Velma Wallis Livres

"Two Old Women," based on an Athabascan legend, tells the tale of two elderly women abandoned by their tribe during harsh Arctic conditions. Velma Wallis retells this tragic yet hopeful story of survival, challenging oral traditions and revealing universal themes. The book has sold over a million copies and continues to inspire generations.

"Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River Valley in Alaska, this is the suspenseful, shocking, ultimately inspirational tale of two old women abandoned by their tribe during a brutal winter famine. Though these women have been known to complain more than contribute, they now must either survive on their own or die trying. In simple but vivid detail, Velma Wallis depicts a landscape and way of life that are at once merciless and starkly beautiful. In her old women, she has created two heroines of steely determination whose story of betrayal, friendship, community, and forgiveness 'speaks straight to the heart with clarity, sweetness, and wisdom' (Ursula K. Le Guin)"--Page [4] of cover.

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival is a classic Athabascan Indian tale of survival, filled with suspense and wisdom as told by Velma Wallis, an outstanding Native American writer. Her style is a refreshing blend of contemporary and traditional, and her choice of subject matter challenges the taboos of her past. Yet her themes are modern -- empowerment of women, the aging of America, and a growing interest in Native American values. Based on a legend told and retold for many generations in the remote Yukon River region of northeast Alaska, this is the tragic and shocking story (with an unexpected upbeat ending) of two elderly women who are abandoned by a migrating band facing starvation because of unusually harsh Arctic weather and a shortage of fish and game

Born in 1960, the sixth of thirteen children, Velma Wallis comes of age in a two-room log cabin in remote Fort Yukon, Alaska. Life is defined by the business of living off the land. Chopping wood. Hauling water from the river. Hunting moose. Catching salmon. Trapping fur. Taking care of the dogs. For a thousand years, the Gwich'in clan had followed migratory animals across the north. But two generations before, the people had settled where the Porcupine River flows into the Yukon. Now, the Wallis family has a post office box and an account at the general store, and Velma listens to Wolf Man Jack on armed forces radio. The author discovers that her people have surrendered their language, traditional values, and religion to white teachers, traders, and missionaries. Flu epidemics have claimed many loved ones. Village elders seem like strangers from another land, and in a way they are. There is much drinking when the monthly government checks come, and that is when the pain comes out of hiding. Written by the author of the international bestseller "Two Old Women," this memoir yields a gritty, sobering, yet irresistible story filled with laughter even as generations of Gwich'in grief seeps from past to present. But hope pushes back hopelessness, and a new strength and wisdom emerge.

Aljašskú legendu o zrade, odvahe a prežití si Athabaskí Indiáni, žijúci na hornom toku rieky Yukon odovzdávajú z generácie na generáciu. Je to šokujúci a tragický príbeh s prekvapivým koncom – o dvoch starých ženách, ktoré opustil ich kmeň. Ženy musia čeliť hladu, nedostatku rýb a zveri, čo prináša neobyčajne krutá arktická zima.

Zwei junge Menschen im eisigen Alaska lehnen sich gegen ihre Sippe auf: Jutthunvaa’, das Vogelmädchen, das besser als alle anderen Vogelstimmen imitieren kann, wird verstoßen, weil sie Jägerin werden will. Während sie allein in die Wildnis zieht, begibt sich ein anderer auf eine lange Wanderung: Daagoo will seinen Stamm in ein Land führen, in dem die Sonne auch im Winter aufgeht. Wie sich das Schicksal dieser beiden verbindet, erzählt Velma Wallis mit einer brillanten, klaren Sprache und greift zurück auf den Legendenschatz ihres Volkes, der Athabasken.

Velam Wallisová: „Táto kniha patrí všetkým kmeňom na našej Zemi. Líšime sa jeden od druhého ako individuálne, tak aj príslušnosťou k skupinám a národom. Musíme sa povzniesť nad nenávisť a zlo a bojovať spolu ako jeden kmeň za to, čo je dobré. V minulosti sme všetci trpeli a vytrvali, a tak nech je nám dané s dôverou sa pozerať do budúcnosti.“ Epický príbeh z pradávnych legiend Atabaskov z Aljašky. V studenej a nehostinnej krajine s dlhými zimami bez slnka žijú v blízkosti atabaských Indiánov Eskimáci. Oba severské národy v stálom boji o prežitie stoja ako proti prírode, tak i jeden proti druhému. Chladnú krajinu Velma Wallisová pretkala dramatickými príbehmi dvoch rebelov. Vtáčia dcéra, nezávislá mladá Indiánka, sa postaví proti vôli svojej rodiny a kmeňa. Nechce stratiť slobodu, a tak odmieta tradičný údel manželky a matky. Radšej sa rozhodne pre samostatný život lovkyne, riskujúc tým vlastný život. Osamotená žena sa tak vystavuje hladu a nebezpečenstvu útokov Eskimákov, dávnych nepriateľov jej ľudu. Na svojej ceste stretne Daagoa, nepokojného mladého rojka, ktorý tiež opustí svoj domov a vydáva sa na cesty, aby našiel legendárnu Slnečnú krajinu. Čitateľov uchváti hĺbka povesti, ktorá zachytáva život dvoch odvážnych mladých ľudí. Obaja prišli o svoj domov, lebo sa vzopreli kmeňovým tradíciám. Osud ich po mnohých skúškach opäť navedie na cestu späť.

Based on a legend told and retold for many generations in the remote Yukon River region of northeast Alaska, this is the tragic and shocking story of two elderly women who are abandoned by a migrating band facing starvation because of unusually harsh Arctic weather and a shortage of fish and game.