The Legend of Two Old Women by Velma Wallis, Alaskan Author

I admire those who follow the history of their ancestors, and, especially, pass down legends, stories to encourage the youth of specific cultures. After reading The Legend of Two Old Women, I wanted to learn about their present lives, so I found several videos that I enjoyed, and am sharing for your possible interest as well.

The air stretched tight, quiet and cold over the vast land. Tall spruce branches hung 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 old women 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.

On that day, something more than the cold hung in the air as The People gathered around their few flickering fires and listened to the chief. He was a man who stood almost a head taller than the other men. From within the folds of his parka ruff he spoke about the cold, hard days they were to expect and of what each would have to contribute if they were to survive the winter. 

Then, in a loud, clear voice he made a sudden announcement: “The council and I have arrived at a decision.” The chief paused as if to find the strength to voice his next words. “We are going to have to leave the old ones behind.”

~~~

Velma Wallis, an Alaskan writer from the Athabascan people, has been writing the legends handed by her ancestors and has received wide attention. I was honored to learn of her heritage...and, as an older woman, not yet as old as the Two Old Women, I gained a new perspective--perhaps, even hope, as I read their stories.

Is the legend totally true? To me it is irrelevant. It is clear that whoever the first woman or women who shared their story, wanted to make sure that change in custom needed to be made... just as some authors now write to bring about change in today's world. 

The Athabasca people were nomadic, moving as the weather changed, trying to keep alive by going where basic needs could be met. But some winters became so bad that death came on the winds, pushing the group to pick up and move again.

The two old women were old, but they still provided for The People by tanning animal skins in trade for support by others. But the arrangements for the two women slowed the others down. Even the daughter of one of them had voted to leave them. Custom had been established, still the daughter and grandson were devastated they had to choose and the mother was heartbroken at their betrayal. Of course, both women felt they were providing support and should have been allowed to continue...

This is the story of those two elders, as they watched The People walk away, leaving them with minimal support, assuming they would die soon...

“We are going to prove them wrong! The People. And death!” 
She shook her head, motioning into the air. “Yes, it awaits us, this death. 
Ready to grab us the moment we show our weak spots. 
I fear this kind of death more than any suffering you and I will go through.
 If we are going to die anyway, let us die trying!”
~~~

The book has small drawings to complement the story, while the writing is lyrically presented as gifted natural storytellers present. This is a book of despair, but courage that can only be found when a human is forced to deal with the reality that exists at any given time. 

Most of us will never know or comprehend this type of suffering and hunger, and fear as death walks behind, waiting. Yet, the stark reality of many of our ancestors shows us what we can really do if it is demanded. Even today, as we no longer fear the dangers historically faced, many of our elders, our older generation fear of hunger, fear of lack of medical support, homelessness...still exists!

Two Old Women is recognition of the strength of women, in particular. We are able to recognize and learn from the legends of former women, and men, who have worked to learn from the past and establish what will be our present and future. It is important to remember the past, see what happened, and move on from there..."if we are going to die anyway, let us die trying!"

Don't pass up this opportunity to read about Two Old Women... Highly recommended...

GABixlerReviews

Velma Wallis' career as a bestselling author may have been destined from the start, but it most likely would have seemed improbable - if not fantastical - to her as a young girl growing up in a remote Alaskan village.
Velma Wallis' personal odyssey began in Fort Yukon, Alaska, a location accessible only by riverboat, airplane, snowmobile or dogsled. Having dropped out of school at the age of 13 in order to care for her siblings in the wake of their father's death, Wallis passed her high school equivalency test - earning her GED - and then surprised friends and relatives by choosing to move into an old trapping cabin 12 miles from Fort Yukon.
For almost a dozen years, she survived on what she gathered from hunting, fishing and trapping - a daring and strikingly independent lifestyle during which she struggled to define her personal identity.
In fact, it seems difficult to separate Velma Wallis from the imagery of hardship and the mere pursuit of survival itself - which is actually the underlying theme of her first and widely successful effort as a writer, Two Old Women.
Inspired by an old Athabaskan legend passed on by Wallis' mother, Two Old Women follows Sa' and Ch'idzigyaak as they struggle to coexist with an unrelenting Nature as well as conquer extreme old age after being abandoned by their own tribe for fear that the two elders would cripple any chance of surviving the harsh winter. Determined to live and so disprove the tribe's belief that they lack social worth, the two women discover strength and self-confidence they never knew they possessed.
In this regard, it seems possible to read Two Old Women as a kind of metaphor for Wallis' own childhood and role as a once emerging - but now accomplished - writer whose legendary tale has sold 1.5 million copies and been translated into 17 languages worldwide.

It should come as remarkable, then, that Two Old Women is widely considered to be a word-of-mouth bestseller - what many have called a "publishing phenomenon" - gaining in popularity as mothers, daughters, teachers and mentors share the native wisdom of Sa' and Ch'idzigyaak amongst themselves.

Composed on an antiquated typewriter, the aspiring author's retelling of the Athabaskan legend seemed infused with magic from the beginning. Even so, the question of whether Wallis' work would actually be put in print was complicated by a lack of financial resources on the part of her publisher Epicenter Press, which was still in its infancy at the time of Wallis' submission.

But in spite of such a formidable challenge, a group of University of Alaska students taught by Lael Morgan - co-founder of Epicenter Press along with Kent Sturgis - started a grass roots effort intended to raise enough money to publish the manuscript. Since that time, Wallis has written two additional books - Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun and also Raising Ourselves.

The now middle-aged author currently divides her time between Fort Yukon and Fairbanks along with her three daughters. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including both the 1993 Western States Book Award and the 1994 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award for Two Old Women as well as the 2003 Before Columbus Foundation Award for Raising Ourselves.

Epic Story, The Legend of Tyoga Weathersby, Captures Early Life in America... Review of Book 1

It is hard to believe that The Legend of Tyoga Weatherby has taken an entire lifetime to write--but it's true. Well, not an entire lifetime, but I have spent a good portion of my nearly sixty years on earth as an observer, a quiet listener, a voracious learner, a student of early American history and a lover of the miracles of the natural world--those spectacularly displayed for all to observe and admire, and those as ethereal as the 'feel' of the deep woods at sunset.My cousin, Paul, and I grew up hiking the Appalachian Trail. Many of the scenes described in he book are places I have been, traveled through, and experienced first hand. We spent many nights camping under the stars, and several unforgettable evenings on the top of Old Mount Rag. The trail to the summit, and even the configuration of the rocks at the peak, described in the book are depicted exactly as they appear to this day.

The top of Old Mount Rag is unchanged from how it would have appeared to Tyoga in the 1700s. He would have undoubtedly taken a seat on the "top-rock" and gazed off into the horizon just as I have done. I am certain that his heart would have soared atg the majesty of the Appalachian Mountains, and that he would have wondered about the world beyond--just as I have done...

The Legend of Tyoga Weathersby

By  H. L. Grandin

Having lived in the same part of the country as does Grandin all our lives, I found much in his book that called to me, especially since I've moved to my 13-acre log cabin home where I'm surrounded by trees and hills where only nature in its glory is what I see from every window or door... I always read from the first page of a book, but it's not often that I use the preface as part of my review... But I must say that Grandin story begins right there with his own story. I can see why it took years to put his story on paper...he was too busy exploring, sensing the words of wisdom that he was to write about...

Tyoga inherited what is called the Awakening. There may be such a thing, but I feel confident in thinking that H. L. Grandin also awakened to the natural world around him so many years ago. This is why, I think, when you start reading, that his words seem to have almost a poetic flavor--a taste of the glory he, too, experienced while climbing over the rocks, looking up toward the hills and trees...or just listening to the stillness that is only broken by the chatter of a night animal or the howl of a lone wolf... Without the wolf beside him, there would not have been a legend that arose out of Tyoga's life... This is a mystical tale, a magical tale that only may come to those who become attuned to the natural world in all of its magnificence.  May this story allow you to capture that world...and as shown above, you, too, may decide to take that rough trail up to Mount Rag that, as the author says, is just like it was in the 1700s when the real story of this life began...

Riveted by the morning mist that cloaks the Appalachians in the mysteries of time, distance, and space, Tyoga Weathersby stood by his papa's side in the pre-dawn silence atop Carter's Rock. Even at six years of age, his love of all things wild and free drew him to the openness of the mountains, plains and valleys of the Blue Ridge with a siren's call that simply wouldn't be denied...

"Tyoga. When you open your eyes, it will be as if you are experiencing the world for the very first time. Don't be afraid. From this moment on, you'll be one with the trees and the air and the sun. The eagle will guide you. The raven will settle The whisper of the wind will prepare you. You will never know fear again...

The Weathersby family had been accepted by the nearby Native Americans, led by the great Chief of the Amonsoquath Tribe of the Cherokee. Tyoga became brother to Tes Qua Ta Wa. They went everywhere together and sometimes was joined by Sunlei, his sister. It was in the late 1600s and both boys were about 12 when it happened. Tyoga and Tes Qua were "seasoned mountain travelers" by then, out enjoying their favorite places to climb or fish. They had learned each other's language, just by trading off from one to the other routinely.  Tyoga had learned the dialect of the Amonsoquath just by being with them. Of course, he learned Tsalagi through imitation and mimicry...
Suddenly Tes Qua cried out; he had been caught in a bear trap; Tyoga had been ahead when he heard his screams. Not understanding what he was saying, Tyoga just turned to get back to him. Tyoga tried to open the trap to free him, but also realized that might not be a good idea. They decided that Tyoga should go get help... 

 

But then Tyoga heard one wolf, two and more...he knew he had to get back to his friend, else he would not make it. Tyoga had heard the change before... once the pack was formed, they would turn into killing machines... and they were there, surrounding Tes Qua... He had attempted to keep his fire burning but there were only embers now. Tyoga forgot everything else, he leaped from the surrounding bushes to stand between the wolves and Tes Qua. 

He knew immediately which was the Commander. His jump had unsettled them but they were still ready to move toward the kill...

It had started there and was finished there... You must read of this event yourself; otherwise, you will not believe..

Tyoga continued staring into the wolf' eyes, and watched as his own reflection silently dissolved away. With a curious sigh, and a blink of his eyes, the wolf released the young man from the embrace of their stare.

It was done.

Tyoga rose to his feet and backed away from the beast. The wolf lifted his head from the ground.

He heard Tes Qua screaming, "What's the matter with you, ty. Kill him. Ki8ll him or he's gonna kill us both."

"No, Tex 'A. It's over."

He looked down at the wolf lying at his feet.

"He could have called for help. He could have ordered us killed at any moment. But he didn't. And now the choice is mine." Bowing his head to approve the words, he added, "I choose mercy. Life is my gift."

Stopping his retreat, he said. "Ta oh hey, Wahaya." (Rest, Wolf.) 

"Ta oh hey peaose," (Rest in peace.)

~~~

And thus the legend was born. But that was only the beginning of the adventures in which Tyoga was thrown. And, somehow, Tyoga was always able to find his way out... Until...

With 400 pages, readers will move from adventure to adventure, one of which included Tyoga and Tes Qua being attacked by another tribe. During that fight and another, there were six braves killed. Finally, the Chief was called for an accounting, for repayment of the loss of that many braves, even though they had been killed by wolves... But it was a setup clear and unbreakable. The demand to repay the braves was for another brave to be given Sunlei so that she would bear children and replace the lost ones...

It appeared to me that Tyoga had not yet formally spoken for Sunlei because of the religious differences. He was embarrassed that he'd already had sex with her, as was common in the tribe. But for the white parents, it would have been sinful since they were not married. Now, it was too late. In order to ensure that there was not a war, Sunlei would have to become a bride to a cruel, evil man that wanted nothing more than to beat Tyoga one way or the other...

But there were too many making plans to free Sunlei, one of which was to kill the man she would marry... Finally, they did get her away, with the plan to send her to a relatives location. Tyoga even sent Wahaya with her which surprised everybody!

The three friends who had been together for most of their lives were now torn apart...Tes Qua was able to stay with his family, but Tyoga had vowed to leave on the same day that Sunlei was forced to go...

But the Legend of Tyoga had gone everywhere and even when he found himself starving, near death, he was found and nursed back to health and began one of the most fortunate parts of his life...

"Was it you that I saw standing in the woods watching me?" he asked.
"Yes. I watched you cross the Mattaponi and walk up to the tree. I could tell that you were hurt, and tired, and hungry; I was afraid to approach you because..." She stopped speaking and looked down at the group.
Tyoga finished her sentence, "Because I was running around naked and talking to myself."
"Yes," They both laughed out loud.

Trinity Jane and Tyoga worked together to build a home and later a town, which grew to be a major center in the area. Tyoga was many times called upon to help mediate and negotiate and became prosperous, although he and Trinity never married...

Virginia's First People were of the Mattaponi tribe

For me, this story responded to many things I love--the treasure of natural beauty, the concern for ensuring peace, without fighting or wars, the taming of the wild by showing concern and love... and that spiritual connection... I loved it for so many reasons, including being able to choose Grizzly Adams to fill in for Tyoga! Remember his program?! Loved it too! That, too, was a legend to be retold over and over..

When Tyoga once again meets Wahaya and Tes Qua, it is to find Sunlei... Second Book coming next...

GABixlerReviews

Spirit Cat

HL Grandin grew up in the shadow of history near Mt. Vernon, Virginia. As a boy he spent many hours exploring the hills, valleys and waterways throughout Virginia, which nurtured a deep appreciation for nature and its forces. Those adventures became the inspiration for The Legend of Tyoga Weathersby. For the past twenty-five years, HL has lived on a small farm in western Maryland where he and his wife raised three daughters and a passel of critters...

Review: Tania Maria Rodrigues-Peters Does It Again!

Image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/41408488@N00/105336366 via Flickr

 

Tania Maria Rodrigues-Peters...

Presents Her Latest...

The Legend of the Black Lake

I am always anxious to see the latest book by Tania Maria Rodrigues-Peters. Mainly because she creates not just a book--she creates an artistic masterpiece beautifully blending her words with complementary pictures. She also involves somebody from her native country, Brazil, as well as talk about where she lives now and gives full credit to those who work with her. Felipe Campos as illustrator and Paula Vaz-Carreiro as translator continued with her from her first book, Mozart in the Future. I also admire that she makes an effort to get her books out by automatically arranging for their translation to various languages.

Now I must say that Felipe Campos has provided so much more than illustrations for The Legend of the Black Lake.  Kudos to you Felipe for creating and allowing the artwork to become such a significant contribution to the overall effect of the book!

Tania uses this book to teach about prejudice, using a simple easily understood story of two teenagers who meet and fall in love.

The setting is in the Vorarlberg region of Austria where people far and wide come to see a strange sight--a "lake as black as the night." (p.10) One such visitor was a small boy who, when he saw the lake, begged his father to stop. He gazed at the lake, wanting to know why it was black. They saw an old man nearby and went to ask him if he knew why it was so black.

The little old man, who looked almost like a giant leprechaun to me, said that he did but it was a very, very, very old story. He even commented that it was like one of those love stories in books...and I added, thinking, like Cinderella or Snow White..

The little boy begged to hear the story, declaring himself a curious boy and he saw that even his father was now interested! (Have you ever noticed that lots of children's books are also wonderful to read as adults?)

And so the old man started telling about a time many, many years ago, in their village of Vorarlberg that there had been a family who had a very, very, very beautiful daughter named Katharina.  Her skin was white--very, very, very white, in fact--her hair was red and her eyes a deep blue. In fact her eyes might have been the same color of blue as the lake! For it was not black at that time...

Now Katharina was still young, but already sons of noblemen were starting to call. At that time, the parents chose the man to whom their daughter would be wed. Actually, Katharia was really not interested in meeting anybody! She enjoyed living near the lake and spent a lot of time sitting there beside the pure water.  The lake was so important to her that she treated it like a friend, admiring it and telling all her secrets there, even though she never got a response. In fact, the lake, "though mute, soaked up every word."(p. 41)

And then one day at the lake, she was frightened by finding a young man laying at her feet.  The boy was "black--as black as the night." She knelt to find out if he was alright--it didn't look like he was hurt, so she spent time admiring him, she thought him quite beautiful. Realizing he was sleeping, when he awoke  he explained he was lost and very hungry...his name was Paul.

Katharina immediately invited him home to eat, but Paul explained that sometimes people were afraid or didn't like him because his skin color was different. So Katharina brought food to him and they became friends.

Tania says so much in her stories and yet they are presented so that anybody will understand and be inspired. I loved this story. If I remember right, there was already a "legend" about the lake but I think you'll find that this is so beautiful a tale, that it just has to be the real reason that the lake is so very, very, very black! Ok, I enjoyed the "very, very, very" used by the old man!

Yes, it's for children...children of all ages from 5 to 105! Very, very, very highly recommended! Would make a beautiful holiday gift!

Book provided by
Publisher

G. A. Bixler

Review: The Untold Story of King Arthur - A Must for Historical Readers!

Arthur and Excalibur
The Untold Story
By Gordon Etherington
Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 9781425160388
302 Pages

Do you believe in the legend of King Arthur? Did he really exist as Britain's King, leading the battle to win over the Saxon invasion and begin merging the country under the High King? After you read Arthur and Excalibur: The Untold story by Gordon Etherington, all of your doubt might just disappear! No review could cover the breadth and depth of this book's content!

When High King Uther Pendragon saw a woman he desired, then he took her--even if she had drunk too much and was near unconsciousness. This time he wanted the wife of Duke Gorlois. Fortunately for Igraine, her maid caught the King in her bedroom, because she had proof of what had happened when she discovered she was pregnant! When Igraine realized this, she immediately called upon her old and wise friend, Merlin.

Merlin took charge of everything, having Igraine visit a sanctuary where she could have the child and afterward, leave the child to be raised there in his youth. Gwendolyn, a young woman in the village, became the only mother Arthur knew. Later, Merlin arranged to have Arthur live in the home of Sir Ector where he would be trained for his future role--although none of those involved in Arthur's life were aware who he was.

One small incident illustrates the type of detail in this book: When just a lad Arthur met his first bear! There in the woods he stood, waiting to see what she would do. And then a young cub appeared who had a large thorne in his paw that could not be easily removed. Arthur not only removed it but also prepared a compost to take the pain away. Arthur was known thereafter in the animal kingdom; and they later helped him in battle!

Arthur was still very young when it became necessary to bring him forward to be named as the rightful new High King. He had learned much, including a secret visit to a mystical cave, when he was called upon to challenge for the right to rule Britain. And, of course, he was selected by being able to pull the sword belonging to the High King from a stone (Excalibur came to him later!)

Readers we all know bits and pieces of King Arthur tales. However, Arthur and Excalibur will carry you through his entire personal life...and beyond, so that you will also know where Excalibur now rests! The story includes many battle scenes, much about Arthur's ability to pull together various people and gain continued and widening support. And you will also learn how he was finally betrayed!

The author gives credit to his story to a medium who led him in understanding and unlocking his knowledge and memories. This reviewer responds that in whatever way Gordon Etherington gained his insight, it has resulted in a comprehensive literary statement that is expansive in information, exciting in detail, and certainly plausible as The Untold Story of Arthur and Excalibur. An excellent addition to this early Britain historical period when King Arthur reined!

G. A. Bixler