Stories of Our People

Book excerpt: Métis stories seamlessly blend characters and motifs from Cree, Ojibway, and French-Canadian traditions into an exciting, unique synthesis. Métis stories are an invaluable treasure because they tell familiar strories in interesting ways while preserving elements of storytelling which have become rare to the Métis ancestral cultures. Stories of Our People includes stories about three Métis tricksters (Wiisakaychak, Nanabush, and Chi-Jean), werewolves (Roogaroos), cannibal spirits (Whiitigos), flying skeletons (Paakuks), and of course, the Devil (li Jiyaab). Steeped in Michif language and culture, this graphic novel anthology includes the storytellers' original transcripts, prose renditions of the transcripts, and five illustrated stories.