Begining Of Island Of The Blue Dolphins

Essay, Research Paper

Karana and her brother Ramo were gathering roots at Coral Cove when the Aleuts cane to

the island. She ran to abush near where they came in the watch what would happen. Her

father, Chief Chowig, greeted Captain Orvol, the Russian who got off of the ship. Captain

Orvol said that he and his 40 men had come to hunt sea otter, and wished to camp out on

the island. The Aleuts would get the otter pelts and they would get the goods that the

Aleuts had. The aleuts camped out about a half a league fromt he villag of Galas-at. One

day when it looked like it was going to storm, the Aleuts and Captain Orvol were getting

ready to leave. All the men from Galas-at ran with spears to to where they were loading

and when they wouldn?t give themtheir fair share battle broke out. The Aleuts left on their

boar and they had killed 27 men, including Chief Chowig.

Since there whhere few men left the women took over their jobs. There was a new

chief, Chief Kimki and one day he went to the country in the east to make a place for

them. It was the time of the year that the Aleuts had come so they prepared in case they

retuned. One day someone spotted a ship. It turned out ot be from the place that Kimki

went to take them to where he had gone. They all went to the village to get their things,

and then went to the ship. Ramo forgot his fishing spear and wanted to go back for it, but

Karana wouldn?t let him so he ran ahead. When Karana got on the boat he was not there.

She then saw him running along the beach with his fishing spear but they could not turn

around or wait for him becaus ethey would be driven into the rocks.

Karana flung herself overboard and swam to shore. When she got there they went

back to the village where they found wild dogs running throught the huts. They scurryed

aawy whent hey heard them coming. They found just enough food for supper. The next

day was spent gathering food. The wild dogs came at night from the scent of fish and sat

on a hill hownling. The next day Ramo, after naming himself Chief Tanyositlopai , wnet ot

get a canoe even though it was very dangerous. Karana ran off to get him but let him go.

He would have to grow up sooner that normal to help her. That morning she gathered

mussels and when she was done she went down the path to were the canoes were and saw

a pack of dogs going around in a circle. In the middle was Ramo, dead. He had been dead

for a while, he hadn?t even made in to the canoes. The dogs followed her to the village

until she came out of one of the huts wiith a club, then they ran off.

She followed them the their cave and made a fire in front of it so they could not

get out in the night. That night she didn?t sleep. She thought that one day she would kill

the dogs, but mostly she thought of Ramo. She stayed at the village for many days until

the food ran out, only to leave to get more food.

One day she decided that she would never live in the village again. She destroyed

all of the huts. She found place tho live while she waiteed for the ship to return. The place

she found was a large rock which was sheltered from the wind, about a half a league from

the cove. There was also a place to store food. It was high up so she didn?t need to fear

the dogs. She had not seen them since Ramo had died.

She had time to make weapons to protect herself from the dogs and get food. But

it forbidden for women to make and that many horrible things would happen while she

was making them and using them. She seached for weaponds that were left by the Aleuts.

It was only jewlery. She threw it all into the ocean beacuse they had belonged to the

people who killed her people. She found no spearheads. For many days she had forgotten

about the weapons until one night the dogs stayed at the bottom of the rock howling all

night and then watched her all the next day. They were also there the next night and knew

that she was there. She wondered if she could go against the law and make weapons and if

the weapons would break in her hands at the time that her life was in danger or something

else. She made up her mind and made them. She was fearful. They were hard to make but

she did it. She ocasionally saw the dogs but were to far away. She kept the weapons with

her at all times. She made a nice bed on the rockand winter and spring passed and the ship

had not come.

It was in the summer that life was best on the island, she thought that the ship

might come, so she was constantly looking for it. Summer went and left and the first

winter storm ended her hopes. The winter storms were so bad she had to sleep at the foot

of the rock. She had the make a fire to keep the dogs away. She killed three of them but

not the leader, who was much larger and different than the other dogs.

She tried to leave the island in a canoe, but when it started to leak she ad to turn

around. When she retuned she realized that she would need a roof over her head . She

slept that night and then the next morning she began to seach for somewhere to build it.

Se found somewhere that was near a sping and was sheltered. But it was near the dogs

lair. A few days later she bagan to build her house. She remembered that a few years back

a few whales had wased ashore. The ribs were still there. She used them and bull kelp for

her fence, but only needed to make one side because there was a cliff on one side. She

then made the house out of wood and other things. She then made things for cooking and

a place for a fire. By the time that winter was over she could sleep comfortably, cook

anything that she please, and be safe from animals. She then prepared to kill the dogs. She

was afraid because she would have to kill a bull sea elephant to make the weapons. She

was fearful of getting hurt and then having to fend off the dogs.She still went. She shot an

arrow at one but missed. She tripped and hurt her leg. Even though two sea elephants

were fighting, and could die, she had to go home. she couldn?t leave her home for many

days. She had to crawlt to the spring when the water ran out