The Two Sisters - An Ilnu Tale Transmitted in Mashteuiatsh
Quick Summary
Two sisters live with their family on the territory. The eldest works constantly, while the youngest prefers to stay in bed. When the eldest is chosen to marry a young man whom her sister is in love with, jealousy drives the younger one to plot a malicious act. But her plan backfires. An Innu story passed down by Bertha Basilish, who said she heard it from her own mother.
A family had moved to live in the forest.
They had two daughters.
The eldest was extremely hardworking.
She even performed many tasks usually done by men. She would fetch wood, split it, and also helped her mother with camp chores.
She helped with the cooking and prepared the evergreen boughs needed around the tent.
Her younger sister was very different.
She preferred to stay lying down and watched her sister work.
Her mother did not appreciate her behavior.
She would regularly ask her to go and help her older sister.
The young girl would sometimes obey.
But never for very long.
After a short while, she would return to the tent and lie back down.
The Two Sisters - Nashulu utanishe
Another family lived nearby.
This family had a son.
The younger of the two sisters had noticed the boy for a long time.
She had a crush on him and hoped that one day he would be interested in her.
But the young man had made a different choice.
One day, he announced to his mother that he was ready to get married.
He wished to marry the eldest of the two sisters.
His mother decided to go and meet the young girl's parents.
She explained that her son wanted to marry their eldest daughter.
The mother then spoke to her daughter about it.
She asked her if she wished to marry the young man from the neighboring family.
The eldest accepted.
When the younger one heard the news, jealousy seized her.
She loved this boy.
And she found it very difficult to watch her sister become the one he had chosen.
The families began to prepare for the wedding.
A dress was made for the bride-to-be.
Then the day of the ceremony arrived.
The young sister was still consumed by jealousy.
She decided to do something to prevent the marriage.
She prepared two plates.
In the one intended for her sister, she placed something meant to prevent her from participating in the ceremony.
But in the confusion, the young girl mixed up the plates.
She ended up eating what she had prepared for her sister herself.
Shortly after, she began to feel extremely tired.
She didn't understand what was happening to her.
Her eyes were closing.
Her mother noticed her condition and came to see her.
The young girl decided to go sleep in another tent that her father used when he worked with the animals.
While she slept, the wedding took place.
When she finally woke up, she called for her mother.
She seemed terrified.
She had discovered blood on her legs.
Convinced that it was a punishment for what she had tried to do to her sister, she confessed everything to her mother.
She revealed that she had wanted to give poison to her eldest sister to stop her from getting married.
Her mother then realized what was actually going on.
Her daughter was not the victim of a mysterious punishment.
She had simply just had her first period.
And the mother went back to her work, laughing.
What is passed down remains
This story reached us because a mother told it to her daughter, who then passed it on in turn. This idea of memory between generations echoes creations that remind us of the bond between what came before us and what we pass on today.
Two sisters with opposing characters
From the very beginning, the story presents two very different personalities.
The eldest works and participates actively in family life, while the younger one avoids her responsibilities.
This contrast sets the stage for the rest of the story and helps to understand why the events surrounding the wedding become so significant.
When jealousy drives a desire to harm
The heart of the story appears when the youngest learns that the boy she loves wants to marry her sister.
Her jealousy does not remain a simple feeling.
She decides to act to prevent the wedding and prepares something intended for her sister.
But her action backfires when she mixes up the plates.
An unexpected twist
The ending of the story is surprising because it completely changes the tone of the narrative.
The young girl sees blood and immediately believes she is being punished for the harm she intended to cause.
Her mother, however, realizes it is simply the beginning of her menstruation.
The mother's reaction, leaving with a laugh after hearing her daughter's confession, gives the story an almost humorous conclusion despite the gravity of what the younger sister had planned.
A story passed down from mother to daughter
This story was told by Bertha Basilish as part of the Sheueu: Echoes of our songs, tales, and legends project.
At the beginning of her testimony, she specifies that this story was one of those her own mother used to tell her.
This detail is particularly precious, as it allows us to see directly the path the story has traveled: a mother tells a story to her daughter, and that daughter then passes it on in turn so that it can continue to be heard.
Discover more creations
Two handmade pieces selected from our world of creations.
