Until reports of a murder in Cat Lake, Ont., in 1898 surfaced in Winnipeg, few settlers knew about the Windigo, the worst kind of evil spirit in Algonquin folklore.
To the ancient Algonquin (which includes Cree, Ojibway and Blackfeet) of old, Windigo was known by many names such as Chenoo, Atchen, Witiku, and Kewok.
In January, Manitoba Provincial Police officers arrested two members of the village of no-treaty Cree at Lac Seul for killing their chief, Ahwahsakahmig.
SHOOT HIM
The chief claimed he'd been invaded by Windigo and begged four villagers to shoot him.
"Ahwahsakahmig lifted his right arm and showed us where to shoot," said one of the men through an interpreter.
The chief's body was taken to the edge of the village, covered with brush, and destroyed by fire. The two men who compiled with his wishes were later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to four months in jail.
Back then, the justice system in northwestern Ontario was the responsibility of Manitoba.
The sacred legends of the Sandy Lake Cree -- as told by Carl Ray and James Steven -- claim "the demented Windigo is the most horrible creature in the land of the Cree and Ojibway" Legend claims a Cree village at Sandy Lake Ghost Post was destroyed by fire caused by a Windigo which was once a normal human who was taken over by "a savage cannibalistic spirit. When the ugly creature attacks, it shows men no mercy. This monster will kill and devour its own family members to satisfy its lust for human flesh." The first report of a Windigo in Manitoba occurred at Norway House in 1913, when a young Cree woman became delirious and began speaking in a language unknown to her family and friends.
According to legend, the superstitious Cree hanged the woman from a tree and buried her body under a pile of rocks to prevent the Windigo from escaping and invading other villagers.
The story ran rampant through the fur trade, but despite a long investigation, no charges were laid by the RCMP.
At Lac la Ronge in northern Saskatchewan, an insane man is said to have beaten his wife and child to death with a club. The village voted to stake the man, naked, in the bush to be stung to death by mosquitoes.
To make sure Windigo did not remain, the village was burned and the people moved.
Mounties also received word that a father compelled his daughter to chop off his head after he claimed to have been invaded by Windigo.
The legend claimed the father sharpened his axe, took his daughter into the woods and commanded her to cut off his head. When she refused, she was threatened with death.
"If you don't kill me, I shall kill all of you. A Windigo has come into me and I must do what he tells me. He tells me that you must kill me to stop me from killing you and your brothers and sisters," the man is said to have told his daughter.
When the man placed his neck across a log, the daughter chopped off his head.
The demented man was buried with his head by his side. In order to trap the Windigo, the log used as a chopping block was set on top of the grave and covered with stones.
Other legends claim the bodies of people invaded by Windigo were chopped into pieces because of the belief that if the evil spirit was abused, it might think twice about entering another human.
The last reported Windigo "sighting" in Manitoba occurred in January 1934 at Lac Brochet, 325 miles north of The Pas.
The RCMP dispatched Sgt. Percy Rose to investigate after reports that a man had been left outside to freeze to death.
TIED TO SLED
The story goes that the victim became violent and abused his fellow trappers as they returned to base camp located about 40 miles north of Reindeer Lake. Mounties were told that the man became so violent that his companions were forced to tie the man to his sled for the trip home.
The party was so afraid the man had been invaded by a Windigo, they left him tied to his sled overnight and he froze to death.
RCMP also heard the leaders of the party left the demented man tied to his sled because they feared Windigo would enter the shelter and invade their bodies.
No reports of charges could be found.
There have been no recent sighting of a Windigo, but that doesn't mean one is not ready to take on the form of a half-beast, half-man and again begin to feast on human flesh and blood.
The Sun thanks Karen Fulham of Manitoba Justice and the staff at the Provincial Archives for their co-operation. Bob Holliday may be reached by e-mail at bholliday@wpgsun.com.
"If you don't kill me, I shall kill all of you. A Windigo has come into me and I must do what he tells me."
