Why Dove Mourns

This is a Karok story, I believe, because it mentions the Klamath River and Weitchpec, which is a village that rests along the river’s bank in Humboldt County and home to the ‘Up-Stream’ peoples.

Once a family of doves lived with their grandmother in a sheltered cave, and were all very happy. A spring gushed up outside; grasses grew everywhere and best of all there was a large tree to which they could fly in case of danger.

One day the eldest brother decided he wanted to fly up the Klamath River as far as Weitchpec. While he was there he fell in with bad company, and learned how to gamble the Indian way.

He played and played, day in and day out. He forgot all about his poor, sick grandmother at home, who was waiting so patiently for him to come back.

Finally a younger brother went to search for him. On finding him he told the older dove that their grandmother was dead.

He was very sorrowful then, and said that he would mourn in the trees with a ‘coo’ which would tell all the world that his grief would never cease.