Stories & Songs | ABOUT DANE-ZAA STORIES
Stories are at the heart of our Dane-zaa life.
Our creation story explains how the world was created and provides the foundation for our cultural beliefs. We have "wise stories" to teach our young people what they need to know about the land and its living beings. The story of The Man Who Turned into a Moose is an example of this.
Stories about people, places and important events are a big part of our tradition also, and they record our history and experiences. Many of these stories are presented here on this website.
We also have funny stories like Tsááyaa and Mosquito Man . Tsááyaa is our culture hero, and the stories about him entertain us and make us laugh. They also teach us lessons about how to behave.
We have always had expert storytellers, such as Sam Acko. We also use stories less formally in everyday life to pass along our personal knowledge and to reinforce our cultural traditions.
Our young people are also contributing to our storytelling tradition by telling about their experience of the world as they know it. Please watch the videos where some of our young people tell stories from their perspective.
Dane-zaa Stories Photos:
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Stories
Sam Acko, telling a story of "The Man Who Turned into a Moose". Madáts'atl'ǫje (Snare Hill), 2005.
Sam Acko talks about the importance of Madáts'atl'ǫje (Snare Hill) to Dane-zaa people in "survival times," when moose were scarce. He also tells a traditional Dane-zaa story about a man who transformed into a moose. Madáts'atl'ǫje (Snare Hill), 2005.
Sam Acko, telling a story about Tsááyaa and Mosquito Man. Nętl'uk (Osborn River), 2005.
Sam Acko tells a Dane-zaa story about Tsááyaa and Mosquito Man. Sam describes the story as taking place on a river like the Osborne. Nętl'uk (Osborne River), 2005.