There is a story I have heard about the great Yamouria. An elder mentioned him while i was in the hamlet of Tulita, a small indigenous community on the shores of the Mackenzie River. It does not matter if I believe the story or not. The point is not for a white boy to really care about or understand. To the people of the hamlet and the dene communities south of Great Bear Lake, the legend is part of who they are. The story is important to the community and defines why they are on this land. Respect for the land equals their respect for their elders and those before them.

I will try to tell the story from my memory which is distorted. I will possibly leave out important details or accidentally add details.
Yamouria was a hunter and trapper in the lower Great Bear Lake region. In these days giant beavers roamed the earth. A few of the giant beasts happened to be terrorizing the local community, destroying the earth, vegetation and wildlife as they passed. Yamouria led the charge. He hunted, tracked and killed these massive beavers up on Bear Rock.
He skinned the animals and laid their pelts to dry on Bear Rock which can still be seen today. He took the meat down to the river to cook for the community. The grease from the fire can still be seen today in the smoking hills just outside of the Tulita.

The physical elements of the story are was really bring it to life for the locals. From anywhere in Tulita, the round red marks can be seen on Bear Rock. The smoke from the hills can also be seen as there is coal in the ground near Tulita that is always smouldering.

These creation stories are the link to the real world. Physical remnants of the story are what make them real. We do not have to believe these stories but it is important to understand them. Much like Teressa Jordan’s story. The story that shaped her was far more impactful than the truth. The Jordan’s were brought together with the fear and sympathy.
There may have been truth to Yamoria’s story. Archaeologists have found remnants of large rodent skulls that mirror the likes of the common beaver. It is not hard to imagine that a giant beaver could terrorize whole communities just like grizzlies do today.
Chamberlain describes storytellers much like indigenous storytellers. It is common for storytellers to inject humour and “finesse the line between the true and the untrue”. If you have ever heard an elder telling stories, you will quickly hear the room fill up with laughter. “They often bring reality and the imagination into closer contact”. It is with these attributes that stories are told and past down. The story made a connection with me because I have heard it through an elder and seen the pelts on bear rock. I may not have remembered it correctly or told the whole story, but this was my recollection. Writing the story down creates an interesting excerise for how stories are are living thing.
Thank you
MM

Bear Rock, Tulita

Chamberlain, Edward. If This Land is your Land, Where are your Stories: Finding Common Ground. Vintage Books. May 2010.