Native Languages of the Americas: Wesakechak Stories and other Cree Legends
This is our collection of links to Cree folktales and traditional stories that can be read online.
We have indexed our Native American mythology section
by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same
legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to
each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Cree tribe, the traditional stories of
related tribes like the
Innu and Ojibwe are very similar.
Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Cree legend for this page or think one of the ones on here
should be removed, please contact us and let us know.
˜Wesakechak (also spelled Wisakechak, Wesakaychak,
Wisakedjak, Weesageechak, Wissaketchak, Whiskey-Jack, and several other ways.)
Wesakechak is the benevolent culture hero of the Cree tribe (sometimes referred to as a "transformer" by folklorists.)
His name is spelled so many different ways partially because Cree was originally an unwritten language (so English speakers just spelled it however it
sounded to them at the time), and partially because the Cree language is
spoken across a huge geographical range in both Canada and the US, and the name sounds different in different dialects.
The correct pronounciation in Plains Cree is similar to wee-sah-keh-chahk.
Wesakechak is a trickster character whose adventures are often humorous, but unlike Plains Indian tricksters he is portrayed as a staunch friend
of humankind, not a dangerous or destructive being. Wesakechak shares
many similarities with other Algonquian heroes such as the Wabanaki
Glooskap, Blackfoot
Napi, and Anishinabe
Nanabozho, and the same stories
are often told in different Algonquian tribes with only the identity of the protagonist differing.
˜Kisemanito (also spelled
Kihcimanito, Kise Manito, Kici Manito, Kichi Manitou, and several other ways.)
This means "Great Spirit" in the Cree language, and is the Cree name for the Creator (God.) Kisemanito
is a divine spirit with no human form or attributes (including gender) and is never personified in Cree folklore. The name is pronounced
similar to kih-say muh-nih-toh or kih-chih muh-nih-tuh, depending on dialect.
˜Witiko (also spelled Wihtikiw, Wihtikow, Weetigo, Windigo, and other ways.)
An evil man-eating spirit. Witikos play the roles of monsters and bogeymen in some legends; in others, Cree people who commit sins
(especially selfishness, gluttony, or cannibalism) are turned into a Witiko as punishment. It is pronounced wih-tih-koh or wih-tih-kew in the
Cree language, depending on dialect.
Native American culture
Wesakechak:
Coyote Creates the Earth:
