Description
Legends From The Forest is a collection of 34 traditional stories from Sandy Lake Cree storytellers gathered by James R. Stevens. Chief Thomas Fiddler who was in his eighties when the book was published in 1985 tells most of the stories. Other storytellers include Edward Rae, Titus Goodman, Thomas Linklater, and Abel Fiddler. The stories are organized around key cultural heroes such as Weesakayjac, and later historical figures such as the Yorkboat men, Young Lad, Man Always Sitting, and the Marten. These later stories cover the time of contact with Hudson's Bay Company traders in 1746 until the 1800s when Cree men joined the trading company as boatmen. Some stories recount the times of feuds between various clan families when the method of fighting revolved around dueling shamen. Several of the stories are teaching legends and others are humourous tales about the exploits of Cree hunters of the past. The final section retells stories from the recent past that involve personal experiences of hunters. Throughout the text, the drawings of Cree artists enhance the stories. The artists include Sam Ash, Levius Fiddler, Gelineau P. Fisher, Douglas Kakekagumick, Johnson Meekis, and Noah Sainnawap. The collector of these stories has added brief introductions for each section, and provides biographical sketches of the artists and storytellers. This is an important collection of northern Ontario Cree stories that reflect the worldview and spiritual nature of the storytellers.