Island of the Blue Dolphins: Chapter 12 Summary & Analysis

Several years ago, two whales washed up on the sandspit. Karana digs up the whales’ ribs to make her fence. She sets them deep in the earth, curving out, so that nothing can climb them and get in. Then, she weaves kelp between the ribs. Creating the fence doesn’t take too long, as the rock forms part of the fence. Karana digs a hole under the fence, lines it with stones, and covers it with a rock that she can move. Now she’s safe from the wild dogs.

The house takes much longer than the fence to build. It rains a lot and there isn’t much wood on the island. According to legends, the island was once covered in trees. But two gods, Tumaiyowit and Mukat, fought about lots of things—and when Tumaiyowit angrily descended to the underworld, this is when people started to die. There were trees when the gods were fighting, but now there are just a few. After searching for several days, Karana has enough poles for the house. She finishes her house when the winter is half over. She feels safe—the foxes and wild dogs circle outside the fence, but they can’t get in. Karana shoots at the dogs, but she doesn’t shoot the leader.

Karana also makes some cooking utensils at this time. She makes bowls to save the juices from cooked fish and a woven basket in which to make gruel. Karana creates a fire pit in the middle of her house and unlike in Ghalas-at, she keeps her fire alive through the night. To deal with the pesky mice, Karana cuts out some cracks in the rocks and makes shelves that the mice can’t reach. By spring, Karana is comfortable, safe, and has enough to eat.

Now, it’s time to focus on killing the wild dogs. Karana knows she needs a bigger spear and a bigger bow. She spends weeks searching for materials during the day and working on the weapons at night. For light to see, she uses small, dried fish called sai-sai as lamps—they stink, but they burn brightly. The bow and arrow turn out well. As Karana works on the spear’s handle and the collar that will hold the point, she wonders if she can use a sea elephant’s tooth for the point. She isn’t sure how to get the teeth, but the more Karana thinks about it, the more determined she becomes to try.