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The Last Time Witigo Was Seen on the Reindeer River

Once long ago on the Reindeer River at Steep Hill Lake, there was a blind medicine women. Her husband had died, so that made her the Elder of the tribe. The Elder and her family lived at Steep Hill. People used to come from other camps to get her opinion on things that concerned their lives or the lives of their families. If a person needed to be healed they came and saw the Elder.

Then one day while the people went about their business doing things in camp. The people were cooking, tanning hides, or drying meat and fish. The children were playing down by the river. The children saw a Witigo. They screamed and ran up the hill to where the adults were. The adults looked to see what was wrong, and they saw Witigo. He was going into the river and Witigo looked like he was going to cross to where they were.

The people were scared, they knew that they couldn't do anything because it was almost impossible to kill a Witigo. The women grabbed their crying children, and the men stood by their tepees. The old woman was in here tepee and heard the commotion. She came out and right away she knew a Witigo was close by, she could feel the Witigo's evil presence. She yelled "Take me down to the river, so I can go meet him, him that thinks that he can beat me".

The Elder grabbed a hatchet and a rope. A man led her to the river; she tied the rope around herself. The Elder gave the other end to the men to hold, so the current wouldn't take her. The people looked at her, to some of the people she looked crazy, doing what she was doing. The others prayed to the Creator to help her. They stood...and watched.

The old woman walked up to her waist in the water. Then she yelled "You...Witigo...so you think you can come here and terrorise my grandchildren and kill us. You don't know me, but soon you will".

The blind Elder stood there with her little axe, and a rope tied to her, around her waist. The Witigo swam towards her, and when he got to her a struggle began.

Witigo is very strong; no ordinary man could ever do anything to him. Witigo is a cannibal, his heart is made of ice, and he has no lips because he ate them. Witigo can kill and eat many people without ever satisfying his hunger. The more he eats the hungrier he gets. Witigo is evil.

As the Elder struggled with Witigo she yelled to Kichi Munto. She swung her axe and chopped the Witigo's head off. The blind Elder had done the impossible, and the people were amazed. They all came down to the river, because they couldn't believe what happened. That was the last time that Witigo was ever heard of or seen again on the Reindeer River.

AS TOLD BY: Marlene Highway
DATE: March 08, 2001

 
Ayas Story - Mary Cook Dene Stories Muhikunistikwan*
Othapachikew Pelican Narrows Story The Bear Trail* Wesakichak and the Ducks
Wesuhkichak the Medicine Man* Wihtiko Heartbeat* Wesakaychak the Fly Witiko and the Little Person
Witigo and the Two Women The Last Time a Witiko was seen on the Reindeer River

* These stories are from Lac La Ronge Indian Band Education Branch Curriculum Resource Unit and are available with many others for purchase in booklet form.

Write: Lac la Ronge Indian Band Education, Box 480, La Ronge, SK. S0J 1L0