The introduction by Brown and Brightman describes Nelson's career in the fur trade and explains the influences affecting his perception and understanding of Native religions. They also provide a comparative summary of Subarctic Algonquian religion, with emphasis on the beliefs and practices described by Nelson. Stan Cuthand, a Cree Anglican minister, author, and language instructor, who lived in Lac la Ronge in the 1940s, adds a commentary relating Nelson's writing to his own knowledge of Cree religion in Saskatchewan. Emma LaRoque, an author and instructor in Native Studies, presents a Native scholar's perspective on the ethics of publishing historical documents.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (p. [205]-218) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 299/.78
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 19
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn---
- ISBN
- 9780887553059 0887551394
- LCCN
- E99.C88
- LCCN Item number
- N45 1990eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaBNVSL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xii, 226 p., [1] leaf of plates)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00602072 (OCoLC)226375519 (CaOOCEL)412995
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaBNVSL
Table of Contents
- Cover 1
- Contents 6
- Illustrations 10
- Acknowledgments 12
- PART I: INTRODUCTION 14
- George Nelson 16
- Background, Career, and Writings 16
- Family and Childhood 17
- The Wisconsin Years 18
- The Lake Winnipeg Period 23
- A Decade of Changes 26
- The Lac la Ronge Phase 28
- Interpreting the Indians: Nelson's Frameworks and Dilemmas 33
- Editorial Procedures 37
- PART II: GEORGE NELSON'S LETTER-JOURNAL 40
- Conjuring at Lac la Ronge, December 1819 42
- Dreaming to Conjure and Predict 46
- The Spirits, their Shapes, and their Songs 48
- The Supreme Being 48
- Old Nick (Key-jick-oh-kay) 49
- Other Beings 50
- The Sun; Nelson's Dream 50
- Roots and Herbs 51
- The Manner of Conjuring 52
- The Spirits Enter: Their Names and Natures 52
- The Conjurors' Power 56
- A Cree Myth, 1823: The Birth of Wee-suck-a-jock and Mi-shaw-bose 57
- The Battle of Weesuckajock and the Water Lynxes 58
- The Making of the Land 60
- The Making of Human Beings 61
- The Son of Weesuckajock 62
- Sickness in Spirit Form: A Lac la Ronge Cree Account 62
- The Spirits' Gifts and Demands 64
- Encounters with Pah-kack (Skeleton) 64
- Sacrifices and Feasts for Pah-kack 66
- Pah-kack Feasts at Lac la Ronge 67
- Medicines and the Abode of "Esculapius" 68
- Songs: Their Transmission and Uses 71
- Conjuring against Starvation, Wisconsin, 1804 73
- The Soul 75
- Soul-darting 77
- Sorcery for Protection and Revenge 78
- Sexual Sorcery 79
- Hunting Medicine 81
- Love Medicine 82
- Hunters Bewitched and Restored 84
- An Iroquois Hunter Bewitched 86
- Stories of Nay-han-nee-mis 88
- Man in his Natural State 93
- Skepticism, Belief, and Innovation 94
- Conjuring for a North West Company Gentleman 96
- The Lost Traveller and the Wolf Spirit 97
- Pursuit by a Pah-kack 98
- The Windigo 98
- Baiting a Windigo 99
- Sources and Forms of Windigo 101
- Windigo Dreams 103
- Windigo Possession, Lake Winnipeg 104
- A Windigo Execution 105
- Windigo Cures and Precautions 106
- Malignant Spirits 107
- Affinities and Origins 108
- Deviance, Confession, and Expiation 109
- Feasts 113
- Conjuring at Lac la Ronge, June 1823 115
- Dramatis Personae 120
- Key-shay-mani-to 120
- Kee-jick-oh-kay 121
- Wee-suck-a-jock 121
- Michi-Pichoux 121
- Sea Serpent 122
- O-may-me-thay-day-ace-cae-wuck 123
- Mermaid and Sea Man 123
- Mee-key-nock 123
- Bull or Buffaloe 124
- Pah-kack (Skeleton) 124
- North Wind/North 125
- Thunder 125
- Crazy Woman/Foolish, Mad, Jealous Woman/Folly/Jealousy 125
- Nay-han-nee-mis 125
- Mee-shaw-bose/Mi-shaw-bose 126
- Sun 126
- Moon 126
- Esculapius 126
- Sickness/Plague 126
- Strong Neck/Hercules 127
- Pike/Jackfish 127
- Loon 127
- Wolverine 127
- Flying Squirrel 127
- Bear 127
- Dog 128
- Snow 128
- Kingfisher 128
- Horse 128
- Ice 128
- Stone 128
- PART III: NORTHERN ALGONQUIAN RELIGIOUS AND MYTHIC THEMES AND PERSONAGES: CONTEXTS AND COMPARISONS 130
- Cosmogonic Myths and Beings from Lac la Ronge 137
- The Trickster-Transformer, Wīsahkecāhk 138
- Nelson's Version of the Wīsahkecāhk Cycle 141
- Nehanimis, North Wind, and the Hairy Breasts 149
- Dream Guardians and the Vision Fast 151
- The Vision Fast 152
- The Human-Pawākan Relationship 156
- The Shaking Lodge 159
- Purposes of Conjuring 160
- The Practice of Conjuring 161
- The Languages of Conjuring 165
- Nelson's Explanations of Conjuring 169
- The Windigo Complex 171
- Human and Nonhuman Windigos in Historical Context 172
- Windigo Disorders 176
- Origins of Windigo Behavior 178
- Pragmatics of Windigo 181
- The Symbolic Structure of the Windigo Complex 183
- Medicine: Healing and Sorcery 184
- Disease Theory and Healing Techniques 185
- Medicine Dreams and Visions 186
- Sorcery 189
- Medicine for Hunting and Love 193
- Confession 194
- A Final Note 197
- PART IV 200
- ON NELSON'S TEXT 202
- ON THE ETHICS OF PUBLISHING HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS 212
- References 218
- Index 232
- A 232
- B 232
- C 232
- D 233
- E 233
- F 233
- G 233
- H 233
- I 234
- J 234
- K 234
- L 234
- M 234
- N 235
- O 236
- P 236
- R 236
- S 237
