The Spirit Lives in the Mind: Omushkego Stories, Lives, and Dreams PDF
Preview The Spirit Lives in the Mind: Omushkego Stories, Lives, and Dreams
THE SPIRIT LIVES IN THE MIND rupert’s land record society series Jennifer S.H. Brown, Editor 1 The English River Book A North West Company Journal and Account Book of 1786 Edited by Harry W. Duckworth 2 A Country So Interesting The Hudson’s Bay Company and Two Centuries of Mapping, 1670–1870 Richard I. Ruggles 3 Arctic Artist The Journal and Paintings of George Back, Midshipman with Franklin, 1819–1822 Edited by C. Stuart Houston Commentary by I.S. MacLaren 4 Ellen Smallboy Glimpses of a Cree Woman’s Life Regina Flannery 5 Voices from Hudson Bay Cree Stories from York Factory Compiled and edited by Flora Beardy and Robert Coutts 6 North of Athabasca Slave Lake and Mackenzie River Documents of the North West Company, 1800–1821 Edited with an Introduction by Lloyd Keith 7 From Barrow to Boothia The Arctic Journal of Chief Factor Peter Warren Dease, 1836–1839 Edited and annotated by William Barr 8 My First Years in the Fur Trade The Journals of 1802–1804 George Nelson Edited by Laura Peers and Theresa Schenck 9 The Spirit Lives in the Mind: Omushkego Stories, Lives, and Dreams Louis Bird Compiled and edited by Susan Elaine Gray The Spirit Lives in the Mind Omushkego Stories, Lives, and Dreams LOUIS BIRD Compiled and Edited by SUSAN ELAINE GRAY McGill-Queen’s University Press Montreal & Kingston · London · Ithaca © McGill-Queen’s University Press 2007 isbn 978-0-7735-3209-0 (cloth) isbn 978-0-7735-3210-6 (paper) Legal deposit first quarter 2007 Bibliothèque nationale du Québec Printed in Canada on acid-free paper McGill-Queen’s University Press acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the finan- cial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (bpidp) for our publishing activities. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Bird, Louis The spirit lives in the mind : Omushkego stories, lives and dreams / Louis Bird ; compiled and edited by Susan Elaine Gray. (Rupert’s Land Record Society series ; 9) Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-7735-3209-0 (bnd) isbn 978-0-7735-3210-6 (pbk) 1. Cree Philosophy—James Bay Region. 2. Cree Indians— James Bay Region—Folklore. 3. Cree Indians—James Bay Region—Religion. I. Gray, Susan Elaine, 1960– II. Title. III. Series. e99.c88b527 2007 398.2′09714111 c2006-905865-2 Typeset in 10½/13 Sabon by True to Type We each wish to pay special tributes: Louis would like to dedicate this book to his children and grandchildren. Susan would like to dedicate this book to David McCrady, for letting in all the light; to her parents, Al and Elaine Gray, for their support and imagination; and to her aunt, author Barbara Rodman. This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface Susan Elaine Gray xi Acknowledgments xxiii Illustrations xxv Map xxxii Introduction 3 1 water, earth and skies 6 The Land and the Spirit 6 Mooshawow and Wabagamushusagagan 8 The Shaman and the Narwhal Whisker 10 Rocks and their Stories 12 Places in the Skies 15 Giant Spider and the First People 15 Astronomy 17 Moshegiishik (The Universe) 19 Chakapesh 23 Chakapesh Gets Swallowed by a Fish 23 Chakapesh Snares the Sun 29 Chakapesh in the Moon 36 Mysteries in the Sky 37 2 intruders and defenders 39 Encounters on Mooshawow 39 viii Contents Ostigwan Nowakow (The Place of Skulls) 43 A Mitew Attack with a Lightning Gun 45 Ships, Mysterious and Real 48 3 pakaaskokan, an ancient legend and mystery 51 4 values for life and survival 59 Dreams and Gifts 59 Christianity and Our Ways: Fear and Denial 60 Conversions to Christianity 62 Life after Death 64 The Power of the Orphan – a Resurrection Story 64 Healing and Faith 66 A Mitew Healer 66 Omushkego Individualism 68 Condemnation by Christianity 70 5 relations with animals 71 Animal Powers 71 Caribou Awareness 72 Caribou Messages 73 Code of Ethics: Dreams, Gifts, and Knowledge 74 Sinning Against Animals 76 Respect and Thanks for Animals 77 Violations and Consequences: The Hunters and the White Fox 78 6 mitewiwin heroes and villains 81 Mitewiwin: The Power of Dreams and the Mind 82 Science and Mystery 84 Dream Helpers 86 Becoming a Mitew 90 Dreaming the Elements 92 Mind Power through Dreams 94 Seasons and Places to Dream 95 Mitew Fasting and Self-Discipline 97 Healing 99 Animals and Power 102 Contents ix Mitew Competitions 103 Defence and Warfare: Mitew Powers and Their Limitations 103 Mitew Duels and Insults 104 Protection through Non-Belief 106 Stories of Powerful Mitewak 107 Enduring Practice and Belief 108 Mitew Magical Travel – Not So Long Ago 109 Mitew or Christian, One or the Other? 111 7 wihtigos and cannibal hearts 112 Becoming a Wihtigo 115 Burning Wihtigos 115 Anway and the Cannibals 116 The Mitew and the Cannibal Hearts 122 Ice Hearts 124 Ketastotinewan 125 8 women and men 127 Women 127 Our Grandmothers’ Powers 128 Wilderness Woman 129 Morning Star, a Love Story, and the Spread of the Cree Language 132 Wife of Ketastotinewan 140 A Woman, Her Dream Father, and a Wihtigo Duel 141 Wihtigo, or the Consequences of Not Listening 146 Story of a Woman Helping a Captive Man 148 Story of a Captive Woman Conquering her Guard 151 9 personages 153 The Defeat of the Giant Skunk 153 The Legless Man and the Boys Who Disobeyed 161 John Sakeny and Bernard Gull 165 Amoe and Sheweephan 167 10 wisakaychak 175 Wisakaychak the Rock Mover 175 Wisakaychak and the Woman Who Played Dead 178 Wisakaychak Pursues Women 180
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