[An entirely made-up legend, but – like all legends – it offers an important lesson!]
kîtahtawî îsa wîsahkîcâhk kî-wâpahtam mihkwâkanasinahikanihk î-âsôskamâkâniwik ohpanahpinîwin ikwa mihcît athisitiniwa î-nanâtawihisocik nîhithaw-maskihkiya ohci. wîsta papâmi-môsahkinam nîhithaw-maskihkiya, athisk î-tâpwîhtahk kahkithaw nanâtohk kîkway kayâs ohci î-mithwâsinithik. ikwâni pakahtâw kahkithaw maskihkiyaw piyakwanita askihkohk.
“kîspin piyak maskihkiy kita-nanâtawihikoyân nawac îtokî kita-sôhkana maskihkiya mâwasakonamâna,” î-itîthihtahk. ikwâni maskihkîwâpôstamâkîmisow. îkatînam iskotihk ohci ispî kâ-kîsi-maskihkîwâpohkît, kita-tahkikamithik. ispî kâ-tahkikamithik ati-minihkwîw. wahwâ! kakwâtaki âhkôtîwanithiw omaskihkîwâpoy. mâka kiyâm ikosi kitâw.
“namôtha nika-âhkosin,” î-itîthimisot. hay, kîtahtawî kâ-ati-kisiwaskatîskâkot omaskihkîwâpoy. nâcipahîw onanâtawîhiyiniwa. kaciskaw kaskîtâthiw kita-nanâtawihikot.
ᑮᑕᐦᑕᐑ ᐄᓴ ᐑᓴᐦᑮᒑᕽ ᑮ ᐚᐸᐦᑕᒼ ᒥᐦᒁᑲᓇᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓂᕽ ᐄ ᐋᓲᐢᑲᒫᑳᓂᐏᐠ ᐅᐦᐸᓇᐦᐱᓃᐏᐣ ᐃᑿ ᒥᐦᒌᐟ ᐊᖨᓯᑎᓂᐘ ᐄ ᓇᓈᑕᐏᐦᐃᓱᒋᐠ ᓃᐦᐃᖬᐤ ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑭᔭ ᐅᐦᒋ᙮ ᐑᐢᑕ ᐸᐹᒥ ᒨᓴᐦᑭᓇᒼ ᓃᐦᐃᖬᐤ ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑭᔭ, ᐊᖨᐢᐠ ᐄ ᑖᐿᐦᑕᕽ ᑲᐦᑭᖬᐤ ᓇᓈᑐᕽ ᑮᑿᕀ ᑲᔮᐢ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐄ ᒥᙽᓯᓂᖨᐠ᙮ ᐃᒁᓂ ᐸᑲᐦᑖᐤ ᑲᐦᑭᖬᐤ ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑭᔭᐤ ᐱᔭᑿᓂᑕ ᐊᐢᑭᐦᑯᕽ᙮
“ᑮᐢᐱᐣ ᐱᔭᐠ ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑭᕀ ᑭᑕ ᓇᓈᑕᐏᐦᐃᑯᔮᐣ ᓇᐘᐨ ᐄᑐᑮ ᑭᑕ ᓲᐦᑲᓇ ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑭᔭ ᒫᐘᓴᑯᓇᒫᓇ,” ᐄ ᐃᑏᖨᐦᑕᕽ᙮ ᐃᒁᓂ ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑮᐚᐴᐢᑕᒫᑮᒥᓱᐤ᙮ ᐄᑲᑏᓇᒼ ᐃᐢᑯᑎᕽ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳ ᑮᓯ ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑮᐚᐳᐦᑮᐟ, ᑭᑕ ᑕᐦᑭᑲᒥᖨᐠ᙮ ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳ ᑕᐦᑭᑲᒥᖨᐠ ᐊᑎ ᒥᓂᐦᑹᐤ᙮ ᐘᐦᐚ! ᑲᒁᑕᑭ ᐋᐦᑰᑏᐘᓂᖨᐤ ᐅᒪᐢᑭᐦᑮᐚᐳᕀ᙮ ᒫᑲ ᑭᔮᒼ ᐃᑯᓯ ᑭᑖᐤ᙮
“ᓇᒨᖬ ᓂᑲ ᐋᐦᑯᓯᐣ,” ᐄ ᐃᑏᖨᒥᓱᐟ᙮ ᐦᐊᕀ, ᑮᑕᐦᑕᐑ ᑳ ᐊᑎ ᑭᓯᐘᐢᑲᑏᐢᑳᑯᐟ ᐅᒪᐢᑭᐦᑮᐚᐳᕀ᙮ ᓈᒋᐸᐦᐄᐤ ᐅᓇᓈᑕᐑᐦᐃᔨᓂᐘ᙮ ᑲᒋᐢᑲᐤ ᑲᐢᑮᑖᖨᐤ ᑭᑕ ᓇᓈᑕᐏᐦᐃᑯᐟ᙮
As it happened Wisahkecahk saw on Facebook things about the Coronavirus that many people were self-medicating with Cree medicine. He too went about gathering all the Cree medicine he could because he believed that all kinds of the old medicines were good. Then he boiled all the medicines together in one pot.
“If one medicine is good for curing me then maybe these medicines put together will be more powerful,” he thinks. He makes medicine tea for himself. He removes it from the fire when he finishes making it and sets it aside to cool. When it cooled down he took a drink! Holy! It was pungent! But he drank it all anyway.
“I will not be sick,” he thinks to himself. All of a sudden the medicine began to give him an upset stomach. He ran to the doctor. The doctor was barely able to cure him.
