longer had anything, no memories or hopes, nothing but guilt and remorse, loneliness, and sell-reslsion. “Then an awl hunger sled om her, making her fel asf she had not eaten in several days and chat if she did not eat she would collapse and die that night. And as the hunger mounted, she fogot everything else. There was nothing ee, only hunger She thought of food, meat, but such thoughts made her nau- seous. She wanted nourishment, not ordinary food but human Ash, Along with this hunger, she was enveloped by a chill akin to ‘one brought om by fear and the onslaght of sickness. As it et- ted in, the cold went deep tnt her soul and spirit, hard and brite a ine. ‘She had to get warm or else turn into ice an die. She bun- ‘led up and gathered wood with whieh she made a fire and then continued to eas firewood into the blaze until twas an inferno. She stool near the blaze, but it didn't do her any good, andl her bbunger grew sharper. Vinal sbe husk herselF into the Names. Those present were horrified. They screamed; they Wied to ‘remove her bod from the flames, but the heat drove them back and they were driven away from the crematorium by the sight aad stench of death. ‘There was no outery from the gil as she ‘was consumed by the Fire, only hiss and sapor of team issuing From her body asi was transformed into carbon, back Tn the morning, when the sorcerer and his wives sifted through the cold ashes in search of the gis remains so they coal give her a proper faneral, they uncovered a figurine of a ‘woman in ice and nest to ia igorine ofan inant, the unborn dill that she Had been carrying. In the end the git ad her revenge As far as is know, this is the only ease in wehich a Weendigo Talled ef to turn om its creator. All other Weendigocs who ‘were shin were slain not so much a a result ofthe heroism and ingenuity of humans, but as a result of the Weendigo’s own per- sonal fables, indulging their wel-iterests much ike humans eat hors d'eeusres or drink toast before the main course or engage in a period of gloating aftr victory before they put the enemy ‘say They mast relish and savor the aroma of the Forthcoming ‘meal 29 enjoy the flavor and savor victory to an even greater degree. Weendigoes were no diferent from human beings in this respect A Weendgo residing nthe Mlle Las, Minnesota, mon Ambuahed Nansoezo who was inthe cour of aig The Ween gh i parr and, hough expertly ane {2h ptf cating Narn boone fr wile orc the sof the tnd fata tampon crying an shaking in despa ‘ey other tine ths Wer woke reconsidered sah thing, Besides i phyal img the Weng ad another hanger tat Gi know abo, korea the pete of chanpion tppe of is peter “The, paste thatthe Wecntigo devied fom watching Sando was worth puting off sings hanger a wie lang. The Wenig ind never epenenced sich peste tele, Kyat anf Uxteat a Nats Won quake one dering what people sa in in ance he ced coin #0 sume the re of pops champion hen he was not what poopie thought be vse Aft the Weenigy bled hts ici was puting on an at to devant but fr bering him fr 4 whe became conned it the tary and he trebles were rea The Wea decided to prong sti dicot iscownpeare ‘Neemligs command Naboo to ake ew for eo ery the pine complied ore ay thane tal cer nkvaken ay work Nano eaten {Gomes he went ano cryng tmp an ded pk eat ohio mer pr, Even wen eb sae she Pleo nt a at th pin ping fom exwsston, Sitch coe. Nor cco wo Naan to mae teak ro scape we evar in toe wt ci‘To the Weendigo, Nana'b'oaz00 lacked the fiber to attempt tw excape, as shown by his refusal to run avay despite numerous ‘opportunities to do so. Besides, the Weendigo would have no trouble overtaking such a weakling And to think that some ‘Anishinauback looked on Nanab’coz00 as a hero, a manitou. So sire and contemptuous of Nansbioozo0 was the Weendigo that it decided 10 take a nap. Nani'b'oczoo would still be there drmring wood until he was tld to top, ‘Before going to sep, the Wecndiga warned Nans'b'oomo ‘otto tr to run sway and to have the fireplace, spit, anda ble ready by the time i woke wp, or ele it was going to eat lm alive ‘Many animals sw Nana'b’ooz00 work as they had never seen him work before and heard him whimper as a beaten cur, but none felt the least bit sorey for him, except one. A curious mouse wondered why the people's champion was chanting a death song when he should have been singing a joful, cheer tune and why he was amassing such a huge ple of wood on suck a bappr d ‘Nana'b'oozoo stustered betwcen sobs thatthe Wecrligo was ‘going to barbecue and then eat him ater on that day ad that he ssa forced to pither firewood for his own cremation Asked why he did not hide oF ron, Nana'bloorao answered that if he could outrun the Weendigo oF knew where he could sivappear to, he would make off t once, but alas, he vas not capable of outrunning the monster and knew of no place that was beyond the Weendigo’s reich. He had no choice but to accept his fte and do the Weendigo's bidding. ‘Why not ll the Weendlign," the mouse asked Nana'b0o. 200, “and be done with it.” “Ah, yes," Nanab'oazo0 sighed birterly, he would if he knew howe The mouse tld him what to do, As instructed, Nana‘b’ooz00 found a long, dry stave, hard tnd stiff with age, and thre one end into the white-hot coals as ‘blacksmith does when he tempers metal. He kept the stave i ‘the coals ni the point, ehich was as ong sea man's forearm, ‘was as white and red as were the coals and sent off sparks, The stave was ready, Nana'}ooroe withdrew it from dhe forglike fire and retreated alte from where the Weendigo was sleeping ‘om his storach with his rump upraised ike hillock, ‘At one hundred paces from the sleeping monster, wielding the stave like 2 fish spear above his head, Nanab'aoz0o turned and ran forward lke a javelin throsser, running as fast as he could to give hs thrust maximum force. His target asthe ride ofthe Weendigo's rump, and his aim vas dead on, He drove the stave deep and far forward ashe could. The Wieendigo's mighty shriek of pain nearly burst Nan‘b‘ooz00's eardrum and sent ripples seureying along the top of waters a the shriek echoed in every direction around Mille Lacs. The nest moment, the Weendigo shot up over the ‘ees, screaming and shrieking in agony. Its legs were already in ‘motion the instant its feet touched the ground. Within a short while, the Weendigo was out of sight, and soan ater its sereams fade aay. The Mille Lacs Anishinauback were never again molested by 4 Weendigy for the Weendlgoes were afraid of Nani boo Weendigoes were alike regardies of where they came from They all had their predilections and personal fancies, prefer~ ‘ences, and quirks that led to their dows, The Nipissing Weendigoes were no different. For years, they dad been terrorizing the Nipissing Anishinaubaek, killing and lsllimg until the people, hearing about the champion Nana’- ‘Yea, sent for hi to get rid of the monster on their behall Nanatb'oozo0, 25 hefts a true champion avenger, left hie work, family home—eveeything—to go to the aid of the ‘oppressed. Nothing else mattered, not hie chances ois safety oF the odds, [Nanatb'oo2o and his guides went directly to Nipissing, Not ‘once during the course of ther ravel, which took several days, id Nana bono speak other than to ak hs companions t step to eator to allow him to goto the toilet. Nor dd hi companionsdare inrrupthim, so angry an friable dl he ape Sy weve aid crash al gene hee The man they mre concn dws alk hes 2m of ton wh led qusions rnd Tr Nipiing whe ocd dered hr smer sige te npn ed only one qusion “Where he Weenie Tom the ots fhe highlands, Nason ald he ‘Ween, huting ie wont inal athe ead isk of twa ord ips tad of oe sco he ad epi mor hn vee de cnered rom the dns ano ambos Oe oka Nan oamo tr an ‘oie Weendgos, coh te champion of te Ani auth come to th ry dur sb eka ge Ina The money the imps th poten sone to one ty woul her breathe pil pis The ‘Neem fet creybing inter egees yh Invention “hy ard th thundered down the hie and sam- pede ova he ing pre rn ec he he Inte fling he op of hay hap oe oe ‘one toate whch ad hr oh se iy» Ea" Weer anon wig ese eppingones 4k Nava Bovtn nt ce spesoing he pieomenon of ‘rik on tr Hh hey tn sone to hk ch oe itty might hel Tey cult en Title aught hte suppl he Rom ing erg imo he ie Theron prof: rari be xp byte desraton ofthe ens bt noe mon tn Nano. He teary Wenge toh desracton nate Nip ad teehee hese ct for ir desu Aly te ‘Neng dsnoed tas ho ing, nd pronute Nnab'oomo rnb appt (Over the years, the belie in and fear of Weendhges has dinin- ished. There is no longer the sense, 2s there once sas, that malevolent beings are nearby, just out of sight, eer present, waiting to turn humans into Weendigoes, The Weendigoes may for may not roam the north in winter any longer as they were once believed to do, but thei spirit and the ideas they embody live on in the modera world ‘The Modern Weendigoes (Once woods and forests mantled most of the North American continent. Tt vas the home of the Anishinaubaek (Ojibway Owawa, Potawatomi, and Algonquin), thei kin, and their neighe bors; was also the home ofall the animal of the land, water ane air. Furthermore, this land was the welpring from whic all drew thei-sustenance, medicine, and knowledge. ‘Also cielling in the woods and forests were Weendigoes that staked villages and camps, wating fr foolish humans to venture alone beyond the environs of their homes in inter. Even though a Weendigo iea mythical figure it represents real harman eupidity. However, as time went by more and more learned people declared hat such monsters were « product of supers. ‘ious minds ad imaginations, ‘As a result, the Weendigoes were driven fram their place in Anishinaubae traditions and culture and ostracized by disbeief and skepticism. It was assumed, and indeed it appeared, as if the Weendigics had pasted into the Grest Beyond, lke many Nort American Indian beliefs and practices andl trations, Actually, the Weendigoes did net die out or disappear; they have only been assimilated and reincarnated a8 corporations, Conglomerates, and multinationals, They've even taken on new names, acquired polished manners, and renounced their cray- ngs for raw aman flesh in return for more refined viands. But ‘their cupdity sno less insaable thn that of their ancestors ‘One breed subsists entirely on forests, When thi particularne + THE MAMtToUs + breed beheld forests, its collective cupidity was bestirred as it looked on an endless, boundless sea of green. These modern ‘Weenslgocs looked into the fatare and saw money—cash, bank accounts, interest from investments, profits, in short, wealth beyond belief Never again would they be in nocd ‘They recruited woodsmen with axes, cross-cut saws, shovels, chains, and ropes and sent them into the forests to fll the to. ‘The forests resounded with the lash of axes and the whine of sae ae blade bit into he flesh of spruce, pie, ad cedar to falfll he demands of the Weendigoes in Toronto, Montreal Nancouser, New York, Chicago, Hostan, and wherever ele they ‘now dwvel. Cries of “Timber echoed and reechoed across the tweetops followed by the rip and test of splintering trees, Then, Final; the crashes thundered throughout the bush. As fase as woodsmen felled the trees, teamsters delivered sleighload after seghload to railway sidiags and to iverbanks ‘Tain after tain, shipload after shipload of timber, logs, and pulp were delivered to mill. Yet as fast as they cut and as much as they hewed, it was never enough; quantities always fll short ‘ofthe demands ofthe Weendigoes. “Is that all Should there not be more? We demand a bigger ‘return for our risks and ot investments” ‘The demands for more speed ane more pulp, more timber, and more logs were met, Axes, sas, and stoodemen, sleight horses, and teamsters were replaced, and thei calls no longer rang inthe forest Instead, chain sawe whined, and Caterpillar tractors with jagged blades bulled and battered their say ‘through the forest, uprooting trees to clear the way for auto- matic shearers that topped limbs and sheared the runs, These mechanical Weendigocs gutted aid desolated the forest, leasing deat, destruction, and ugliness where once there was life shundanee, and beauty Trucks and transports, faster and bigger than horses and sleds, operated day and night delivering quantities of cargoes that their predecessors, hase ad aleighs, could never match, Sill, the Weendigoes wanted more, It didn’t matter if thir policies of clear-cutting to harvest timber and pup resulted in violations ofthe rights of North American Indians or in the fr- ther impairment of thei ives—justas it did matter to them that their modus operandi reslted inthe permanent deflement of hilside and mountainside by erosion. They ae indifferent to the carnage inflited on beats, wolves, rabbits, and warblers Who cares if they are displaced? What possible harm has been done? Nor does it sem as if these madera Weendigocs hve any regard for the rights of future generations to the yield of ‘Mother Earth Profi, wealth, and power are the ends of busines. Anything that detrcts from or diminishes the antiipatedseturn, wether itis taking pains not to violate the rights of others oF taking measures to ensure that the land remain fertile and productive for future generations, must, i ems, be circumvented And what has been the result ofthis self-sersing, gattonous lisposition? In tem short decades these swlern Weensigoes have accomplished what once seemed impossible. They hive Inid waste to immense tracts of forest that were scen as beyond Timi as well as sel- propagating, ample enough to serve ths ge eration and many more to come. Now a8 the forests are in decline, the Weendigoes are looking at 3 future that olfers scarcity while many people are assessing the damage donc, not in terms of dollars, but in terms of the damage fflicted on the environment, the climate, and botanical and. roologieal life “These new Weenies are no ilferent fom ther forebears. In fact, they are even more omnivorous than their ok! ancestors "The only diference i that the modern Weendigocs wear elegant clothes andl comport themselves with an air of cultured and dig- nied respecubiliy But sill the Weendigoes bring disaster, fuacled by the unquenchable greed inherent in human nature, Perhaps, asin the past, some champion, some manitou, wl fell them, af Nana"b'o0200 did in the pas.