Winter storytelling has long history in Aboriginal culture

February is Saskatchewan Aboriginal Storytelling month. The first official recognition came in 2004 and for the past 14 years events have been held around the province throughout the month of February.

This is a good idea and culturally appropriate since it is during the winter months that the old stories were told. During the long, cold nights, the children were taught about their history, their spirituality and the creation of the Earth and all the creatures that live among us.

This valuable experience would be lost when the children were sent off to boarding schools and the link with the past was broken. The Cree tales of Wesakechak and the closely related Saulteaux stories of Nanabush explained the creation of the Earth and contained valuable teachings within them. Our people don’t lecture and pontificate; important life lessons are told metaphorically. The old stories contained valuable lessons as they explained how the world was created or how the various animals were created by Wesakechak.

These stories could only be told during the winter months. The summer was reserved for the Sundances and ceremonies as well as the visiting that took place among the various tribes throughout the summer. If one dared to tell winter stories in the summer, their lodge would be infested with mice, snakes, lizards and other forms of vermin.

The winter stories are the stories of Wesakechak that are about the creation of the world and how we fit into the beautiful result. The world wasn’t created for us — we are one of the many recipients created by Wesakechak.

When the world was new, the Almighty sent an emissary to create a world for all living things. To us, the Almighty has no gender or form. The Judeo-Christian belief is that humans are created in the image of God, but to First Nations that view is blasphemy. The Almighty is above all spirits and living things and to assume that we were created in the image of God is unthinkable.

So, our world was created by Wesakechak and it is his stories that we celebrate in the winter months. While he was a mystical being, Wesakechak was human in many ways. His stories are often quite funny and illustrate his human failings. Many of the animals have traits and oddities that are explained by Wesakechak’s sense of humour.

My dad used to tell us the story of the creation of the moose as a way of explaining relationships.

When Wesakechak was almost finished with the creation of the Earth’s animals he noticed that he had a pile of leftover parts. He had a set of large, flat antlers, four long legs, a large bulbous nose and a heavy black hairy hide.

So, he assembled the remaining parts and the result was a large dark animal with a large nose and long legs. He breathed life into his creation and the moose came to life.

The moose was very proud of his large antlers and long legs. He went down to the lake and admired himself in the reflection of the water. He walked proudly among the other animals.

The other animals were not so impressed with their new member. They began to laugh and point at him and made hurtful comments. The poor moose was both surprised and hurt. He didn’t expect to be ridiculed because of his size, or his dark coat or his big, flat antlers.

He told the animals that they hurt his feelings and from this point on he would go into the deepest part of the forest and live in the swampy areas away from the taunts and insults of the other animals. And so, the moose moved deep into the forest and lived by himself. Today if you want to see a moose, you will have to go to the remote swampy areas.

This story is told to teach children the harm that can be done by bullying and hurtful teasing. It can inflict pain that will last a lifetime.

So, this winter as our storytellers gather in school rooms, libraries and other places, please feel free to take them in and listen to the stories. They may come from us, but their lessons are universal.

To assume that we were created in the image of God is unthinkable.