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Pushy fellow the same, whatever the name

Author

Stan Gladstone, Guest Column

Volume

10

Issue

3

Year

1992

Page 11

I Have Spoken

I think that probably everyone in our Cree Nations has heard about a fellow called Wisakechak. This fellow was known in many places. He would have another name when he would appear at a distant nation.

Sometimes he would end up among the Ojibwas or the Salteaux. Or maybe way down among the Micmac Nation. It didn't take long to find out if this guy was around as he was always up to something. This one time he was lying on the grass in early summer when he happened to spot an eagle high up in the sky. He admired the eagle so much that he had an idea.

He said to no one in particular that he would send a message up to the eagle. He would ask the eagle to come down to where he was. This he did and the eagle came down.

When the eagle landed, he greeted Wisakechak and then waited to see what he wanted. Wisakechak waited for a time, then he asked the eagle if he would consider giving him a ride on his back. He said that he would very much like to see the world from way up in the sky.

The eagle thought about this for a time then he said that he would take Wisakechak for a ride. So Wisakechak got on the eagle's back and they proceeded to

start flying.

Everything looked different from the sky to Wisakechak. He wanted to see as much as possible and so he started to tell the eagle what to do. He told the eagle to turn here, don't turn there, fly a little lower and so on. After a while, although the eagle was kind of easy-going, he was getting tired of this back-seat driver.

That is when he spotted one of those floating muskegs. When he was directly above the muskeg, he suddenly flipped on his back. Wisakechak lost his grip and started to fall. He fell into the floating muskeg.

I don't know whether he learned anything from that experience, but I suspect that he didn't. I haven't heard anything from this fellow in a long time, but I am sure he is among us somewhere.

Don't be surprised if you happen to see a strange person doing strange things. He is quite noticeable. I am sure you will see him again.

I have spoken.