Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival

by Velma Wallis

book data

589 ratings, 3.90 average rating, 163 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		27%
4		46%
3		20%
2		5%
1		0%

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published

October 1993 by Epicenter Press

binding

Hardcover, 145 pages

characters

Two old Athabaskan women

isbn

0945397186 (isbn13: 9780945397182)

description

Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River area in Alaska, this is the ...more

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05/25/08

Abigail rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

bookshelves: folklore-mythology, indigenous-americas, womens-studies

Read in October, 1997

recommends it for: Readers of All Ages

A good friend of mine was once aghast to hear that I had given my grandmother a copy of Velma Wallis's Two Old Women for her birthday, inscribed as follows: To Gran, the strongest woman I know, with love on your 90th Birthday, Abby. Apparently the women of her family, regardless of their age, did not like to be thought "old," and it would have been considered an unpardonable breach of good manners for my friend to have given any of her elders a book with such a title. For my part, I wa...more A good friend of mine was once aghast to hear that I had given my grandmother a copy of Velma Wallis's Two Old Women for her birthday, inscribed as follows: To Gran, the strongest woman I know, with love on your 90th Birthday, Abby. Apparently the women of her family, regardless of their age, did not like to be thought "old," and it would have been considered an unpardonable breach of good manners for my friend to have given any of her elders a book with such a title. For my part, I was dismayed, though perhaps not astonished, given our image-obsessed culture, that anyone would consider "old" such a perjorative term, or think of age as something to be ashamed of and hidden, rather than celebrated.

I also recall thinking that if a woman didn't know she was old at ninety, or could take offense at a heartfelt gift, meant to express love and deep respect for her wisdom and strength, than she must be sadly lacking in either reason or dignity; and I was glad that such a thing could not be said of the women of my family. But since it would most DEFINITELY have been an unpardonable breach of good manners to have expressed such a sentiment to her, I simply replied, "I do not think my grandmother will be offended."

This wonderful book, based upon a legend passed down among the Athabascan women of Alaska, relates the story of two old women who are cast out by their tribe one hard winter. Two old complainers, who seem to have little to contribute to the welfare of the group, Ch'idzigyaak and Sa' have become an untenable burden to a people struggling to survive in a harsh and unforgiving landscape, and it is decided that they must be abandoned.

But it is not the young alone who have courage, and when these two old women set out to "die trying," they discover that they still have what it takes to survive. Their knowledge of old fishing grounds stands them in good stead, and when they are reunited with the People, they demonstrate that they do indeed have something vital to contribute: the knowledge that comes with experience and age.

As a story of survival, Two Old Women is an engrossing, exciting read. As a fable about aging, the place of the elderly in a culture, and reconciliation between the generations, it was truly moving. I was impressed that no one was villified in the story, and each decision reached, however much we might disagree with it in today's world, made sense in the context of that time and place. I always hesitate to use the word "inspirational," as it has been so abused that it seems to have lost all meaning...but there doesn't seem to be any help for it. This truly was an inspirational book, and I highly recommend it to people of all ages.

And as for my grandmother? When we had the misfortune to lose her a few years back, we found this among her books. She had been in the habit of underlining any bit of text she found especially moving or meaningful. Almost every paragraph was underlined...(less)

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2 comments

06/26/09

Chana rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

bookshelves: historical-fiction

Read in June, 2009

recommended to Chana by: book crossing

This is a legend told to a daughter by her mother and it feels like that: that the reader is snuggled down for a bedtime story of power, morals and significance. Two old women, members of a tribe who live up near the Yukon river, are abandoned one cold winter as too burdensome to the tribe when there is not enough to eat. It is a shock but these two women pull together and survive. The book recounts the decision of the tribe and what it cost the chief to make such a decision and how the people o...more

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07/07/08

Whjx rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

It is based on an Athabaskan Indian legend. I love to read books that make you a better person than before you read it. This is one of those books. It is a book of stregth, empowerment and survival. A great lesson for all of us:)(Not just the old!)

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02/07/09

Ann rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

These two old women who were abandoned by their starving People learned a great deal about themselves. Before being left on their own they complained all the time and thought they could not do as much as they were really capable of. After they had to look after themselves they determined to do whatever was necessary to survive. Fortunately they had learned early in life how to survive during winter near the Arctic Circle and were successful. Reminds me of children who complain and do not feel th...more

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12/09/08

Sandra Sanchez rated it:

(review of other edition)

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2008

recommended to Sandra by: my daughter
recommends it for: anyone interested in Indian legends, wilderness, feminism

I'm an older woman myself busy exploring the wilderness near the town where my husband and I have retired. My daughter thought I'd love this book about VERY old Athabaskan women who are left behind by their migrating tribe because they would be a burden on the tribe. Instead of going off to die in the wilderness they figure out how to survive on their own. It is an exquisitely detailed retelling of an old legend the author grew up hearing. She has truly honored her elders by writing this wonderf...more

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09/17/08

george rated it:

bookshelves: grown-up-books, read-in-2008

Read in September, 2008

It has been decided that the two old women will be left behind. In the Alaskan wilderness, this means a certain death. All of The People are shocked, especially the to old women. But times are tough and there isn't enough food--the old women who only complain are simply a drag on the rest. The two old women are speechless as they watch the rest of the group pack up and move on without them. After recovering from the surprise, they make a decision: these two women will not die without a fight. An...more

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3 comments

05/24/08

Yosafbridg rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

Read in December, 2007

What is fable? Legend? Must it have a moral?
Do we complain because we have the time to do so?
I'm not sure that the women of this title don't learn as much from themselves and each other as they have to teach to their own people. This book was recommended to me by someone i work with, and you know i had to read it as soon as i read the cover as it is a tale of my homeland and the people of the foster-sister i spent much of my childhood with.
It is a nice little tale that can be r...more What is fable? Legend? Must it have a moral?
Do we complain because we have the time to do so?
I'm not sure that the women of this title don't learn as much from themselves and each other as they have to teach to their own people. This book was recommended to me by someone i work with, and you know i had to read it as soon as i read the cover as it is a tale of my homeland and the people of the foster-sister i spent much of my childhood with.
It is a nice little tale that can be read of an evening, and it does have the nice, somewhat moralistic tone to it that many fables/legends do, but it isn't really spoonfed to one.
When i go in and read all the reviews on amazon i feel like i maybe i missed something though. Perhaps it just goes to show that different people find different things in what they read (and see, and hear). I know that i have gotten different things from books i read at different times. I think i also believe that some of those reviewers might have missed out on something as well. My answers weren't quite as pat, or even as heart-warming.
Obviously old-people, learned people, wise people do have something to offer, this legend is about how they came to be revered in some Eskimo cultures (though, of necessity, for most of the history of that culture they needed to be abandoned~also a part of the story). But the more intrinsic part of the tale for me was that people need to discover their own worth before they can share it with others. I wrote i poem once, when i was in ninth grade, about some old people who had never really learned how to live, and why they were afraid to die in such a case. I don't know that i could possibly have known at so young, and maybe i didnt, maybe really, but i think maybe really can't be afraid to die until you know how to live (or shouldn't be, at least.)
This is indeed a story that needs to be shared with others~for so many reasons~so that everyone can come up with their own interpretation, and so that we may keep the old stories and traditions alive.

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09/28/07

Tammra rated it:

bookshelves: favorites, own

This is a small book that comes with a big message. I liked the story and the inspiration it provokes. It is an Athabaskan Indian Lengend that has been passed on between mothers and daughters for generations. It is the shocking tale of two elderly women who are abandoned by their migrating tribe. The other tribe members feel that the two women are holding them back. They also feel that the two old women are not worth the food they are eating. Because of food shortages, the tribe decides to ...more

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01/09/09

Rachelterry rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

Read in January, 2009

I got bogged down in chapters 3-5 because it was all so cold and snowy and hungry. It just made me want to put the book down and go to the refrigerator. But then the character development kicked in, and I really liked the last two chapters. A lot. There's an editor's prologue (epilogue?) at the end about the author, and that was almost as interesting as the story itself. This would be a great book for junior high school.

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01/17/09

Gail Mclinn rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

Read in December, 2008

recommended to Gail by: my sister
recommends it for: all women!

I loved this little story about the strength of women, older women that are written off and prove their capabilities and skills and change the wait future generations look at people.

This is a great tale and educational tool for growing people's perceptions of what is possible against difficult odds and miss-perception of capabilities and approaches.

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01/07/08

Rebecca rated it:

Read in January, 2008

The book was much different than I anticipated but still well worth the read. I thought it was a novelization of the Alaskan legend, but it is told very much as a legend. This book contains a wonderful message and a story that is exciting and truly does grip you emotionally. It is the sort of book that, back in elementary school, I would have been mesmerized by, either reading myself or having it read to me, chapter by chapter by the teacher. It would work incredibly well in an English unit ...more

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01/02/09

Jen rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

Read in December, 2008

Sure glad I read this book before our big winter ice storm! I may have been prone to feel sorry for myself when I didn't have heat, and then didn't have running water because my pipes burst. This moving tale of survival makes me thankful for all the physical comforts modern day life provides and for the community of support that I have.

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01/24/09

Sherrill rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

Read in January, 2000

Aunt Cozzetta reminded me that I had read this, and when I checked out the review I remembered it. I highly recommend all you girls to read this. It is inspiring and helps us to know how we can bring out our stregnths when others think we are "done" and of no value. Read it!!

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12/10/08

Sue rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

Read in January, 1992

Good read - it will make you rethink your life, maybe...

Two old complaining women are kicked out of an Alaska native clan camp and made to live on their own in the wilderness. They manage, they succeed, they end up helping their old clan out later during a famine.

Pretty cool.

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12/21/08

Laura rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

This is a re-telling by Athapaskan author Velma Wallis of Fort Yukon, AK, of an old legend. It speaks to the strength and resiliency of women, of elders, and of people who have the wisdom of living from the land. It also speaks to the importance of community and trust.

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04/27/09

Tracie rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

bookshelves: book-club-adult-reads

Read in January, 2009

I liked this Alaskan legend about two old women left behind by their tribe admidst hard times. They find an inner strength to survive and end up learning to live again as well as teach their tribe to remember and respect their elders.

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04/14/09

Nancy rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

Read in September, 2007

This one of my favorite books. It is a short tale about 2 women left to die by their Athabaskan tribe. It is a story of strength, attitude and survival during an Alaskan winter. I would recommend this book and have several times to friends.

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04/24/09

Julie rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

Read in January, 2009

This book is an Alaskan legend about 2 women that are left behind to die when their tribe moves on. I loved the determination these women found in themselves. It's a really short read, but a good one.

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01/11/09

Carol rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

Read in January, 2009

Lovely book of Native Alaskan story of two women in their 70s surviving abandonment by their tribe in the dead of winter. A novel of personal growth, community, strength and forgiveness.

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08/26/08

Helen rated it:

(review of isbn 0060723521)

I originally bought this book for my daughter, she found it on a recommended list for LDS teens. When it arrived in the mail it was printed in the format of a children's book so I never gave it to her (she was 15 at the time and I didn't want to insult her) When I came across the title on Patti's list to read I remembered it, dug it out and read it in an hour. It was a good story of determination, how the will to live can supercede our greatest fears if need be, and overcoming all kinds of ob...more

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polls

Since we have so many books to choose from, we'll do 2 polls so everyone can cast 2 votes. 8 books were drawn form the hat, 4 for each poll.

[b:The Penderwicks A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy|266904|The Penderwicks A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy|Jeanne Birdsall|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173280851s/266904.jpg|2564478]

3 votes 42.9%

The Undomestic Goddess

3 votes 42.9%

Two Old Women An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival

0 votes 0.0%

The Queen of the Big Time

1 vote 14.3%

7 total votes

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