Menmä’ntauk’, the stone-headed people

Overview

The Menmä’ntauk’ are described as people with stone heads in Boas’s Lku’ngen tale, and their name is glossed accordingly. They raid neighbours, kill men and enslave women. When a pregnant captive gives birth, their chief orders a male infant killed and a female spared. The mother conceals her son’s sex and washes him only at night. A month later she escapes into the forest with him. These antagonists are beings within the narrated world, not a biological category assigned to any living community.

The child grows unusually quickly. His mother makes him a bow and arrows, and he progresses from taking birds to larger game. Named K’ö’sek’, glossed as the bound one, he makes a bright mantle of bird skins and captures an eagle while concealed beneath grass. He repeatedly asks why they live alone. His mother first evades the question, then explains that the stone-headed people killed their relatives. Although she warns him away from their settlement, he approaches; his brilliant appearance makes them fear he possesses supernatural power.

K’ö’sek’ tests clubs made from different woods, which break, until one holds. The German text tentatively identifies that wood as yew, so the botanical name is not certain. Wearing the mantle, which makes him invisible, he kills all the men with his club and leads the women away. He returns to his mother and claims the land for them. The tale does not give every stone-headed person an entirely stone body or explain the mechanics of breaking their heads. Its outcome depends on the mother’s earlier protection, the son’s exceptional growth, the tested weapon and the mantle, rather than a generic invulnerable giant anatomy.

Origins & earliest records

Boas’s 1895 German collection, section VII, groups this account under Lku’ngen. This historical spelling identifies the source’s regional division; no individual narrator or interview date is supplied for the tale.

Records & interpretation

Complete VII.1, pp.61–62 read in German, including the ending and qualifying wording, with original printed pages checked. The preface describes several collection and translation routes; a specific unrecorded route is not inferred for this episode.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Indianische Sagen von der Nord-Pacifischen Küste Amerikas

   Franz Boas · 1895

   Lku’ngen section VII.1, pp.61–62, complete narrative. Historical community spelling retained; original printed pages and collection preface inspected.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. PrimaryBoas 1895, Lku’ngen VII.1, pp.61–62Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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