Book Description

The classic Koyukon tale "K'etetaalkkaanee" recounts the epic journey of a traveler, strong in spirit power, who traverses the North. As he follows the destined path, he effects the transformation of animals, establishes customs, defines features of the physical world, and illustrates practical wisdom. The tale is recounted in Koyukon, an Athabaskan language of Alaska, by storyteller Catherine Attla, and presented with paragraph-by-paragraph translation in English. A foreword and an introduction provide background information on the tale, its cultural context, the storyteller, and characteristics of the storytelling. Drawings illustrate the text. A companion volume by Chad Thompson contains an analysis of the tale. Introductory sections provide information about the Koyukon people, the storytelling tradition, translation of the title, the use of language in the stories, and culturally-based responses to Athabaskan stories. A detailed analysis follows of: the tale's episodes; the overall story, the asides made during its telling, and other Koyukon versions of the tale; characters, situations, and the role of time and place in Koyukon stories; and characteristics of other northern traveler stories. (Contains 108 references). (MSE)