Week 9 Story: Journey of Ugakhpa

In the Northwest of America lived a tribe called Makah. Being in the Northwest, they had two extreme seasons of winter and summer. Summer was the time when the people of Makah worked really hard to gather enough food and supplies for the dreadful winter season. Every person in the small tribe feared winter. The harsh weather made survival an obstacle for the whole tribe. As summer was coming to an end, fishing season was at its highest point. Due to the aggressive climate in the Northwest, men were mainly responsible for fishing and hunting. Many casualties were faced while fishing and hunting for food as it was a dangerous but rewarding process. As November came to an end, winter was around the corner and the people of Makah were starting to feel the hardships of winter approaching.

A brave group of ten men were labeled as Ugakhpa. Ugakhpa were rewarded with this name because of their courage and ability to overcome the strongest streams in the toughest conditions. These group of men were responsible for gathering food for the whole tribe. One day they decided to set sail and gather fish for one last time before winter season accelerated in the month of December. As they set sail, the conditions were tougher than ever. The water was frozen but was not at as rigid and firm as it would normally be. That was dangerous for the Ugakhpa men as their wooden boats were not durable enough to withstand tough ice. The fishing process was a typical one where bait was attached to rod like strings but spears were used to kill the fish. The children of the tribe collected the bait from trees and soil around the community. The water levels were shallow so it was preferable to use spears, but the water was very cold and in winter conditions falling in the water is extremely detrimental. The Ugakhpa men struggled a lot trying to find food in the lake and with the strength of the wind, the little boats they used were very unstable. As they got deeper into the water, most men were starting to fear the conditions and contemplate whether it is worth it to risk their lives and go on.

Mahka Tribe Web Source

Tall Chief was the leader of the Ugakhpa men and was known for his bravery and great achievements. Tall Chief had the ability to speak to souls and interact with nature. He had such a strong connection with the nature around him that he felt and understood things around him which none of the other tribe men could understand. The rest of the Ugakhpa men decided to retreat to their camp but Tall Chief was determined to continue his journey until he retrieves enough food for himself and his community. The men left him and Tall Chief was left by himself against the grueling weather conditions.

The weather was only getting worse. The ice on the lake was completely frozen which led to the fish to migrate. At this point, it was unnecessary for Tall Chief to remain in the lake. Instead it was time for him to set foot on the land and look for something wild in the barring cold. Unfortunately for Tall Chief, the cold was taking a toll on his body and he felt like he would not survive too long as he only had a thick fur coat on over his worn out skin. The wind kept on increasing and Tall Chief was left with only one option which was to fight the god of wind in order to save himself. The god of wind was nicknamed Windwori by the Makah tribe. Tall Chief gathered some wood and leaves to cover himself enough and try to create a small fire. In these conditions a fire is obviously unsustainable due to the strong wind but fire was needed for Tall Chief to fight Windwori. Tall Chief performed the appropriate rituals to confront Windwori but the wind was too strong and he could not make it. Trying to perform this ritual was physically taxing and took a lot of energy from Tall Chief. Eventually, Tall Chief gave up to the wind and submitted himself to nature in hopes that he can save his people in return.

Windwori was not an evil spirit and neither were any of the spirits in the forest. By Tall Chief sacrificing his body, his soul remained in the forest and combined with other pure souls to try to give back to the people of Makah. Days later, the storm came to an end. It was still cold but relatively warmer for the Ugakhpa men to go out and try to look for Tall Chief as he had not returned to his tribe yet. As they went out to the forest, they found Tall Chief's body buried under a big block of ice. The nine remaining men of Ugakhpa pushed the block of ice and were able to find a vast amount of fish that could feed them for the whole winter. Tall Chief had sacrificed his body and used his soul to ensure that his people would not struggle the way he did in the grueling conditions looking for food. That is how a true leader should be and that’s how Tall Chief will be forever remembered.


Author’s note: This story is originally called Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind from the American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned. It talks about a group of fishermen that went out on their last round before the arrival of the extreme cold. However, a young man who was known for his bravery decided to stay longer than the others because he did not fear the North Wind. This man was called Shin-ge-bis. However, in the original story, he was not a typical man but also a spirit. He fought the North Wind by starting a big fire in his wigwam where he was hiding from the severe weather. It was so warm inside that the North Wind could not enter. Therefore, Ka-bib-on-okka also known as the North Wind asked the fisherman to leave his wigwam in order to fight and prove that he was not scared. I decided to change that to where Tall Chief, the bravest fisherman of the Ugakhpa men, wanted to sacrifice himself for the sake of his people. Through sacrificing his body, his soul can retrieve food for the community. This was to show how true leaders sacrifice themselves for the well-being of their people. The picture I used was shows a native American tribe in severe winter conditions. That was simply to reflect how the Mahka tribe were situated in rough weather conditions.