same always. Never change because the stars never change where they are except two stars and Totoruk — the Caribou Stars.”

Aungayoukuksuk drew a picture in the wet mud by the spring. It looked like what is called the Big Dipper today. He said: “This is Totoruk.”

They built a fire when evening came. It was getting dark. The sky was cloudless and bright stars appeared in the blue sky. The old man watched the stars. Aungayoukuksuk said: “Ekeuhnick, tonight I will teach you of the stars. You have to teach the others. Then they can teach their descendants from now on. Those stars in the sky will tell you what you should do and they are your guides at night. When it is dark you will know which star will be for your direction.”

The old man pointed out Totoruk. He said: “On that end where the stars make a curve from the four in a square, the last star points west. It means the night has begun when you see it. When it comes to point straight up to the north, then time has come to midnight — half way through the night time. When it points east, the morning is coming.”

Next, Aungayoukuksuk pointed to two stars. “If these two stars are far apart the spring weather will be long with good seal hunting. When they are far apart it means a long spring and a time to go out hunting the sea animals. If those two stars are close, it is also good hunting for little fawn skins. You can tell how those stars move by the third little star beside the star on the right. These stars are called Pingahsuit tooahut, wise men.”

“Look, now you see those stars are very still. That means that you will not have wind. If they are blinking, in one or two days there will be wind.

“You watch the clouds, you watch the sun and the moon. You will know what the weather will be by watching them. Watch your stars and you will learn your weather. Remember this and teach others so they will keep knowledge about how to tell weather from generation to generation.

“If the moon is quarterly and it dips very low, there will be stormy weather that month. If the moon dips so low it looks like the bucket of a man who is pouring water out, it means that in the spring there will be lots of sea animals as well as land animals. There will be lots of birds in the air and on the land. When the quarterly moon’s dip is very high upward that means it will be very dry good weather.

“The sun rises at the east and sets in the west. Remember that the stars at the end of Totoruk point west, then straight north, then east, and then south. The wind comes from the west, then from the north, then the east, and then from the south.”

Aungayoukuksuk said: “You must repeat this to your people. Everyone will know what it will be at each month. You have learned that which no one knows. There are some more things you must learn.

“Whenever you see water rise, even if it is nice weather then, if the water is real high along the water line of the big bay or ocean, that will mean bad weather will come. If a south wind blows, it will mean this high water came with the wind. When the water is low, it will mean that the northerly wind will blow. When the east wind blows and then turns to south wind, it will bring warm weather and rain.

“When the west wind blows and then turns and the wind blows to north, it means dry and clear cold wind and snow in winter. In winter east wind and west wind usually bring a snowstorm. In summer the east wind and south wind bring rain and fog.

“Soon the winds from the west will become cool. Then the wind will turn to the north. That will be a very cold wind. The east wind will come in wet and bringing rain. When the east wind turns to the south, it will blow much harder and bring great rains.

“Now, remember what I have told you. There will be summer and winter. Soon you will see white snow, but only in winter. Tell your people to prepare for winter. It is going to be long and cold and freezing. Even the rivers and lakes will become hard on top. They will be frozen and covered with ice. Your people must be prepared to keep warm.”

Aungayoukuksuk told Ekeuhnick to leave him and to return when the time came after the ground shaking and the mountain burned. Then he disappeared.

VI

The Warning

On the third day after the people moved, Ekeuhnick went to the spring again before the sun went down. He rested and watched the animals drinking at the springs. He enjoyed seeing them. Later, he started back toward the place his people lived.

Suddenly, he could feel the ground shaking under him. Three times the shaking of the ground passed under his feet. Then he heard a roaring and a loud rumble. He looked back and saw that the great mountain was blowing up. The noise got worse and worse and he began to get scared. A big black smoke came out from the top of the mountain. A terrible red tongue of fire came out of the smoke. At the same time, red hot coals came out from the top and rolled down the side of the mountain toward the old place of his people. Ekeuhnick began to hear all kinds of confusion. He looked around and saw many kinds of birds and animals running and flying toward him.

The animals were all running away together, big and small, and the birds in the air. As the animals passed by, Ekeuhnick jumped up and rode on the back of a scared stampeding bear. He held it tight by the neck so they could keep up with the other animals. There was so much noise from the birds in the air and the animals he could not hear the noise of the mountain or anything else.

Together Ekeuhnick, the birds, and the animals fled fast away from the mountain. The birds and animals, every living thing was running and flying at the same time, all in the same direction.

Ekeuhnick’s people, far away and safe from the mountain, heard an awful noise like a terrible bellow coming from behind them. Everyone turned and looked. A great spear of fire was coming from the top of the mountain. Red hot coals flowed around and down the mountain from the top. Everything was blazing all around it. There was a red-orange color rolling all the way down from the top of the mountain to the bottom. The people were amazed and very frightened. Now those people began to see the things Ekeuhnick had told them about. It was happening, and his words were true.

All the birds and animals around began running and flying across the plain. They made so much noise that the people got more scared. It seemed everything on the mountainside was burning and the fire was coming down on to the plain below the mountain. The people could see birds and animals running away before the fire and coming towards them.

The animals were traveling so fast that soon they came near to where the people were standing. Then Ekeuhnick jumped off the big bear. He joined his people. He was relieved when he looked back at the mountain so far away from them. His people were glad to see Ekeuhnick. They thought he was burned up by the mountain fire. Now that his words were coming true, they would talk together more about the things Aungayoukuksuk had foretold.

VII

The Last Visit of Aungayoukuksuk

Two days after the eruption, Ekeuhnick woke up early and went to where he used to meet with Aungayoukuksuk. It was cold and the wind was blowing. The weather turned good when he came round to the place of the old man. He saw Aungayoukuksuk still sitting there in the same place. He was glad to meet Ekeuhnick again.

“Now,” said the old prophet, “You are to become my servant so you may serve and lead your people. You must go beyond this mountain on a long journey.”

Ekeuhnick sat down face to face with Aungayoukuksuk. He looked around the place. He saw a great change. There was only black rock, like water frozen, everywhere. There was no kind of green living things around and not even a bird or animal anywhere. He saw that the water was still running from the springs same as ever. The place seemed deserted, it was so quiet.

Aungayoukuksuk raised his arm and pointed to a mountain in the far distance. They could just make it out with their eyes. The old man said: “You and someone should look into that distance. You will learn lots of things. It will all be new to you. You will now have the Power of Imagination in your mind of things not present to your senses. This is going to be a very important part of your trip to that mountain. It will mean much to you and to your people in time to come. It will be of very much value to them when you go to that mountain. Nothing will involve you or take your mind from the important thoughts you will be thinking on your journey.

“You will find a country beyond that mountain. Take one of your men with you and go investigate it. You will like it. On your way the Power of Wisdom will be with you and you will be amazed at the things you will see every step you make. You will become an expert person about the changed way of living. You will find different and new resources to bring to your people that they will use. You must reside there beyond the mountain for a few months until you find a land to reserve for your people’s use.”

The mountain Aungayoukuksuk pointed out seemed so far off, it looked small from where they stood. The old man said: “You have to go to that mountain. It will take a long time to reach it. There, no people are living. On the way to that mountain, on every day’s journey, you will learn and discover many useful things. You will take advantage of the country as you pass through. You will learn how to help others with their problems from the things you will see and learn on the journey.

“All the thinking you will do will come in the form of Imagination. It will help you to find new ways to live and to make those ways useful by thinking about things in images. You must use your imagination all ways. You must make it begin to work and to picture things for you. It will make your journey easier for you.

“I will give you Wisdom, and your people will honor you because you are wise. Your wisdom will lead you into great honor from your generation and the generations to come through the centuries.”

Those were the last words the prophet spoke. He disappeared.

Ekeuhnick felt fear and he was astonished. He said: “I must tell my people what I have heard.”

This was the last time the prophet, Aungayoukuksuk, was with Ekeuhnick. Now he must carry on alone. He must start to obey the instructions from the prophet. He must become a servant to his people as well as a leader. He must begin to learn how to advise and lead his people. He must learn the new ways by observing the animals and birds. He must use his Power of Imagination to see how the people can find food and keep warm in the hard cold days to come. He must use his Wisdom to make his journey and then return to help his people.

VIII

The Disaster

Soon after Ekeuhnick’s last talk with Aungayoukuksuk, the words of the prophet began to come true. The sun was very warm one fine morning. Many different birds were singing in the trees. The moon was sailing before the sun, but the sun was not very far behind. Everything was the same as ever for the people. They were enjoying themselves and the children were playing.

Ekeuhnick looked up and saw the sun was almost touching the moon. Later he looked up again. The sun touched the moon. It seemed the sun was going behind the moon.

Soon every person around was watching. They waited to see what was going to happen. They even began to ask Ekeuhnick: “Why is the sun so close to the moon?” Ekeuhnick told them they had better prepare for the change coming to the land. There were some who did not seem to believe him. Others, with Ekeuhnick, moved near a great cave close by the place they were staying. These are the only ones that survived when the disaster came.

They watched the sun. Soon a quarter of the sun moved behind the moon. The eclipse had started. The warm weather changed to cool. Later the whole sun passed behind the moon. Everything on the ground had white frost. The cool weather turned to very cold and it was freezing everything. The wind started to blow from the north. It seemed the cold spread all over the whole universe.

All the living green plants froze. Everything outside the cave froze before it was over. The people with Ekeuhnick went into the cave and built a fire to keep warm. There were lots of other people around the country, but they did not stay in a cave. There were not so many caves around that country. Most of those ancient people froze to death because they had no place to keep warm and no clothes to cover their bodies.

The sun and moon traveled together for three days and three nights while Ekeuhnick and four families huddled in the cave. On the fourth day the sun came out before the moon.

It was warmer again, but not so warm as before. Now the people could see what had happened to the earth. When the sun came out the frost began to melt and the green plants had changed into many colors. The frost had damaged every plant, leaf, and grass. The leaves of the trees had blown away in the wind. The country was very quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the wind. Not even birds could be heard.

When the people woke up on the fourth day and came out of the cave to find frost on the ground, they were still naked, like before the disaster. They were so very cold.

Ekeuhnick began to walk around. He found dead animals on the ground. He went to look for people not with the others in the cave. He found lots of them frozen to death. Ekeuhnick looked around for birds and animals. He saw only a few of the large animals.

The weather was cold, even though the sun was shining. It seemed the sun was far away from the earth. Ekeuhnick found the ground cold to walk on. His body was cold, too. He looked at the dead animals. He skinned some of them and took the hides to cover his body. He took some skins to wrap around his feet. Now, he felt warm. He could walk around and he felt better. He came back to the others and told them to do what he had done. He told them to look for dead animals to skin. Those men were tough. They looked all over for the dead animals and took the skins off. Soon everyone had some skins or furs to cover their body and skins to put on their feet. Now they were not so cold and they could look at the changed world around them.

IX

Clothes

When the disaster came, people did not wear clothes because the climate was warm. Now they covered their bodies and feet with skins of the animals and birds, but this did not work very well. There was no way to make clothes. Ekeuhnick was the only one who could design clothes, even though he was a man. He had the Power of Imagination.

Ekeuhnick went to work in his head, using the Power of Imagination. He saw in his mind how the clothes of people should be. He saw how arms and legs should be covered, too.

Ekeuhnick went into the trees and found a big piece of wood. When he found one the right size for a man, he worked and cut it until it was like his own shape. He looked at it for a long time. He tried to see in his imagination the best way to cover it so he could keep warm and still move around. He decided it most likely would take two pieces for a body cover. These would have to be made from hides of the animals. This meant they would have to be fastened together some way because the animal skins were not the right shape for a man. He thought about how skins could be held together.

Ekeuhnick found a piece of bone. He made it very sharp on one end. Next he made a hole in the end of the bone that was not sharp. After he cut some animal skins the right shape to cover his wooden image, he cut some strips of skinlike strings. He also took some of the tendons that look like string from the bodies of the animals whose skins he was using. First, he made a hole in the edge of the hides with the sharp end of the pick. Then he put the “thread” he had made through the hole in the end of the pick. Then he bound the edge of the skins together by “sewing” them. He made a shirt and a pair of pants and soft boots to protect his feet.

Ekeuhnick came back to the cave and showed the people what he had made. Ekeuhnick helped the womenfolk to make clothes out of animal skins. He helped with both men and women problems. For a long time the clothing of the people was made according to Ekeuhnick’s pattern. And, very good warm clothing it was, too.

X

Fire

Keeping a fire going in the cave to keep the people warm was not easy. Everyone had to work to keep the fire going. They were afraid it would go out and they would get cold because they could not start it again.

One day Ekeuhnick found a stone that could throw sparks. He discovered that when the stone was struck by another rock he could make the sparks go where he wanted them. He picked a plant that looked like cotton. When he put that cotton and grass together and threw sparks into it, it would make a fire.

Later on the journey, he found another way to make a fire, also. He discovered that if one end of a dry stick were twisted fast on the flat side of another dry stick, it would get real hot and burn.

He took a piece of dry wood that was wide and laid it on the ground. The other piece was rounded on the bottom. He made a little dent in the flat wood so the other stick would stay in place. Then he took his bow and looped it around the stick that stands up. When he moved the bow back and forth, the stand-up stick whirled real fast. He put the cotton plant around the dent. When the cotton started to burn, he put it in some dry grass. Pretty soon he had a good fire going.

Now the people did not have to worry any more about getting a fire to keep warm or to cook their food.

XI

Snow Comes

Ekeuhnick got along fine with his people because they respected his position of authority. Yet, the people had no feeling of inferiority. It was just that his knowledge was different in relation to that of the people. He tried to obey the words of Aungayoukuksuk and to do whatever he said to do. He did his work without any complaints. Somehow, he took more pride and enjoyment in what he was doing than anything he had ever done before. He saw that for the first time each man was necessary for the living of the whole people. The changed land meant everyone had to help each other in order to survive.

There were some large animals still alive. Those had hair on their skin. Very few birds came through the disaster. Many of the people of the land were frozen to death. Only those who stayed in the cave survived. There were only four families left.

Ekeuhnick thought about the changes that had come already. “Now the people have clothes, but they cannot just pick up anything to eat like they did before. They have lost their rich and easy way of living. Those times have passed away. Now the only way to live is to kill any of the animals for our food. They must also save food for the season of stormy days because it is cold and not so easy to keep warm in the cave or to hunt when the bad weather comes.”

The people were still living in the cave where they stayed during the disaster. One day one of the men went out to see the weather. When he stepped outdoors everything was covered with white about an inch deep. More white was falling from the sky. It was snowing.

There was a heavy cloud hanging overhead. It seemed the stormy weather was still coming. This was the first snow-stormy weather these people had ever seen. Later the wind began to blow. It blew the snow away, but that was not the end. The wind kept getting stronger. The people could not go out of the cave until the storm had stopped. When the men went outside after the storm, they found that the snow could cover everything and anything.

They picked up the snow and tasted it. It became water and there was no taste to it. This new thing could melt and become water when it melted. They had never seen anything like it before in their lives.

A man called to his wife to come out to see the something white. She was surprised to see what was there. She picked some up with her hand and it seemed to disappear, but it left water. She found that the snow made her hand feel cold to hold it.

Ekeuhnick said: “No wonder Aungayoukuksuk said the weather would change. Now it has come true.”

The people could see that now they would have to have warmer clothes. They would have to learn to make better skin clothes. They would have to have a warm place to live. They would have to have fires to cook their meals and a fire to keep them warm. They could see they could not live in caves because it was not warm enough.

XII

The First Net

One day Ekeuhnick walked around in the woods. Among the trees he saw a spider web. There were a few flies in it. He sat down and watched. Soon the spider came and ate the juice out of the flies. Then, while Ekeuhnick watched, the spider left. Another fly came and got caught in the web.

Ekeuhnick thought: “Suppose I make a string, small and light, out of the hide of a small animal. I could make a net just like this web to catch fish.”

So, he prepared to make a web to catch fish from the water. He made thin strings from caribou hide. He knotted them together with even spaces between the knots to make a mesh. When it was complete, he put the web he had made in the creek and set it by fastening it to the bank. Sometime in the morning he looked into the net. Some fish were caught in it.

From then on, every man made a net. Some made them out of the sinews of the big animals with different size spaces between the knots so the nets had many kinds of meshes to catch the different kinds of fish. Now that the men could catch many sizes of fish, they began to dry them to use when the fish were not so many in the rivers and the cold weather came.

XIII

The First Boat

One day Ekeuhnick went down to the river to look for fish to eat. The wind was blowing from the south. It was a stiff, windy day. While he looked for a fish along the bank of the river, the wind blew off a dry leaf from a tree.

The leaf landed in the water. It was curled up and the stem stood up high. The wind carried that leaf across the water without damaging it. The leaf could ride on top of the water, and so nicely landed on the other side of the river. Ekeuhnick sat down on the bank and looked at that leaf.

He thought about it. He said to himself: “Now, that leaf sailed over on top of the water across the river. Why can’t a piece of wood float over the same as a leaf?”

So, he cut some dry wood and shaped it like the leaf. He put on a stick for a mast and a leaf for a sail. He let it go on top of the water. That thing sailed across just like the leaf.

Ekeuhnick had discovered how to build a boat. He was very pleased to find something so useful. Now he could take the good news back to the families. Before this, all they used on the water was a raft. Ekeuhnick could see that a boat that could sail on the water was not like a raft. It could go any place by using the wind.

Ekeuhnick made a model of a boat out of cottonwood bark. All of the men helped him to build it. When the boat was made, they tried it. All of them tried it, going across the river with it. They were all proud of their work. Now they would not have to use a raft any more. Soon, all the men had boats to use.

XIV

The First Houses

One morning Ekeuhnick went out into the countryside with many problems to think about heavy in his mind. This was because the world itself was changing. He thought about how his people must face this new climate without ever having known any way of living except the time when the country was warm. He pondered deep in his head about it. The people were not prepared to protect themselves from the cold or to find the food they needed now that the plants and animals were scarce. He could not follow Aungayoukuksuk’s instructions about the journey to the distant mountain until his people were able to survive in the changed times.

Ekeuhnick was worried. “How are we going to be when something else is added to this that we are already going through? Those people sure need some kind of home. This cold season is going to be awful.”

Ekeuhnick found a dry place and sat down in the dead grass. It was a good place for thinking, he decided. He looked down beyond his foot. He saw many ants. They were busy and it seemed they were building something.

He bent forward to get a close look. He watched them. He saw one go into the ground carrying a short grass into a hole. Other ants went into that hole, all carrying short grasses. When they came out they had nothing to carry. He looked into that hole. He saw those ants were working in the hole down in the ground. He could see a pile of dirt in front of the hole that they had hauled out from under the ground. They had replaced some of the dirt with dry grass to keep the cold weather out of the empty space.

“Now,” Ekeuhnick was thinking, “they are very small yet they build a place to live and keep warm. We people are big and strong. Why, we could build a home — a warm place to keep us out from the cold like the ants do. Those ants found a dry place to build their home. They sure are busy bringing grass and food into a dugout house made from a hole they made in the ground.”

Ekeuhnick went back to the cave and told the other men about what he had seen. He led those men down to the ants to see the dugout house. After they ate their dinner, the men sat down around Ekeuhnick. He explained to them how the ants build their homes. They all agreed to build a house so each family can have their own place. Ekeuhnick told them: “We must look for a dry place to build the dugout houses. We must help each other so we can all have a home.”

They were all willing to do it the way Ekeuhnick wanted. Ekeuhnick and the men sat and made a plan to make a house for each family. The men looked around for a place to build the houses. They picked a good place to build. It was a high, real dry place with lots of woods around it, a creek running water, lots of animals around, and fishes in the river nearby.

Next morning the people started to build. The first day they made two homes. On the second day they made two more. Now every one of the families had a home. The womenfolk cut grass for the floor and to lay on. They would use skins to cover themselves when they lay for the nights.

Ekeuhnick made a hole for smoke to go through in his house. He tried it by building a fire in the house. He really succeeded. The fire warmed the house and the smoke raised up and went out the hole. Soon everyone had a fire place in their house.

People began to pick the green leaves of different plants that they liked to eat. They put them in a pouch of skin to save them for winter time. The first short cold season they did not realize any of the problems until too late to prepare for winter season. By the next warm season they learned. That summer time womenfolk gathered plants and berries, dried fish, and gathered some wood with a stone axe. They also learned to dry meat from animals.

They picked and stored blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, and salmonberries for winter use. They had found out they could not live without greens and berries in winter time. They had already tried it, and it was not good.

After this time the people followed everything that Ekeuhnick said to them. They had seen how he used his mind. Everything that came to his mind he thought about and looked at in his head through the Power of Imagination. Whenever Ekeuhnick thought of a plan, he tried it out. When it worked, he went and told the people about it. The people looked around. They could see that those who survived the first disaster had warm clothing and a warm home.

Ekeuhnick felt happy because the people had become successful in living in the changed climate. So far they had survived the disaster. They were looking at the things they found around them and trying out ways to make them useful so life would not be so hard.

In those long ago, ancient times, people’s knowledge and thinking were slow to come. Everything was new and different. The people were learning to survive and to live with the changes that had come to their land. Their minds began to work one way or another and they began to live by their thinking. It was hard for them to start thinking to do things so differently at first. Now, each one’s own mind could do that which they could never do before. The living had really changed for both the earth and the people.