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French Titles
One winter, the son of the Montagnais man Innu died of starvation. With the help of Tshishe-Manitou, Innu found the courage to overcome his grief in order to save his wife and younger son from famine. He walked a long way, got lost and was surrounded by a pack of starving wolves. Because Maikan, the leader of the wolf pack, was stronger than the man, he had to obey the wolf. Innu led the wolves to a herd of caribou. They killed as many as they could and the hunt became a real carnage. Innu had broken an unwritten law: killing only to satisfy one's needs, so that the animals could still reproduce. Although subject to Maikan, Innu manages to shake off the wolf. When Innu wakes up, he finds he has become a wolverine as the result of a spell cast on him by Maikan. Because Innu broke his word with Maikan, he will be under this spell his entire life. To this very day, the wolverine roams the forest and watches its inhabitants. He pursues men who forget that all living things are related and that a balance must be maintained between life and death. The author-narrator based his story on a Montagnais myth that tries to explain the inexplicable: the origin of the wolverine and northern societies' long struggle with famine. Without fail, game had to be hunted and cold and darkness overcome. In traditional societies, great importance was given to the men who had exceptional talent for hunting and fishing. These tales recounted their disappointments and superhuman accomplishments. –ST |
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