The Crees of Chisasibi - Sharing Our Culture and Values

Storytelling

We usually start our story telling sessions with the story of Chisasibi and living on the island. It is a fascinating story of a 
a tribe of Cree who survived  through the years by trapping and selling furs to the Hudson's Bay and North West Company. 

There are many stories that we tell about their life on the island and on the mainland, the effect on our society caused by the residential schools and right up to the time when the Quebec government asked them to move to the mainland about 22 years ago.

We also tell you stories about how our families survived in the bush, non natives who tried to survive in the bush, about native medicine, building teepees, and winter camps.

Legend Of The James Bay Crees

A long time ago, when the forests were uninhabited and there were many animals, long before the Crees of James Bay settled in their respective communities, they led a nomadic lifestyle with no place to call home. They survived by hunting, trapping and fishing.

The people were happy and content but in their hearts stirred the desire for a permanent home.

One day the people gathered. A respected elder was chosen to consult with the Creator to find a permanent home for the Cree people.

The legend states that the elder did as the people wanted and the Creator revealed to him that he would summon the Goose to search for a new permanent home for the Crees. The Goose, as directed spread its wide wings and flew at great heights to begin its search. It flew in its graceful manner, to all corners of the continent starting at the South and then to the East, to the West and finally to the land of the North. Flying in the great land of the North, the Goose shed nine feathers from it's wings. The feathers landed in different areas in the James Bay region. Where the feathers landed there stands today the nine Cree Communities.

Told by an Elder
 

We will also tell you about strange experiences we have personally encountered like the following story. -

Four of my friends while on a hunting expedition in the month of September, years ago before I was married, saw a strange animal swimming in the salt water. I've tried to find information on it but as of today, have not been unable to. It had a head the size of a moose, very large in body size like a walrus, yellowish in color, head resembling a dog with long ears like a hound dog.

Some elders told us it was a "seadog" as some of our ancestors have seen one alone or in pairs. A woman saw 2 near the first rapids up the river here, and another hunter on his way to his trap line on the LG-3 reservoir saw 2 of them from a bush plane on an island. This was in the month of January when all the lakes and rivers and streams were frozen. The island where he saw it had a lake on it with open water only in the middle of it.

The hunter stated the reason for having open water there, was because these creature kept it open to get their food from another part of the lake. He had seen a trail on the ice leading to their feeding area.

Someone from Chisasibi tried to get a hold of the pilot for that particular trip, to see the path he might have taken to get to the hunters camp, but he had already been transferred. That was the end of it.

I don't know if such a creature exists, if it does, why isn't there written information on it.  I wish somebody would come up here to investigate James Bay waters, and see what they can find. Either on the surface or underwater.

Anyway, just telling you one of our many stories.

Sam Cox

Mermaid

Wachiya... I want to tell you a strange story my father passed on to me. He and my mother were married in 1945. He was a young man at that time. He said they were camping along the river, our hunting territory isolated north of the LG-3 campsite. This is where they were. 

Early one morning one of their elders told him to go tend the fish net. As he was tending the net, all of a sudden he heard a splash, but he wasn't facing directly at it, he turned around and he saw what he thought was a woman with long black hair. Whatever it was it dove very quickly, he told us. It was probably watching me as I was tending the nets, he told my mother.

Maybe she must have thought I'm a handsome guy that is why the mermaid was looking at me. Long before that another elderly man saw the same creature except this one had blond hair my father said. 

Some of our relatives were saying it's possible that these creatures exist. They could be another human species. The Cree legends talk about these creatures also, it is said they are very powerful beings who communicate with mental telepathy. They can make you do anything with just the power of their minds. There is a lot of other stories about these creatures that live somewhere under the sea or under the earth. It is said that the woman creature was the most powerful and only the shaman was able to ward her off by his magical or spiritual powers.

This is only one of the stories that are passed down orally
from ancient times. - Norman Fireman 

First Contact

This story originates in a place called Little Whale River in the Hudson's Bay, when our people the Cree, first made contact with Europeans. The people heard first what sounded like thunder out on the water, but couldn't see anything. 

Might have been the ship firing it's onboard cannon to let whoever was within hearing distance, of their coming. 

Then they saw far off in the distance something which looked like a reef or shoal, but knew it couldn't be one, as none existed around that body of water. So this shaman who lived among the people set up his "shaking tent" as it's called, and tried to see who it could be. He found out through the shaking tent it was the men on board who were trying to contact them. The shaman decided to go out alone, and see for himself who these people were. As he got nearer to this wooden ship, he immediately noticed men walking back and forth on it's deck. When they saw him they started waving at him and motioning for him to come closer, which he did. They lowered a small rope ladder, and tied his paddle canoe to the ship's side. The men on board seemed to be pleased to see him, especially the way he was dressed. All his clothes were made of animal skin as they did not have any cloth material at that time in history. 

Soon after, the captain of the ship came out with a firearm, and made sure that the native was watching on how he loaded it. He fired it out into the water and the projectile that was put inside made a splash a long way off in the distance. The native was very amazed at what he saw and in turn was asked to load it up the same way. He fired it himself and was even more pleased with what it could do, and the fact that he could do it himself. Sometime later, he was given something to drink which made him tipsy, and he began singing and chanting much to the delight of the sailors. They also outfitted him with new clothes and a hat, but took all his animal skin clothing. I guess to show the skins and fur wherever they came from.

Through means of sign language he tried to know what they wanted of him and the people living there. Somehow he knew that he was being informed that they would be coming back next summer, but would be needing alot of skins or fur from them. After this was all done he paddled back to the mainland, and the people waiting for him noticed that he was singing and chanting as he got closer. They also noticed that was coming back with different style of clothing along with a hat and something attached to it. They said amongst themselves that the men on the ship must have done something, for him to behave in this manner. 

So he comes ashore and shows them the firearm, powder, ammunition that he had been given as a form of gift for his clothes. He showed his people how it worked and were to amazed by it. The shaman informed the people that they could get firearms too if they went out to the ship, which they did. The men on aboard had requested that the others also come aboard. So later that following year a ship did come in and they set up a small trading post there. 

It did not stay up very long though as something tragic happened there, but this is another story.

I am a full-blooded Cree, I'll write about myself for a bit. See all of my life I’ve been involved in acts that seem to be very much the same. I’ve noticed it more in my lifetime when I am in trouble, not always trouble.

So this is how I remember the story my grandfather told me one day. 

Good old Nanabush hungry one day lazy too that day, so he decided that he would sit there until he knew what he wanted to eat, not hunt. He figured out that he would have to trick some of his relatives. He stepped outside his teepee looked up down and around. He saw big animals on the horizon; towards his feet he saw squirrels, and other small game. after he looked up his face looked so delighted, his lips were no longer parched and just as suddenly he realized that he could not fly, unless of course he could go see his friends the geese but then he had already done that, and it would just be no fun to do that again. 

Suddenly it dawned on him animals are hungry too. So he set off to work he collected everything he could that birds eat, so the next day hungrier than anything in the world he set out on his plan. Of course he was hungry, see back in the day not to many people had the sense to starve themselves for selfish reasons. There is a reason you see only so many animals pass your eyes. They are beautiful creatures but ultimately they are food.

They have spirits, and they have reason for life. They are to be respected, loved for, and cherished. All animals give themselves, foolish are those who believe they take. For example - Take a walk one day and see how many things on earth you can find that you can take that someone, or something had already given.

So Nanabush called out to all the animals in the sky, “My relatives who live above the earths dirt and stones, I would like to have a feast. I have gathered lots of food.” 
From a distance there was this humble pack of birds come over the sky. He greeted them all and invited them in. He was quick not to let anybody get settled in. 

Immediately he proposed they dance. So the birds started dancing. Then he suggested that they all close there eyes. Loon piped up and pointed out that they would not see. Nanabush liked this bird and suggested again that they dance in a circle. 

After they were participating he took a look at his feast, a fine selection. there was turkey, duck, seagull, goose, and a loon. Nanabush grabbed the turkey and wrung its neck. He let a holler out, and the birds were unaware. Then he picked up the duck, and again another holler. The loon was suddenly weary about what was going on, he had thought about the invitation he had heard "I would like to have a feast". The rhythm in the circle had become staggered there was more room to flail its wings, and Nanabush having the most weight, loon could not hear his footsteps. Loon decided he would "take" a look. When he looked up and open his eyes he saw duck hanging in Nanabush's hand. Loon then yelled out and started running out the door, but before he got out Nanabush stepped just to the side of loons body, since then loon has had a staggered walk.

After a lifetime of experiences, I do not walk into a circle without holding another hand and listen to what’s being said {provided being human doesn’t interrupt}. I am more aware now of my needs and my wants which ones make myself weaker and stronger. Which actions are selfish and which are giving loss or no loss. Unless I have decided to give myself to somebody, I will always be weary of the person who hollers out they would like to have a feast. 

Its my understanding that the there are balances in everything, so what’s up with Nanabush. Lets see - all my life I thought that you must strive, work for everything you want. It works, people do every day. Hell I’ve got to go to bed so I could go to work. 

Nanabush got what he wanted not all of it but satisfied, he accomplished his task, and sacrificed two days with no food. Some perished and one was left with a scar. 

What do I want?
Interesting, I want all the fruits of life. To live is grand. I will take everything that is given to me, so long as I am giving. See in the work I am doing, its about communication. I am studying film and video. I would like to give more stories, not just stories. I would like to show stories for real. So many times we as a people cannot communicate our stories properly, simply because there are aspects that can not shown. in this story alone, I am not sure of the food that was eaten, that would have been told to me if I had known what they are. In most stories you must understand the balances of the plants in the story. You must understand the animals spirit, their behaviors. Remember there are only so many animals for us to see they have life, reason, and spirit. 

steel toed punk indian
aaron d 

mikisew ithinew

Who was Henry Hudson Anyway? 
And What Happened to Him? 

This story has been passed down from generation to generation amongst the Cree people. 

It starts off with the first wooden ships that were seen coming into James and Hudson's Bay. 

It seems that a group of Crees were camped near the shores along the coast, but hidden amongst the trees from view. They noticed a wooden ship with masts out on the water which came closer to shore but anchored itself in deeper water. 

From that ship they saw a smaller vessel come ashore with several men on it. Once on land, they saw these men take out from the vessel something which looked like human bodies/remains. 

They then took them up onto dry land and buried them underground. The people who witnessed all these, I guess did not bother to go and check later, as they were probably very afraid of the men in this ship, and stayed hidden until their departure. 

Now people are saying that, what if these are the remains of Henry Hudson.

Sam Cox

Cree
Storytelling

Storytelling is an oral tradition passed on from one generation to another. The stories are memorized and repeated, sometimes changing each time they are told. The special stories about the origins of sacred ceremonies, and especially the Creation legend, are told with great precision. The stories of the Cree incorporate all that life incorporates, accepting good and evil, cruelty and beauty, crudeness and fancy equally, as part of the world.

Storytellers are judged according to their eloquence, and their ability to improvise and improve stories for entertainment. They are welcomed wherever they go. Some people who are not storytellers by trade also have the ability to memorize and invent stories.

The Cree tell long stories about personal hunting adventures. The narrator uses gestures and movements to illustrate the story. The movements of the animals, the stealthy approach of the hunter, the aim, the shot, the cry of the animal or the pursuit are all acted out as the tale unfolds.

Stories are used to entertain listeners of all ages, to instruct the young, and to preserve history, rituals and beliefs. They are told during the long cold winter nights when everyone is craving stimulation, wanting something to spark their imagination.

The Cree belief that stories based on fiction cannot be told during the summer is shared by many nations. Summer is the season when people are supposed to use their time as well as possible. People who narrate such stories in the summer risk having their lives destroyed by lizards, who would come to suck their blood. It was believed that toads or snakes would creep into the beds of people who wasted precious time telling stories before the first snow fell. This type of punishment is also reserved for narrators of the endless cycles about the superhuman chameleon-like joker Wisakecahk, a revered character in the Cree storytelling tradition. During the summer, spirits are about and may take revenge on people who tell stories that are damaging to them. Animals may also overhear and be offended by the stories when they are roaming in the summer.

Stories lose meaning when translated from their original language. Meaning is also lost to people of other cultures. There are images, suggestions and associations in these stories that mean nothing to the outsider but are apparent in the minds of the Cree. The connection to nature, to the Great Spirit and to other peoples is part of Cree culture and is reflected in the stories that are told to children from the time they are born.

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