Akaiyan Character Analysis

One of the orphan brothers associated with the story that Boss Ribs tells Fools Crow about the history of the Beaver Medicine bundle. The wife of Akaiyan’s brother, Nopatsis, grows tired of her brother-in-law and falsely accuses him of abuse. Nopatsis then abandons his brother on a deserted island, and after resigning himself to death, Akaiyan is taken in by a family of beaver. When his brother comes back to find his bones, Akaiyan tricks him and deserts him instead. Because of his brother’s betrayal, however, Akaiyan forms a close friendship with the beaver and he teaches him the songs and prayers of his people. He gifts Akaiyan a Sacred Pipe, the first totem of the bundle, and Akaiyan asks the other animals to contribute to the bundle as well, becoming the Beaver Medicine Bundle. Akaiyan hands the bundle down to his son, and it has been handed down ever since.