Story of the wolverene and the brant

Disguised as a brant, a wolverene summons waterfowl, dons their feathers, and joins their spring migration flight. Warned not to peer below over a point of land, he obeys once but looks down a second time upon hearing cries of Indians, tumbling to earth. Mistaken for a rotten goose by natives who strip his feathers, the creature is revealed dead and the lesson of curiosity forever marked.

Source:
Ethnology of the Ungava District,
Hudson Bay Territory
by Lucien M. Turner
Smithsonian Institution
Bureau of American Ethnology
Annual Report 11, 1889-1890
Washington, 1894

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: The tale explains why brant geese fall when frightened by the clamor of Indians during spring migrations.

Trickster: The wolverene uses cunning disguise to infiltrate the flock of birds for its own aims.

Illusion vs. Reality: The animals and later the Indians are deceived by the wolverene’s outward appearance as a brant.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Naskapi Lore

Learn more about the Naskapi people

A wolverene calling all the birds together addressed them thus: “Do you not know that I am your brother? Come to me and I will dress you in feathers.” After having dressed them up he made wings for himself and said: “Now, brothers, let us fly.” The brant told the wolverene, “You must not look below while we are flying over the point of land when you hear a noise below. Take a turn when we take a turn.”

The first turn they took the wolverene did not look below, but at the second turn they took, when they came over the point of land, the animal looked below when he heard the noise of the shouting Indians and down he came like a bundle of rags.

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When the Indians perceive a flock of these brant they make a loud clamor, which frightens the birds so much that they lose their senses, fall to the ground and are thus killed. These birds are only seen in the spring migrations and then in great multitudes, while in the fall it is rare to see even a single individual, as they have a different return route than in spring.

All the Indians ran up to him and exclaimed “There is a brant fallen down.” One of the old Indian women got hold of him and began to pluck his feathers off, then to disembowel him. She of course smelled the horrible stench and exclaimed, “This goose is not fit to eat as it is already rotten!” She gave the carcass to one of the children to throw away. Another old woman came up and inquired, “Where did you throw the brant goose to? How could it be rotten? It is not long since it was killed.” The former old woman replied to her, “Go and see, if you do not believe.” She went and found nothing but the dead wolverene.

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Wisekejack

Wisekejack’s dream warns Wolf to throw a twig before crossing a creek, but Wolf ignores it and drowns. Discovering this, Wisekejack tracks the panthers responsible, kills Toad to steal his guise, and slays the wounded panther before retrieving Wolf’s pelt. Punished with a great flood, Wisekejack builds a raft, drowns and revives three animals to bring up mud, and forms new land—so vast even Wolf cannot run its circumference.

Source:
Notes on the Eastern Cree
and Northern Saulteaux
by Alanson Skinner
The American Museum
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story

Creation: Wisekejack creates new land from the mud brought up by Muskrat, explaining how the world’s dry ground came to be.

Trickster: Wisekejack repeatedly uses his cunning—first advising Wolf, then donning Toad’s skin, deceiving the panthers, and reviving drowned animals.

Quest: Wisekejack undertakes a perilous journey to recover Wolf’s body, confront the panthers, and ultimately fashion land for all creatures.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Salteaux Lore

Learn more about the Salteaux people

The Northern Saulteaux form the most isolated band of the Ojibway. They occupy the region north of Lake Superior and east of Lake Winnipeg. They call themselves “Otcipweo”. The number of the Northern Saulteaux on the Government annuity rolls (for 1911) is: Lac Seul, 800; Fort Hope, [eighty died during the La Grippe epidemic of 1908-9] 550; Martens Falls, 112; English River, 65, making a total of 1527.

Myth obtained at Martens Falls Post on the Albany River.

Once Wisekejack was living with Wolf. Wolf was accustomed to hunt caribou every day. Wisekejack said to Wolf, “My nephew, I dreamed last night that if, when you are chasing caribou, you come to a creek, you need not jump across. Take a little twig and throw that ahead of you.”

When Wolf went hunting he got very close to the caribou. There was a creek between the caribou and Wolf. It was a very small creek, so narrow that Wolf could easily jump over. Wolf thought it was not worth while to throw the stick, and tried to jump. He fell in the middle of the creek and was drowned.

By and by, Wisekejack began to miss Wolf and tracked him to learn what had become of him. The trail lead to the creek. Wisekejack looked on both sides of the creek but he could only find Wolf’s tracks on the near side of the creek and not on the far side. When Wisekejack saw this, he sat down and began to cry, for he guessed what had happened.

As Wisekejack sat there crying, along came Kingfisher. He caught Kingfisher and rubbed the top of his head. This made Kingfisher cry out, “I want to tell you something, I am looking for Wisekejack.” Then Wisekejack said, “Come, tell me, and I will give you my handkerchief.” Wisekejack gave his handkerchief to Kingfisher and hung it around his neck.

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(This accounts for the white band of the belted Kingfisher, the crest of the same bird was caused by Wisekejack when he rubbed his head because the feathers were stroked the wrong way.)

Kingfisher told Wisekejack, “The panther took away your Wolf.” There were three panthers on that creek, they lived in the water and came out to bask when the sun was warm.

Wisekejack went to the edge of the water and stood there. Near by, there was a big spruce tree with a hollow inside. Wisekejack climbed into the hollow. While he was there, all of a sudden, a white panther came out of the water. The lion said, “Who is that standing there? That is surely Wisekejack.”

Then the panther came up to Wisekejack and put its tail around his waist and tried to pull Wisekejack into the water. He could not budge him at all. The panther said, “This seems to be no person, but a tree.” Then all three of the panthers tried to pull Wisekejack into the water, one after the other. The last panther was the biggest and Wisekejack had a hard time to avoid being overcome.

After this, the panther thought it was time to have a sleep on the rock. They used to sleep there all day, especially on hot days. Wisekejack decided to attack them while they slept. He took his bow and arrows with him and shot first at the big one. He hit the panther but he did not kill him, and all the panthers jumped into the water.

Then Wisekejack, who had been in the water, came out and went away from there. After he had been walking for some time he heard someone coming towards him singing:

Yiciwekwaki nishenawishkan.
Yiciwekwaki nishenawishkan.
Yiciwekwaki nishenawishkan.
“Then end of the world, when I rattle.

Very soon he saw some person approaching, so he went to meet him. This fellow had a drum on his back and a rattle in his hand, which he was using. Well, this person was Toad.

“Where are you going?” asked Wisekejack. “I heard Wisekejack fire at the panther. I’m going to see the wounded panther and cure him with my medicine,” replied Toad. “Let me see how you will cure him,” said Wisekejack. Toad put down his drum and began to sing. He sat down and raised his rattle before him, shaking it transversely before his body. Then Toad bowed his head on his breast and sang. While he was doing this, Wisekejack knocked him on the head and killed him. Then he skinned Toad and put on his skin. Then he started back to see Panther. When he got there he commenced walking around the place where he shot Panther. He heard someone talking there. “Hello,” said a lion. “I guess that is the man we wanted to come.” So Wisekejack went into Panther’s lodge. He saw the wounded panther lying down in his lodge. Panther was nearly dead, for Wisekejack’s arrow was sticking out of his side. Panther gave Wisekejack some food, for they thought he was Toad.

When Wisekejack had finished he found his assumed skin was drying and tightening. He was afraid that he might be discovered, so he told the two uninjured panthers to go out and leave him with the sick one. “I don’t like to have you see me make my medicine,” he said, so they went out.

Then Wisekejack went to the wounded panther and took him by the throat so he could not cry out. Then he took hold of the arrow and pushed it in until it. killed him. Then he skinned Panther and cut the hide into a long thong. He stretched the thong back and forth across the lodge. After he had done this, he saw the skin of his friend, Wolf, in the lodge. He took it and went away. Wisekejack told the other panther if they wanted to cure their comrade they must tap on the ground with a stick. It seems the panthers went into the sick room. When they saw the dead panther they cried out, “It seems Wisekejack has killed our brother I” The panthers decided to kill Wisekejack by making a flood. They caused the waters to rise until he had no place to go. Then Wisekejack set out to build a raft. All the animals came to see Wisekejack on his raft, and got on with him.

At last, you could see nothing but water. So Wisekejack thought to himself, “I wonder if I could make any land?” He took a string and tied it to Beaver’s tail and told him to swim down to the bottom and get some mud. “If you reach bottom pull the string like this,” said Wisekejack, giving it several short jerks. The beaver went down and soon began to pull on the string. Wisekejack pulled Beaver up hand over hand. When he got Beaver to the surface, he was drowned. So Wisekejack blew on Beaver and he came to life again. Then Wisekejack tried with Otter. Otter was also drowned, and Wisekejack brought him to life again also. Then he tried Muskrat. The rat went down further than either Beaver or Otter. When Wisekejack pulled him up he too was dead, but Wisekejack found he had mud on his head, mouth and hands, under his arms and between his legs. Wisekejack brought him to life in the same way that he did the others. Then he started to make land with the dirt Muskrat had brought up. He made it bigger and bigger all the time. At last, it was so big that there was room on it for all the animals. Then Wisekejack told Crow to “fly around this land I have made and see how big it is.” The crow went, but soon returned, saying it was too small. Then Wisekejack told the crow to fly around once more. The Crow did so and reported that the earth was pretty big. But Wisekejack still thought it was too small. Then he told Wolf, “Try to run around the earth and see how large it is.” So Wolf said, “I’ll go, but if I never come back, this land will be big enough.” Wolf never came back.

Omishus

A skilled hunter discovers his wife’s affair with a tree-spirit and slays them both, unleashing her vengeful head. His two sons flee as it pursues them, only to stall it with magical tokens and a swan’s aid. The head drowns, becomes a sturgeon, and later feeds them. Their treacherous grandfather then tries to sacrifice their father to gulls, snakes, and eagles, but each plot backfires until the young man escapes home.

Source:
Notes on the Eastern Cree
and Northern Saulteaux
by Alanson Skinner
The American Museum
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story

Origin of Things: This tale explains why the sturgeon has fleshy cheeks, attributing it to the mother’s head turning into that fish after drowning.

Love and Betrayal: The wife’s secret liaison with the tree-spirit constitutes a central act of marital betrayal.

Revenge and Justice: The husband metes out violent retribution on both his unfaithful wife and her supernatural paramour.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Salteaux Lore

Learn more about the Salteaux people

Myth obtained at Martens Falls Post on the Albany River.

There was once a man and his wife who had two children. They were both boys. The man was a great hunter and used to kill a good many deer. Often, when he came home from the chase he would find his children had been crying all day. He asked his wife, “What are our children crying about?” The woman replied, “When I leave them in the tent while I go to get firewood, they always start to cry.” But the man did not believe it and made up his mind that he would watch his wife and find out what she did to the little ones in his absence.

One day, he pretended to set out but he did not go very far. Then he returned. After he was gone, the woman dressed herself, combed her hair, and went out of the wigwam carrying her ax. The woman went over to a big tree. She pounded on the tree with the ax. Immediately, a man came out of the tree.

He took the woman in his arms, et longe cum ea concubit [and slept with her a long time] so that she did not go home to her children, for totem diem concubuit [because they slept together for the entire day]. After the man saw what his wife was doing he went away. He killed a deer, and returned to his lodge.

He told his wife to get the deer and bring it home. After she had gone, he put on her dress and took up her ax and went out. He went to the famous tree and pounded on it. The man came out again and he killed him, and cut off his head.

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He took a little blood. Then he started to cook the man’s blood mixed with deer’s blood.

After a time, his wife came home with the carcass of the deer he had killed. He gave her some of the man’s blood and vension to eat. After she had finished her meal, he inquired. “How did that blood taste?” She replied, “This is deer’s blood.” “No, that is your paramour’s blood you have been eating,” replied the husband! Then he killed her too.

He cut off her head, and went away, deserting his children. The younger child began to cry and continued to weep. Then he went to his mother’s body trying to get nourishment from her dead breasts. While he was doing this, the woman’s head began to move and her eyes opened. This frightened the children terribly and they ran away. As they ran, they heard something following. It was their mother’s head rolling after them. The head nearly caught up to them. Then the oldest boy threw a needle on the trail behind them. The head came to this and stopped for a while, so the children got a long start. At last, the head, all smeared with blood, caught up to them again. Then the oldest lad threw away his comb behind them.

“Let this be a high mountain,” cried the child. Sure enough, a great mountain sprang up and crossed the trail. At last, the children came to a river, where they saw swans swimming. They wished to get across and begged the swans to save them as there was a Windigo (Cannibal) chasing them. A swan came over and took the boys across. He told them not to sit near his neck as they rode across for he had a scab there. After he had ferried the children over the swan continued to swim about the river.

At length, the head came to the river, and began to roll backward and forward along the shore seeking to get over. The head saw the swan and called out, “Take me across the river.” The swan said, “No.” Then the head said, “Those are my children that went across the river.” Then the swan said, “No, the children said that a Windigo was following them.” So the head repeated, “Those are my children, take me across, and when you have done so, licet mecum coire.” The swan replied, “Quo modo tecum coeam, cum corpus tibi absit?” Caput dixit, “Per foramen magnum.” [“How can I have intercourse with you, when you have no body?” The head said, “Through the large hole.”]

The swan agreed and started to take the head across. He told the head not to touch his neck on account of the scab, and started to ferry it across. The head started to rub the swan’s neck and this hurt him, he spread his wings and shook them until the head fell into the river and was drowned.

Although the river was very broad, the two children threw stones across from the other side. The little chap began to cry again, so the eldest brother found a nice round stone and gave it to him. They threw their stones at it. One of them hit it and it sank out of sight. While they were playing they saw a sturgeon leap out of the water. It seems the head had been turned into a sturgeon. That is why the sturgeon has fleshy cheeks unlike other fish.

While they were playing at the edge of the water, they saw someone approaching in a canoe. He came ashore and stood in the canoe looking at the boys for a little while. Then the man wished one of the stones would fall in his canoe. The next stone did fall in his canoe. It was the nice round stone which the oldest boy had given to the little one when he cried. The oldest one cried out to the man, “Bring us that stone, so that my little brother may have it to keep him from crying.” The man told the oldest brother to come over and get the stone himself. The boy came to get the stone, and the man tripped him with his paddle so that he fell in his canoe. Then, the old man whose name was Omishus, pounded on the bottom of his canoe with his paddle, and off it went without paddling.

The youngest boy began to cry because he had been left behind, but Omishus left him to his fate. Then Omishus came to his tent. He pulled his canoe ashore and turned it over. Then he went into his lodge. He had two daughters who were waiting for him. He said to the oldest one, “I have brought a man with me, you had better go and see him.” So the girl went out to see the young man. She looked under the canoe, but as soon as she saw him, she decided that he was too homely, and she wouldn’t marry him. When she returned to the wigwam, Omishus asked her, “What do you think of my guest?” “He is too ugly,” replied the girl. Then Omishus told his youngest daughter that she had better go and see his captive. “He was good looking when I took him in the canoe,” said he, “he has been crying a great deal, that is what makes him ugly.” The youngest daughter went down and washed away the tear marks from the young man’s face, dressed him up, and married him.

The young man stayed with Omishus for a long time and his wife became the mother of two children. One day, the young man said to his father-in-law, “I wonder where we could get some gulls’ eggs?” The old man replied that he would show him a fine place. They took their bows and arrows and off they started in the canoe. At last, they came to the place where the gulls were on an island. “There are the gulls,” cried the young man. “Well,” said Omishus, “go over across where the big ones are.” The young man at once took his bow and arrows and started over to get some eggs.

As soon as the young man was well ashore, the old man pounded on the canoe bottom with his paddle and off it went. “Here you are, gulls,” he cried, “I give you my son-in-law to eat.” The deserted son-in-law saw a very large gull flying towards him. It approached the young man meaning to kill him, but he cried out, “I’m not the right kind of food for gulls, fly over the old man’s canoe.”

The old man was lying back in his magic canoe looking at the sky, pounding on the canoe bottom all the time. “When you are directly over the old man, void your excrement full in his face,” cried the young chap. The old man jumped and cried, “Phew! that’s the kind of smell the excrement of the gulls has after they have eaten my son-in-law.”

Then the young man killed the great gull and cut off its head. He took it home with some gulls’ eggs. He gave each of his children an egg and he told them, “When your grandfather arrives, go down to meet him and eat your eggs at the same time.” At length, the old man came. The two children went down to meet him, eating their eggs, as they were told. When the old man saw them eating the eggs, he asked, “Where did you get those eggs?” “Our father brought them to us,” said they. “Poor children,” said the old man, “the gulls have long ago eaten up your father.”

When the old man had landed he went straight to his camp and there sat his son-in-law inside the wigwam with the head of the big gull beside him. The wicked old man was surprised, for the gull was the embodiment of one of his dreams. The oldest girl was now frightened and wished she had married her brother-in-law and cast many looks at him. The old man observed this, and said to her, “Why are you looking at your brother-in-law so hard? Go and sit by his side.” Now, the young man had two wives.

The young man said, one day, “I wonder where I could get a sturgeon to make glue?” “I’ll show you,” said the old man, so off they went together. “There is a sturgeon,” cried the young man. The old man said, “No, that is not a good one. He has not got good isinglass. We will go farther on.” At last, they came to a place where there were plenty of sturgeon. The old man said to his son-in-law, “You stand on the gunwales of the canoe with your bow and arrow to look for sturgeon.” At length, they came to very deep water, and the old man pounded hard on his canoe. The canoe jumped ahead so quickly that the young man was thrown into the water. Then the old man cried out to the great snakes that live in the water, “I feed you my little son.” The young man sank to the bottom and there he saw a great snake coming after him. “I am not the right food for snakes,” said he. “Take me ashore.” The snake had horns. The young man took hold of them and the snake ferried him ashore. “If you hear the thunder,” said the snake, “tell me.” The snake soon heard the thunder and he asked the young man about it, but the young man replied, “I see no clouds.” At length, it thundered very close to them, and the snake heard it certainly and saw the lightning as well. This made the snake drop his burden and turn back. He splashed the water away up as he fled. The young man struggled ashore and reached home. He first killed some sturgeon. When he got home he told his wives to cook some of the meat.

Then he told his children to go down to the water’s edge and meet their grandfather. “Eat some of the sturgeon meat before him,” he said. After a while, their grandfather came back. The two children went down to meet him, eating some of the sturgeon meat as they were told. When the old man saw them eating the sturgeon he asked, “Where did you get that sturgeon meat?” “Our father brought it to us,” said they. “Poor children, the great horned water snakes have long ago eaten up your father.” When the old man had landed he went straight to his camp, and there sat the young man inside the wigwam. The wicked old man was surprised for the horned water snake had been the embodiment of one of his dreams.

One day, the young man asked his father-in-law where they could get an eagle. They went off together. “There is an eagle,” cried the young man. “No, come farther on,” said the old man, “I know where there is a big nest.” At last the old man pointed out a nest, and left the young man there while he went over to it. The young man climbed the tree. When he was there the old man called out to the eaglets, “I feed you my son-in-law,” and went away. The young man asked the two eaglets that were in the nest what their names were. He asked the female first, “Owatci,” said she. The male bird said, “I am a tree as straight as you are when you stretch yourself.” So he killed them both, and took them home. Then the last of the old man’s dreams had failed. The young man had the eaglets cooked and gave one of each to his children. He told his children to go down to the water’s edge and meet their grandfather. “Eat the eaglets before him,” he said.

After a while their grandfather came back. The two children went down to meet him, eating the eaglets, as they were told. When the old man saw them eating the eaglets he asked, “Where did you get those eaglets?” “Our father brought them to us,” said they. “Poor children, the eagles have long ago eaten your father.” When the old man had landed he went straight to his camp and there sat the young man inside the wigwam. The wicked old man was surprised for the eaglets had been the embodiment of one of his dreams. “I wonder,” said the young man one day in the winter, “where we can kill a caribou?” “I know,” said the old man, “we will go tomorrow, I’ll go with you.” So off they went. They had to camp over night in a swamp. The old man told his son-in-law that the name of the swamp was (scorched-up-swamp, Jiteomuskeg). The young man, when he heard this thought, “Surely you want to burn my moccasins?”

Then they went to bed. The fire nearly went out, but the old man got up and took his son-in-law’s moccasins and leggings and burned them. Then the old man went back to bed and cried out, “Phoo! Your moccasins are burning.” Then the young man laughed, “Those were your own moccasins you burnt. I changed mine for yours when you slept, and I saw you when you put them in the fire.”

In the morning, the young man dressed himself and left Omishus and went home. He took his father-in-law’s canoe because one of his wives could make it go as well as her father. After they crossed the sea, they left the canoe tied to a tree near the shore. The old man started to heat a stone in the fire. When it was hot he tried to roll it through the snow to melt a path for his bare legs. It did not succeed. Then he rubbed charcoal on his legs. “I dreamt about caribou long ago, and I ought to be able to walk as they do on the snow without any trouble,” said he. At last he reached the sea. Then he was very angry because his canoe was gone. He started to shout, “My canoe, my canoe, my canoe!” His canoe heard and began to pull and move back and forth to get away. Then his son-in-law said to his wife, “You had better let the canoe go.” She did and it went off to the old man and they never saw him again.

The cannibals

Two cannibals prey upon helpless families by luring them into feasting and slaughtering them, but their scheme backfires when one man conjures a snow shelter to elude capture. Later, two brothers, forewarned by powerful medicine, trick the cannibals into a wrestling match on thin ice and drown them, delivering justice and freeing their people.

Source:
Notes on the Eastern Cree
and Northern Saulteaux
by Alanson Skinner
The American Museum
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story

Good vs. Evil: The clear moral conflict between the evil cannibals and their innocent victims drives the story’s tension.

Revenge and Justice: The starving families ultimately turn the tables and slay the cannibals to avenge past atrocities.

Magic and Enchantment: The first victim’s use of powerful snow and weather conjuring showcases supernatural aid in escaping doom.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Cree Lore

Learn more about the Cree people

Albany Cree

Once there was an old man and his son who used to go about killing and eating people. At last, they came to one family who was very poor and was starving. Then the young man said, “Father, I’ll stay here and go off and hunt for the people. We will fatten them up and kill them.” His father said it was well. The young man hunted for three days and all the deer’s meat he got he gave to those people. He stayed with them for a week.

One day, he went off and found his father. He told him he had seen a big tent full of people which he had not entered. His father said, “We will go tomorrow morning to see them.” The young man told the people he was living with that they were to eat heartily and grow fat. “We will come once a week to see you and how you are getting along.”

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They went away then, the father and son, and camped close to the big tent. They did not approach it until night when everyone was asleep. Then they killed half of the people and ate them. The rest escaped. The two cannibals stayed at the same place. The man they left kept on eating and drying the meat they gave him. Once a week the old cannibal visited him and saw that he and his wife and children were growing fat.

Now the man became afraid. He continued to dry meat as before, but he dug a hole under the snow for he knew that the cannibals were fattening him in order to kill him. The next week, the old man came. “You are getting fat now,” he said. “Next week my son and I will visit you again.” “All night, I’ll be here,” said the man and all that week he collected dry meat and wood and snow to make water. Then he barricaded the door with brush. He took in his drum and sang and thumped all night praying for bad weather. The very first morning a heavy snow-storm fell covering his fort completely. The next night the man conjured again for rain to make a hard crust over the snow. It came, and then he conjured for more snow drifts. Again, the snow fell and he was covered over as hard as a rock where he was hidden. The time for the next visit of the cannibals was now at hand. When they came they could not find him.

The old cannibal dug a hole in the snow to seek them for he knew from his medicine that they must be near by. He could not find them although he and his son were right over their victims. Then the cannibal people left the place and went off in the opposite direction. The Indians stayed in the snow until the spring thaws released them. The cannibals soon found another family where there were two grown-up sons whose medicine was very strong. These two sons knew before the cannibals came that they were approaching and one hid on the river bank and the other m the brush. Sure enough, the two cannibals came in the night along the river. “There are strangers coming,” he called out. At once the cannibal and his son fell on the snow and lay there hidden intending to make an unexpected attack late that night. They were surprised for they did not think anyone was waiting for them. Then the other brother went out and both went to see the two cannibals. They said to the strangers, “You are just in time to help us chisel beaver.” Then the old man said, “I am too old to chisel beaver but my son can go with you, I’ll stay in the tent.” So then the three went to a lake. There were no beaver there at all. They all sat on the edge of the lake.

The youngest brother said, “Let us make a big hole in the ice in the middle of the lake. Then we will have a wrestling match, and whoever gets worsted, will be thrown into the hole and drowned. They had no axes or anything but a sharpened caribou leg bone tied on a stick for a chisel. The two brothers began to chisel and the cannibal sat and looked on. “Make it big, narrow and long, just the length of a man, so that when you throw a man, he’ll just go in,” said he. The two Indians did as they were told. Then the two brothers said slyly to each other, “Who’ll try him first?” “I will,” said the youngest. “You can’t master him,” said the older. “I will try any way,” said the younger. “We are all ready now,” said they to the cannibal at last. The young cannibal jumped up. The younger brother tried twice to throw the cannibal but could not put him in the hole. “Let me try,” said the older. So they threw the cannibal in the hole and the younger brother struck him with his ice chisel as he went down and he was killed. Then they went back. They had a war club. The old man was sitting with his legs crossed. They struck his legs and broke them with a single blow. Then they said, “We have killed your son.” Then they killed him too.

Kanweo and the cannibals

Two brothers—Kanweo and his sibling—encounter a tribe of cannibal giants. After escaping an initial ambush, Kanweo leads his people in a spirit-guided raid that routs the enemy. When the cannibals later kill his brother, Kanweo pretends friendship, lures them to a beaver lodge, and exacts revenge. Sparing only the innocents, he secures justice and returns home to restore peace.

Source:
Notes on the Eastern Cree
and Northern Saulteaux
by Alanson Skinner
The American Museum
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story

Good vs. Evil: The battle between Kanweo’s people and the cannibal tribe frames a classic moral struggle.

Revenge and Justice: After his brother is killed, Kanweo’s actions are motivated by avenging that wrong and restoring order.

Cunning and Deception: Kanweo feigns friendship at the beaver lodge to lure and overcome his unsuspecting foes.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Cree Lore

Learn more about the Cree people

Collected at Rupert’s House

There were once two brothers. They lived well, but not upon people. Nearby was a tribe called Witigo (Cannibal). These people hunted in the ordinary manner but when they could, they killed and ate men. Once, in the summer, when the two brothers were traveling about together, they came upon the Cannibals first and were able to escape. Kanweo thought he would return and get the things he used for war, and prepare for battle. He returned and told his people they would have to get ready to fight or all be killed. Kanweo began to conjure, and asked if he would be victorious if he went to war with the Cannibals. The spirits replied that if he had a mind to go he would be victorious. Kanweo at once got his people together. The Cannibals always lived together. The people at once began to get their war spears and “sword arrows” [a “sword arrow” is one having a pointed pile, or head, set in the shaft] etc., together and started out.

► Continue reading…

Kanweo prepared to attack the Cannibals slyly not intending to let them know before he tackled them. There was a big hill there, just at the back of the place where the Cannibals were staying. Kanweo told his men to go up on top of this hill to watch first. He told his men, “We will watch to see when they are not ready and then we will attack them.”

The next day the Cannibals began to build sweat houses and he said, “Now is the time to go down upon them slyly.” None of the Cannibals had anything ready. Kanweo and his men ran down and began to spear them as they ran out of the sweat houses. Some of the Cannibals burned themselves on the hot stones. It was a dreadful fight. Some of them escaped. Of course, he did not kill the women and children. The great warrior, Kanweo, was driven back towards the water where the giants (the Cannibals were very large, they say) were attempting to escape by canoes. There were two or three attacking him, but he backed away and fell into a canoe. He thought he was finished, but he managed to get up and killed all those who were attacking him.

There was one old man, who was a chief, and his sons, among the cannibals. He was not killed and was escaping with his children in the canoe. Kanweo saw him and ran right out in the water to him and gripped the head of the canoe but the water was too deep and he could not hold it. His own canoe was hidden a long way off.

All the women and children of the Cannibals escaped. Whether there were any of Kanweo’s party killed is not known, but a great many of the Cannibal giants were killed. The Kanweo stopped and went back to his place again. He lived there with his brother and they went about as usual.

One winter, his brother went off to hunt in another direction. The brothers came upon the Cannibals again and they killed him when they came on him unawares. They took his wife and children alive.

Next summer, where the brothers had appointed to meet, there was no sign of the brother and Kanweo learned from other Indians what had happened to his brother. Kanweo thought to have his revenge on account of his brother but he didn’t know where the Cannibals were. Some time after that he thought to himself he would try and find out. It was winter and he was living alone with his family. One day he was off hunting. Before he went off that morning he told his wife he was sure to meet somebody that day. He put on his oldest and worst clothes and made himself very miserable looking. Right enough, he went off that day. He was looking for beaver, trying to find where the beaver were. He took nothing with him except his chisel to bore the ice. He came to a place where there were beaver, where the beaver were lodging. He came to a beaver house and cuttings near by. He looked at the house and then went down to see if he could find the dam where they had shut up the creek.

As he was going along down the creek he saw someone coming up stream. He knew now this was the man he was expecting to see. This was the old man who had escaped from him two or three years before in the battle with the Cannibals. The old man was looking for beaver too, and had only his chisel with him. This was the same man who had killed his brother. Kanweo pretended he did not see the Cannibal and the Cannibal who saw Kanweo did likewise. They drew together, the Cannibal thinking he would knock Kanweo down and kill him before Kanweo saw him. Kanweo knew what the Cannibal was about to do and when he approached pushed him away, saying, “Don’t you see me? Look out where you are going.” The Cannibal lied, and said, “Oh, I did not see you.” Then they began to talk like friends.

Kanweo told the old man he was looking for beaver, and the old man said he was doing the same. They had just met you see, at the dam, and Kanweo asked the old man, “Where are you thinking of going?” The old man replied that he thought of going where the beaver were. Kanweo told the old man that they would come there and chisel the beaver together the next day. The Cannibal said that he had three sons who would come along with him too. The great warrior Kanweo told the old man to tell his sons to cut sticks to stake in the river and when they were to carry the sticks down to the river they were not to wear their snowshoes but beat the path with their feet. After they had planned what they were going to do, they separated, and each went back to his own place.

When Kanweo came home, he had some dry beaver outside his tent and he took four in with him and told his wife to cook them. He said, “We must try to finish all that beaver tonight.” He was making a feast so that he might be prosperous to kill his enemy. “We must try to finish these before daylight,” he told her after they were cooked.

He told his family that he had met someone and they had planned to chisel beaver together. He told them they might come, but not with him. They began to feast. He told them if they managed to finish the feast they might be able to overcome the enemy.

Next morning, he got out his war tools, his spear, etc., and went off, his family following behind. He told them to make camp at a certain place that he would mark which was not close to where he was going to have the battle. Kanweo went there first, before the rest, where the beaver were. He marked the creek where they were going to stake it in. Then he saw the old man coming with his sons. When the sons saw him they said to their father, “We are sure that man must be the one called Kanweo who used to fight with us.” They were afraid, for they knew he had something against them as they had killed his brother and held his wife a prisoner.

Kanweo was in charge of the beaver. He told the young men where to go to cut the sticks. He told them to leave their snowshoes down by the creek and beat the path in their moccasins, so they would not make much noise. Then he said to the old man, “We’ll chisel the ice, make a trench right across the ice to put down the sticks.” Kanweo had a chisel with a blade at each end, that he could turn as he liked to see which chisel was sharpest. The old man was chiseling and Kanweo told him to make the hole big in one place in the middle of the river where they were to set the net. Kanweo would turn his chisel now and again to see which end was sharper.

Every time Kanweo would turn his chisel the old man was afraid and would jump. “You seem to be afraid,” said Kanweo, “every time I turn my chisel.” “Oh, no,” said the old man, “I’m not afraid, but I very nearly slipped.” At last, they had the hole big enough, and Kanweo told the old man to skim the ice out of the hole. The old man sat down on his knees to do this and Kanweo knew that the hole was big enough. All at once, when the old man was not thinking, Kanweo stabbed him in the back, with his chisel and threw him under the water. The old man managed, however, to give a shout as he was going under, and the young men, who were cutting sticks heard it. The old man struggled beneath the ice for a moment, and very nearly burst the ice through it was so thick. When Kanweo saw the old man was killed, he took his bow and arrow.

The young men came running to the creek when they heard their father call. Kanweo took his bow and arrow and shot at the young men when they tried to escape. He killed two when they were putting on their snowshoes, but the third got his snowshoes on. Kanweo, however, managed to shoot him before he got very far. The family of Kanweo soon came up and soon after came the Cannibal’s family. When they heard that the old man was dead, they began to cry, but Kanweo did not harm them. At last, the old man’s wife came up, but when she saw the others crying, she refused to believe her husband was dead, for she did not believe any one could overcome him.

Kanweo told her to come and see the old man’s body which Kanweo had pulled to the hole they had made. He was not on the ice but his head was out of the water. Kanweo used his body as one of the stakes to shut up the creek. Then the old woman believed and became angry. She attempted to make an end of Kanweo. She got her big ax off the sled and was going to kill him with that. Of course, Kanweo knocked her ax away, and he took her ax from her and knocked her down. He told her she had to die, and with the same ax with which she wanted to strike him he struck her and killed her.

Kanweo’s sister-in-law was there, a prisoner, and she wanted to come and live with him. She didn’t want to stay with them any more. Kanweo would not allow her to come. “I’ve heard,” he said, “you helped them kill your husband. I don’t want to have anything more to do with you.” He let the other go and she had to return with them. That is the end of this story.

The burning of the world

After a cataclysmic fire engulfs the earth, only a young man, his mother, and sister survive on a square refuge he marks out. As the waters calm, he names and assigns roles to animals based on their qualities, explains their physical traits, and gives himself and his family bird identities. Each then departs, destined to reconvene, marking the beginning of a renewed world.

Source:
Notes on the Eastern Cree
and Northern Saulteaux
by Alanson Skinner
The American Museum
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story

Creation: The story recounts the remaking of the world after a great fire, describing how life began anew on the marked patch of land.

Origin of Things: It explains the beginnings and characteristics of various animals, detailing why each species has its unique traits.

Loss and Renewal: A catastrophic conflagration destroys the old world and its inhabitants, yet paves the way for a regenerated life.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Cree Lore

Learn more about the Cree people

Collected at Rupert’s House

Once all the world was burnt. Only a man, and his mother and sister were saved. Of course, there were a lot of people on earth before that. The surviving man fell out with his father, and at last they became enemies. At last, the young man heard that the earth was going to be burnt, but the father did not believe it would happen. So the young man made a bow and arrows and shot one arrow to the west, another to the east, another to the south, and another to the north. Thus using the spots where the arrows fell for corners, he marked out a large square patch of land, and whatever wanted to be saved could come on that ground.

Some did not believe that the earth would be burnt. The old man and his wives and children did not believe that the earth would burn and also refused to come.

► Continue reading…

Sure enough, when the time came, they could hear the fire. They were camped by the side of a big lake. By and by, all the birds and animals came running to the patch of ground that was marked out, as that was the only patch of ground that was not on fire. When the old man saw he was going to burn too, he tried to get to the ground that his son had marked out. His son would not allow him to come on because he didn’t believe that this would happen. So he and all of his family were burnt. Even the water was boiling it was so hot.

Of course, after all the fire was over, and the water was settled down again, there were only three people left in the world. The old man who was burnt only had two wives and only two children, one of whom was his son.

After the fire was over, there were lots and lots of animals on the patch of ground. The man named some of them. He put the beaver to live in the water. The rabbit wanted to be a beaver, but he wouldn’t allow it. The rabbit even jumped into the water, but the man pulled him out and drained the water off him. He said his legs were too long and even if he did eat willows like a beaver, he couldn’t go about in the water properly.

The squirrel wished to be a bear. He did all he could to be a bear. The man said he wouldn’t do, he was too noisy. He said, “If you were a bear, when people got numerous again, you will get thinned down too much. The bear must be a very canny animal and keep quiet; he has too many enemies.” The squirrel began to weep. He wept a great deal, until his eyes were white. If you take notice the next time you see a squirrel you will notice that his eyes are bright and swollen from weeping. The man made the bear then because he was nice, and quiet and canny.

Somebody else wanted to be a deer (caribou) but I don’t remember who it was, but the deer was put in too. The real deer was appointed because he was swift and could run from his enemies. After he was finished with the animals he put a mark on the people telling what they had to be called. They had to have new names after the world was burnt.

He called his mother Robin, because she was loving, that is what he meant I think; he called his sister golden winged woodpecker (“flicker,” “clape,” “high-holer”) because that meant she was beautiful. He called himself Cluih duih-kiyu, blackbird, because he meant by this he would only come every spring. Each of them flew away wherever they wanted to travel. They did not stay together but they met again. That is all of this story I ever heard. [There are, according to the narrator, other stories about Aiacciou, the elder, who was burnt.]

The Beaver wife

A man tests various female animals to find a clever wife, finally choosing the whisky-jack, then the beaver under a bond to bridge every creek. Neglecting this, she flees to her river-home, and he learns to live underwater as her mate. Years later his brother, guided by dreams, traps the beaver, rescues him from near-total transformation, and restores him to human life.

Source:
Notes on the Eastern Cree
and Northern Saulteaux
by Alanson Skinner
The American Museum
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The man gradually adopts beaver traits and even becomes nearly indistinguishable from them.

Prophecy and Fate: Both the beaver wife and his brother learn of coming events through dreams that shape the story’s outcome.

Journey to the Otherworld: The man dives into an underwater beaver lodge—a hidden realm ruled by his aquatic wife.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Cree Lore

Learn more about the Cree people

There was a man in the olden days who tried every female animal to see who was the smartest to work that he might keep her to live with him. He tried the deer (caribou) first, but she did not please him, so he sent her away. He next tried the wolf. She did not please him, as she was too wicked and greedy. He then came across the moose and did not like her. Then he tried the fisher but she did not please him either. He tried the marten and she did not please him. He tried the lynx and lived with her a while. She was smart but still she did not please him. He went off and lived with Otter but she was too funny and made too much noise. Then he thought he would try some of the flying animals. He tried the owls, but they did not care for his tent properly when he was away hunting, and besides they ate too much.

► Continue reading…

As the whisky-jack (wiskatcak, Canada jay) was always about him, he asked her if she could look after his tent. She said she could try it. She staid for a while; she was very cleanly and kept the tent decent.

One day, he told her he would go and hunt caribou and chisel beaver. She had everything ready, water and wood, when she expected him back. He came home in the evening and threw down his game (three or four beaver tied together) at the tent door. He came in without his game, as is customary among the Cree, and hearing the bundle fall she ran out to get it. It was so heavy that it broke her legs when she tried to lift it. She couldn’t rise so she told her husband and he brought in the beaver. He said he would get his bowstring and bind up her legs so that they would get well. He did so and she recovered. Ever afterwards, however, one can see the marks of the wrapping on the whisky-jack’s legs. He continued to live with her until she got well, then he told her she could leave as the work was too hard for her.

One day, when he was walking about, he met Beaver cutting down a tree. She left her dwelling and came to him. She was very attentive and a good worker. She could do anything a man might wish; she could wash and dress fur well. When the man found she was so pleasing he asked her if she would become his wife and live with him.

Before she would promise she said to him, “It will be hard for me to do what you ask me, and hard for you too. There is only one condition under which I will live with you. As I live in the water and you on the dry land, you must never forget when crossing a little valley or creek to break down a stick and lay it across the water or else it will become a big river. You must promise never to forget this even when you are tired and in a great hurry, or the river will appear and we will be separated.”

He lived with her for a while. At last, he became careless. One time, towards the spring (it was not yet summer) he was leading the way through the forest. She followed, hauling the tent utensils. At last, he crossed a valley that did not look as though water would ever run through it. He thought “Surely this can never become a river,” and put nothing there. He went on, found a suitable camping place, left his sled for his beaver wife to pitch the camp and went off hunting. “When he returned he found his sled still there, and there was no sign of his wife. At once, he remembered his neglect to put the stick across the valley, but he could not believe this to be the cause of her absence. When she did not return he went back to the place where the omission occurred and there he found a great river and saw his wife swimming about in it building a beaver house. She had it already finished.

He began to cry for he was very fond of his wife and now he knew he had lost her. He begged her to come to see him but she would not come ashore and acted as though she was afraid of him. She told him to come to her. He did not know what to do, as he feared to drown. She said, “At first you’ll find it hard, but if you dive down and come up inside the house, it is dry there.”

At last, he thought to himself that he would try, although he was rather afraid. He swam out and she came to meet him. She told him where to dive and he followed her into the door, and came up on the inside where it was dry. He lived with her for a long time. He had to eat what she ate, willows and bark of trees. It was not very nice for him after eating meat and men’s food. After a time, he began to become able to swim about and act like a beaver. Occasionally he went ashore and walked about. He learned to build beaver houses, but could not cut down a tree with his teeth as they did. For this, he used his ax which he brought with him. He lived with the beavers a good many years.

This man had a brother who missed him as the years went by. At last he dreamt what had become of his brother and went to look for him. Right enough, he found different signs where the beaver lived. Trees had been cut with an ax, etc. The brother could not find him, as he only came out at night when the beaver did and slept all day. The brother had to wait till winter, when he declared he would find him. When the middle of the winter arrived, the brother went off to find the lost man. The beaver man dreamed that his brother was coming and told his wife that this would happen and that they would soon be separated.

Sure enough, the brother came, and staked in the river on both sides of the houses. (The beavers had a lot of holes besides their houses; the beavers ran out and were caught. The beaver man who now had much of the nature of the beaver, told his wife to be careful, as he knew all about the nets having himself taken beaver in this way. He showed the beaver how to make holes in the bank which they never knew about before.)

At last, the brother found the holes in the bank and killed the beaver wife in one of them. Later still, he found her husband. He was almost changed to a beaver with hair all over his body, like one. His brother knew him, however, and told him he had come for him and brought clothes for him to wear. So the man dressed up and went home with his brother. When they got there, the brother gave him something to eat.

The beaver man told him never to give him any of the meat of the female beaver to eat, for said he, “As sure as I eat a piece of the flesh of a female beaver, I’ll turn into a beaver again, and you will never be able to get me back to a man again.” After this he lived with mankind until he died.

The virgin birth

A chief’s daughter secretly bears a child by a young boy, prompting the tribe’s paternity-test ritual: the infant is passed among suitors to see whom it urinates on. A deceitful suitor is unmasked when the true father’s bond triggers the correct result. Ostracized for a time, the young couple thrives on hunting, leading the struggling villagers to return and beseech them for meat.

Source:
Notes on the Eastern Cree
and Northern Saulteaux
by Alanson Skinner
The American Museum
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story

Family Dynamics: It centers on the relationships between the chief’s daughter, her suitors, and her young secret lover.

Revenge and Justice: The community exposes the liar and establishes rightful parenthood through their customary trial.

Community and Isolation: After the trial, the true parents are shunned until the young father’s hunting success forces the villagers to return and plead for aid.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Cree Lore

Learn more about the Cree people

Narrated by Joe Iserhoff.

Once, in the old days, there was a very beautiful girl who was a chief’s daughter. All the young men loved her et cum ea coire volebant [and they wanted to have sex with her]. In those days, it was customary for quisquan cum virgine coiiseet [who will sleep with a virgin] to also marry her. But she would have nothing to do with them.

In the village, there was a certain young boy who also loved her but he was so young that everybody laughed at him. However, during the winter he watched the girl, et quondocumque mincture exiret eodem loco minxit [and whenever he felt the need to urinate, he did it always at her place].

After a time, the girl became pregnant from this cause, and gave birth to a child.

► Continue reading…

The chief called all the young men together and when they had gathered in the wigwam he announced that he would pass the child about and when the father took the child in his arms infantum in patrem mincturum [the child will urinate on his father]. This was done.

There was a certain young man in the village who loved the girl and he filled his mouth with spittle. When the child was passed to him he permitted it to run out all over him and cried, “I am the child’s father, you can see in me minxit [he urinated on me].” But some in the crowd saw what he had done and they called out, “You lie,” so he was disappointed. The child was passed on and when it reached its father verum in ilium minxit [he really peed on him].

Then the young boy took his wife and settled down. The rest of the people were angry (jealous) at him, and moved away, leaving him alone. He went hunting and was very successful. The rest of the people were not, however, and they nearly starved. At length, they heard he had meat and returned and begged for some.

The adventures of Tcikapis

Tcikapis and his sister survive a bear attack by hiding in a tree. After a fish swallows Tcikapis, his sister rescues him, leaving mystical fish slime on his brow. He embarks on a series of daring exploits: slaying bears, outwitting giant women and men, retrieving grease, and ultimately ensnaring the sun. His cunning and resilience restore cosmic order when the shrew releases the sun.

Source:
Notes on the Eastern Cree
and Northern Saulteaux
by Alanson Skinner
The American Museum
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story

Hero’s Journey: Tcikapis undergoes a series of transformative adventures, growing in skill and wisdom through each challenge.

Resurrection: After being killed and boiled by the giant women, Tcikapis miraculously returns to life and defeats his foes.

Time and Timelessness: Capturing the sun halts daylight, exploring themes of cosmic order and the manipulation of time.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Cree Lore

Learn more about the Cree people

Albany version
Narrated by Willie Archibald

(While their parents were being devoured by brown bears, Tcikapis and his sister escaped by climbing a tall tree where they could not be seen.)

Tcikapis and his sister lived beside a lake. One day the sister told him not to go out on a tree leaning over the water, but Tcikapis shot a bird and it fell into the water. In order to get it Tcikapis climbed out on the tree to reach it and was devoured by a fish. By and by, his sister missed him and suspecting that the fish had eaten him she caught it with a hook.

When she went to cut it up, Tcikapis cried, “Slowly, slowly, or you will cut me.” When Tcikapis was released he said to her, “Don’t scrape the (fish) slime off the top of my head and my upper lip, and the people who come later will have hair there.”

► Continue reading…

The next day, Tcikapis was hunting, he heard a noise and came home. His sister cried out, “It is the bears who killed our parents, don’t go.” Tcikapis went, however, and killed the bears. He found his mother’s braid of hair in one. He burned the carcasses.

Tcikapis went out again the next day. Again, he heard a noise and returned. His sister said to him, “Don’t go out, it is the noise made by giant women scraping beaver skins. The next day, Tcikapis went out and saw the giant women at work. He shot a “Whisky Jack” (Canada jay) and dressed in its skin and flew about. He stole the grease the women had scraped off the skins. The giant women knew it was Tcikapis, and one of them knocked him down with her scraper which she threw at him and killed him. Then they threw him into a kettle of boiling water and laughed as he whirled round and round. Tcikapis was not really dead, however. Suddenly, he jumped out and scalded the people all to death.

Next day, Tcikapis heard the giant men netting (chiseling) beaver under the ice. He made himself very small and went to them. The giants asked him to pull out a giant beaver by the tail, expecting him to be pulled in and drowned; he, however, succeeded, much to their surprise. Tcikapis opened the sinew lining of his bow and put the beaver there. The giants shouted to him to bring it back, but he refused.

He gave the beaver to his sister to cook. While he was skimming the grease to eat from the pot where the beaver was boiling, the giants came with their war spears, to harpoon him, stabbing through his tent. Tcikapis had a round, flat shell of spoon shape, he put it on his back and covered himself. The giants entered his wigwam but they couldn’t break the shell although they knew very well that Tcikapis was under it. Then they threatened to take away his sister if he didn’t come out, but he did not budge. They burned the tent and took away his sister.

When they had gone, Tcikapis came out and strung his bow and followed them. He came up to them when they were crossing a swamp or muskeg. He said to his arrow, “Don’t fall on those that are short, fall only on the tall ones.” He fired the arrow which destroyed the giants but did not harm his sister.

Next day, Tcikapis went out again. He found a fine path. He went home and told his sister. She said, “That is the path where the sun walks over night.” Tcikapis got some string from his sister and made a snare. In the morning, when the sun came along it was caught. There was no daylight the next day. Tcikapis didn’t know what to think, but at last he got up and made the fire. Then he told his sister he had caught the sun. As it would not do to have perpetual darkness, Tcikapis called all the animals together to release the sun by cutting the string. He asked the smaller animals to try first,, thinking that they would be least apt to be burned. First he tried the ermine (weasel) but he was burned to death. At last he tried the shrew who succeeded in releasing the sun.

The adventures of Tcikapis

Young Tcikapis, orphaned by the murderous Katci’tos, embarks on a quest to avenge his parents’ death, proving his skill by shattering a jackpine and slaying the beast. Gifted with shape-shifting powers, he braves astonishing trials—outwitting a giant fish, giant beaver hunters, and a cannibal mother—before ascending a magical tree to trap the sun, thus explaining day and night, and finally bringing his family into the sky to live.

Source:
Notes on the Eastern Cree
and Northern Saulteaux
by Alanson Skinner
The American Museum
of Natural History
Anthropological Papers
Volume IX, Part 1
New York, 1911

► Themes of the story

Hero’s Journey: Tcikapis undertakes a series of transformative trials, growing from an avenger of his slain parents into a powerful, clever hero.

Transformation: He wields the magical ability to change his size at will and even causes a tree to grow into the sky.

Origin of Things: By ensnaring the sun and creating alternating light and darkness, the tale explains the natural phenomenon of day and night.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Sub-Arctic Region
  - Cree Lore

Learn more about the Cree people

Rupert’s House version
Narrated by Joe Iserhoff.

Once there was a young boy named Tcikapis who lived alone with his sister. Their mother and father had been slain by an animal called “Katci’tos” before the boy could remember. One day, when he grew old enough to go out hunting he asked his sister what color the hair of his parents had been. She replied, “Our father was dark, and our mother was light.” He took his bow and arrows and went out singing a song, the gist of which was that he would like to meet the animal that killed his father and mother. The bear appeared, “Are you looking for me?” he asked. “Do you eat people,” asked Tcikapis, “when you meet them?” “Oh no,” said the bear, “I run away.” “Then I don’t want you,” said Tcikapis. Other animals came and answered his questions in the same manner. At last came the “Katci’tos.” “Are you looking for me?” he asked. “Do you eat people?” asked Tcikapis. “Yes,” answered the animal. “How strong are you?” asked Tcikapis. “As strong as that Jackpine,” said the animal pointing to a tree.

► Continue reading…

Tcikapis turned around and fired his arrow at the tree to try his strength. He shivered it to splinters. This frightened the animal who started to run away. Tcikapis hastened and picked up his arrow. The animal was out of sight, but Tcikapis fired where it had disappeared. He ran to the spot and found it dead, split from head to tail by his arrow. In its belly he found the hair of his father and mother which he recognized by its color. He took it home to his sister.

One day Tcikapis told his sister to set some hooks for fish. She did so. Then Tcikapis took his bow, turned up, and got into it like a canoe, for he had the power to make himself very small or as large as a normal man. He went sailing along when up came a great fish. The fish was about to swallow Tcikapis, canoe and all, when he said, “Swallow me whole, don’t bite me.” The fish did so and went away. Tcikapis looked from the fish’s stomach out of his mouth and saw the hook his sister had set. “What is that over there?” he said to the fish. The fish went to see and took the bait. Later Tcikapis’ sister pulled in the line and caught the fish. When she gutted it, out stepped Tcikapis. His sister scolded him for this but he only laughed.

One time during the winter, Tcikapis heard someone out on the ice, chiseling beaver. He said to his sister, “I am going out to help those people catch beaver.” “Do not go,” said his sister, “they are Big Fellows’ (giants) and they are catching big beaver and they will get you to take hold of a beaver’s tail and you will only be pulled in so they will laugh at you.” “Never fear,” said Tcikapis, “I am going.”

Tcikapis made himself very small and went out to the river. The “Big Fellows” laughed at him and asked him to take hold of a beaver’s tail and pull it out, because they expected to see him pulled in so that they could laugh at him. Tcikapis took hold of a beaver’s tail and pulled it out without difficulty. He threw it over his shoulder and walked away to his lodge. When the “Big Fellows” saw this, they shouted, “Here, bring back our beaver,” Tcikapis replied, “It is my beaver, I caught it.”

When he reached home, his sister was frightened and said, “Tonight the Big Fellows’ will come and kill us.” Tcikapis only laughed and said, “I am not afraid of them.” That night he changed his wigwam into stone. The “Big Fellows” came and tried to break it in, but it was solid rock and Tcikapis only laughed at them.

One day Tcikapis heard some girls scraping skin. He said to his sister, “I am going to see those girls.” His sister said, “Do not do so, their mother eats people.” But Tcikapis was not afraid and went over where the girls were. There were two of them.

He began to make love to them, and very soon the old woman heard them talking and laughing. She came up, and Tcikapis said to the girls, “Do you mind if I kill your mother?” The girls said, “No,” for she killed all B their lovers. Tcikapis replied, “When she goes to cook me, tell her to sit close to the pot if she likes to see the grease come up.”

Tcikapis had a bladder full of grease under his coat, and when the old woman threw him in the pot he let it bubble up. It began to boil soon. After a time, the girls said, “Mother, if you like to see the grease come up, sit closer to the pot.” She did so, and Tcikapis leaped out and scalded her to death. Then Tcikapis went home and brought the girls with him. “Here are two girls, sister,” he said, “to keep you company so that you will not be lonely any more.” “What mischief have you been up to now? “ said his sister. “Nothing,” said Tcikapis, “I have only killed the old woman and the girls said that they were willing I should do it.”

Tcikapis climbed up a tree one day. When he got on the top of the tree he began to blow on it, and it began to grow. It grew until it reached the sky. Tcikapis got off, and there he found a beautiful path. (It was the road the sun traveled across the heavens every day.) Tcikapis wondered what made this fine path, so he lay down to wait. Presently, the sun came along. “Get out of my way,” said the sun to Tcikapis. “Come on, and step over me,” said Tcikapis rudely.

The sun refused, but after some argument, finding Tcikapis would not move, he came and stepped over him. It was so hot that it burned Tcikapis, caribou skin coat. This made Tcikapis very angry and be determined to be revenged so he set a snare for the sun. Next day, when the sun came along its path it was caught in the snare, and struggled to get loose. When it struggled there were great flashes of light and dark or day and night. This, of course, would not do, so Tcikapis tried to let the sun loose, but it was so hot that it burned him when he went near it. At length, Tcikapis persuaded the shrew who has a very long nose, to gnaw it loose.

After this, Tcikapis decided to go up above to live. He descended and got his two wives and his sister. They all climbed into the tree, and Tcikapis, began to blow on it. The tree grew higher and higher, so high that his sister and his two wives grew dizzy and they would fall off, but every time they fell off Tcikapis would catch them and put them back again.