This second volume in the Cree Legends series recounts traditional stories centred on Wesakaychak, a mischievous and shape-shifting figure who could assume any form at will to achieve his aims. Though often claiming to set the world in order, Wesakaychak’s efforts frequently served his own whims and vanity, leading him into comic misadventures of his own making. Calling all creatures his brothers and sisters, and conversing freely with animals and plants, he roamed the world without a fixed home, relying on his wit and guile for survival.
The tales, rich with humour and imagination, carry within them moral lessons and reflections on human behaviour. Alongside the Wesakaychak cycle are two additional stories: one concerning Peepeekisis, a man of long ago whose encounters with northern peoples reveal both courage and folly; the other recounting the legend of the sacred rock Mistaseni, which once lay near Outlook, Saskatchewan.
Adapted from the book’s Introduction.
