Where the Chill Came From: Cree Windigo Tales and Journeys

By: Howard Norman

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Synopsis: The Swampy Cree Indians of the Canadian subarctic face not only a cold and forbidding environment, but also a powerful, malevolent antagonist with a heart of ice: the Windigo. Windigo is one of many spirit-beings who have wandered Cree territories since ancient times. It is a major figure in the rich oral tradition of the Cree Indians. Other figures--such as Wolverine, Otter, Porcupine, and Owl--unite with the Cree to defend each other when the Windigo makes its fearsome appearance. In some tales the Windigo appears as a voracious giant, but it takes other, even human, forms as well. Folklorist and naturalist Howard Norman has lived and traveled extensively in the subarctic regions of Canada west of Hudson Bay, collecting and translating from Cree these thirty-one tales of confrontation with Windigos. Complementing the tales is an introduction that includes conversations with Cree elders about the "natural history" of the Windigo, a discussion of its importance in Cree culture, and a description of the manner in which Cree storytellers perform the tales.

Book Quality:: Excellent
Book Size:: 130 Pages
ISBN-13:: 9780865470484
Publisher:: North Point Press
Date of Addition:: 04/15/13
Copyrighted By:: Howard Norman
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: History, Nonfiction, Animals, Literature and Fiction, Outdoors and Nature, Social Studies
Submitted By:: Deborah Murray
Proofread By:: FriendlyCurmudgeon
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.