Old Man and Old Woman

Nationality/Culture

American Indian/Blackfoot

Alternate Names

Napi (Old Man), Kipitaki (Old Woman)

Appears In

Blackfoot creation myths

Lineage

None

Character Overview

Old Man, also known as Napi, is a creator god and trickster figure in the mythology of the Blackfoot Indians of North America. He is said to have created the world and all the creatures in it. His companion was Old Woman, who often argued with Old Man or altered his plans in ways that made life more difficult for people.

Major Myths

To make humans, Old Man fashioned figures out of clay and breathed life into them. Old Man was accompanied by Old Woman as he did this, and their disagreements determined how people were formed and how they lived. For example, Old Man wished to make humans with five fingers on each hand; Old Woman said that five fingers was too many, so they settled on four fingers and one thumb.

Then it came time to decide whether people would live again after they died, or whether they would stay dead forever. To answer the question, Old Man threw a piece of buffalo manure into the river. If the manure floated, he said, humans would die and come back to life after four days. If it sank, they would die and never live again. The manure floated, but Old Woman was not satisfied. She decided to try the test herself. However, instead of a piece of manure, she threw a stone into the water. The stone sank, so Old Man decreed that death for humans would last forever. Old Woman concluded that this would be best, since it meant people would show sympathy for each other.

Another story says that after the world was filled with people, Old Man decided to experience life for himself. He lured a woman to a nest of rattlesnakes, and she mated with one of them. When her husband found out, he cut off her head. But the woman's headless body chased her two children. They saved themselves by throwing a piece of magic moss on the ground. A river formed, and the body drowned. One of the children was Old Man, who continued to live on earth before he died and disappeared behind the mountains.

Old Man and Old Woman in Context

In the myths of Old Man, Old Woman is depicted as always willing to argue and make things difficult. The myths lay the blame on women for making certain tasks—such as tanning buffalo hides—difficult to do, or for denying humans the ability to live forever. It also suggests that decision making is better left to the men, and that the difficult tasks women must perform are deserved, because they would not be difficult if Old Woman did not have her say.

Key Themes and Symbols

The Blackfoot identify Old Man with the sun, which also disappears behind the mountains every evening. Like the sun returning in the morning, Old Man is also supposed to come back to earth one day. The theme of deciding humanity's fate is important in the myths of Old Man and Old Woman. Together, they decide all the basics of human life and living, sometimes with very little thought put into the details. The theme of a god longing for the human experience is also present in the stories of Old Man; although he created humans, he still wants to know what it is like to live as one.

Old Man and Old Woman in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

Old Man and Old Woman are important figures in Blackfoot mythology, but like most American Indian mythical figures, they are not well known in mainstream American society. Stories of Old Man and Old Woman are preserved by the remaining Blackfoot descendants, mostly residing in northern Montana and southern Alberta, Canada. The mythology of the Blackfoot people was also documented by Clark Wissler and D. C. Duvall in their 1908 book Mythology of the Blackfoot Indians.

Read, Write, Think, Discuss

In the myth of Old Man and Old Woman, Old Woman states that not allowing people to come back to life after they die will cause them to show more sympathy for each other while they are alive. Why do you think this might be true?

SEE ALSO Native American Mythology; Tricksters