Essay for Week 10: Bestiality

Bestiality

(The product of a human and animal reproduction. Source)

This week's reading unit that I chose was Native American Marriage Tales. This unit proved to be very interesting and far-fetched in the ways of comprehending the origins of their creation. I did not enjoy this week's reading as much as I did last weeks. I do love Native American stories, but only the ones that have some tangible base in explaining something like why Loons have red eyes.

The issue I had with this week's Native American stories was the reoccurring motif of bestiality. This practice was woven into every story I read. I do not understand why some of the stories accepted bestiality like The Piqued-Buffalo Wife while others denied the practice like The Dog-Husband. The tribesman married a buffalo and it was accepted but the dog had children with a tribe daughter and the girl was left for dead.

Last week's reading was fun and had a connection to explaining certain phenomenon throughout the land. It seemed as though this was the way that Native Americans comforted themselves in knowing the ways of the world. It was innocent. The bestiality of this week's readings though, were unsettling and weird.

I cannot for the life of me figure out what phenomenon reproduction with an animal explains in the real world of Native Americans. The fact that these ideas occurred through the stories makes me wonder if Native Americans practiced bestiality at any point in history. That might explain the acceptance of the act in some stories but not in others. Maybe it was a progression of the culture that accepted bestiality in earlier times. Upon European culture being introduced to the land, maybe the evolution of this acceptance turned to disdain which would explain the inconsistency in the stories.

Another explanation could simply be that accepted practices of other things, not just bestiality, might have varied from tribe to tribe. Just as cannibalism was not seen really outside of the Karankawas. Each tribe believes differently. The interesting thing about this though, is the fact that reproduction with an animal was a concept in every tribe whether they condoned it or not.I just don't think bestiality is a good thing...like many other people of the U.S. I'm sure.

Whatever the reason for this motif, it made for very interesting stories to read this week! I can't say it was my favorite, but I can say it was definitely a page-turner unit. Everyone has to step outside their comfort zone at some point!

Storytelling for Week 10: Canine Kids

Canine Kids

(The Five Puppies! Source)

I used to live in a village with my family and our tribe. We had a sufficient little tent that kept us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There weren't children of my own age that lived in my tribe for my parents were older in age upon conceiving me. So my sole companion was my dog best friend.

We did everything together, day in and day out. He would always sleep at the foot of my bed to keep me company and my feet warm. I never should have allowed him to sleep in the bed with me for he ruined my future. Little did I know until the day my belly grew out that my dog best friend turned into a human at night and lied with me with I slept. I was pregnant with my canine's children.

Father, in a rage, killed my dog while mother held me back. My family was ashamed of me and hated me because of my condition. They told the entire tribe and decided to leave me to die in the embers of my people's old village.

Hearing my sobs of sadness, Crow happened to stop by to see what the trouble was. I told her all that had happened and she took pity on me and nursed me until I had my children: four boy pups and one female. Crow took her leave to tend to her family once the kids were born and I was left to raise my five non-human offspring.

I learned to take very good care of them and they grew so quickly to the point where I needed to leave the house to search for food everyday to keep up with their hungry stomachs. One day as I left the house, I heard giggling and playing from behind the door I had just closed. I opened it as quickly as possible only to see my offspring huddled by the fire. I closed the door again. More giggling. I knew something was a miss.

I decided to put my shawl over the handle of a shovel to make my figure appear to be digging for clams. I snuck around to the back door and peeked inside at my children whom, to my shock, were all human! Four little boys and one little girl! I flew the door open and scolded them for hiding this form from their mother. Raising human children is a lot more practical than raising canine kids.

From that day on, my children remained in their human form and I taught my boys how to hunt everything under the sun and sea. My daughter learned in the ways of the house and helping me and I did not allow her a dog as a friend. I learned that lesson the hard way.

My sons became so skilled at hunting that soon the beaches were covered with the whales they had harpooned and we were never hungry. Crow stopped by one night to see why there were so many carcases on the beach and I told her of my now human children and their capabilities. We fed Crow to her stomach's content and I told her to not tell my tribe of our prosperity for their abandonment was still freshly pained in my mind.

Crow agreed and flew home to her family which was also where my tribe had moved to. I came to learn that Crow disobeyed me and told my tribe of what she had found. I know this because my entire tribe came from across the bay the very next day to move back.

I had grown an independent woman in the strife and hard times caused by the dog and my family and tribe. I did not want them moving back here. I did not want their fake apologies now that they knew we were prospering. So I denied them. I told them to leave back to where they came from and never to speak with me again.

All I need is my children. We have everything we need and all the love we could ever want.

Author's Note: This story was based off of the Native American Marriage Unit with the story of The Dog-Husband. In the original version, the story is told from the third person view of a narrator. I chose to change the perspective to that of the young girl going through all this trouble! That only made sense to me to include her thoughts on this story. Also, at the end of the story the tribe returns and the woman accepts them back. I hated that. The tribe was just using her at this point! Not okay. So I had her deny their return in my version, serves them right!

Bibliography: Stith, Thompson, The Dog-Husband, Tales of the North American Indians, 1929.

Week 10 Reading Diary: Native American Marriage Tales

Native American Marriage Tales

The Piqued-Buffalo Wife

I've definitely read this story before...but I don't remember where or why. Maybe it was when I was first looking through the Un-textbook at the beginning of the semester! I liked this story then, too. It tells of how the creation of the Matoki occurred.

Splinter-Foot-Girl

There is already a theme of bestiality in these stories and it makes me uncomfortable. I wonder why this is a common and normal thing for Native Americans. I hope they didn't practice this back then..Also, she was born from a calf by thorns? And married a buffalo then a deer?
The rest of the story is weird too, on the next link: Splinter-Foot-Girl (Con't), and the next: Splinter-Foot-Girl (End).

The Eagle and Whale's Husband

This is so weird. The girls both said they wanted to marry an eagle and a whale, so why are they trying to escape them if they wished this? These stories are funnily unrealistic!

The Woman Stolen by Killer Whales

Welp. This explains why Killer-Whales are afraid of sharks! So weird that they live under the water and are demanding water to be fetched. And fire. It's like Spongebob.

The Bear Woman

Yeah...what? I have no idea how people come up with these stories! I definitely liked last week's stories better. They made more sense and didn't have bestiality. Here is the link for the other part of this story too: The Bear Woman (Con't)

The Youth Who Joined the Deer

Excuse me? Bestiality AND cannibalism? Why is this okay? I'm so confused with this entire story. And the human left his original family. That was rude and dishonorable. And I don't understand what phenomena this story explains...the boy turns into a deer...? The Youth Who Joined the Deer (Con't).

The Girl and the Turkeys

Talking turkeys. Yep, that's a new one! I don't really like this story much. This was my least favorite. I like it when the stories end well! This Cinderella-esque tale did not go as I hoped it would. The turkeys seem kinda like the dwarfs in Snow White too. That's why I noted it in here. Here is the last link: The Girl and the Turkeys (Cont).