Two Old Women

The People, a nomadic tribe living in the arctic area of Alaska, face starvation constantly. They often cannot access food in the winter because the animals are either in hiding or are consumed by other animals facing the same paltry food supply. Hunting is especially strenuous during this time, so hunters are fed first, leaving many women and children to die. There are two old women the tribe cares for: Ch’idzigyaak and Sa’, who are known for whining about the difficult conditions and relying on walking sticks when traveling, both of which are looked down upon by the group. During one particularly atrocious winter, The Chief decides to leave them behind because of the additional “burden” (5) they present. No one protests on their behalf, not even Ch’idzigyaak’s daughter, Ozhii Nelii, who fears she and her son, Shruh Zhuu, may be violently reprimanded and possibly left behind for protesting The Chief’s orders. Shruh Zhuu dislikes the way his mother and the old women are treated but is especially “disturbed” (8) by his grandmother and her friend being left to die. He hides a hatchet for his grandmother to use and alerts her to its hiding spot, though she won’t acknowledge him. Ozhii Nelii also tries to help her mother by offering her a “a bundle of babiche” (7), but Ch’idzigyaak ignores her as well. The tribe departs, and Ch’idzigyaak starts crying as she thinks about how she has been abandoned by her daughter, and how she had just been unfair to her “gentle” (12) grandson. Sa’ notices Ch’idzigyaak is crying and starts to feel angry that they were abandoned when they aren’t ill, just old. In a fiery speech, she tells Ch’idzigyaak they must “die trying, not sitting” (14).

Ch’idzigyaak agrees with Sa’, and they decide to try to survive. The women make a fire and slowly amass a few rabbit snares despite the minimal chance they will catch one. Walking back to the fire from the rabbit snares, Sa’ kills a squirrel with a hatchet, and they make squirrel stew for dinner. They use some leftover blankets and go to bed in the abandoned camp, feeling grateful that The Chief probably insisted some supplies be left behind. During the night they hear a rabbit struggling in a trap. They dress, and Sa’ kills the injured animal by “squeez[ing]” its “beating heart” (20). Ch’idzigyaak wakes the next morning and rushes to restart the fire because they will die without it. When Sa’ awakens, they discuss the dangers they now face and their regrets about not contributing enough to the tribe. They restate their determination to survive.