Long ago, when the world was still being shaped by the hands of the Creator, there was only Sky and Water. There was no land, no people, only the breath of Kise-Manitow — the Great Mystery — moving through the darkness like a wind waiting to become a song.
In the centre of this water world, a single turtle floated. This was Miskwa-Makwa, the Red Turtle, who carried the memory of all that could be.
Kise-Manitow spoke to the animals and asked, “Who among you will dive into the deep and bring up the first soil, so I may shape the land for the people who are to come?”
One by one, the strongest and swiftest tried — Loon, Otter, Beaver — but none could reach the bottom. Finally, it was the humble Wâposos, the little muskrat, who said, “I will try.”
He dove deep and stayed under for a long, long time. When he floated back up, he was still — but clutched in his small paws was a bit of sacred soil. His sacrifice was honoured. Kise-Manitow placed the soil on the back of Miskwa-Makwa, and there, Turtle Island began to grow.
From the centre of this new land, where the turtle’s heart beat, came four great rivers. These were not just rivers of water — they were the first veins of the Earth, flowing with memory, spirit, and power. This sacred place became known as Pimicikamak, “the place where the waters flow across,” the crossing of the rivers of life.
The First River flowed north, carrying stories to the sky people and the dancing lights.
The Second River flowed south, where the medicines grow deep and strong.
The Third River flowed east, where the sun first rises and where dreams are born.
The Fourth River flowed west, into the realm of the ancestors and the setting sun.
Each river was guarded by a spirit — a keeper.
• Nîpîwân guarded the northern flow, watching with eyes of ice and breath of wind.
• Mîcêtosk guarded the southern stream, cloaked in moss and healing roots.
• Wâsahk stood at the eastern bend, singing songs of vision.
• And Asinîskâw, the stoneback bear, protected the western waterway, growling with thunder.
Kise-Manitow then gathered the four winds, the four directions, the four sacred colours, and the four elements, and placed them in the centre — in the heart of Pimicikamak. And from this sacred centre, the first people were born — the Nehiyawak, the Cree.
We were given teachings through the land and sky.
We were taught to speak to the water, for it remembers.
We were taught to honour the fire, for it connects us to the spirit world.
We were taught to walk gently upon the land, for it is alive.
And we were taught to listen — to the drum, to the loon, to the wind in the pines — for these carry the voices of our ancestors.
⸻
That is how Pimicikamak was born — not just as a place, but as a sacred center of life, a heartbeat of Turtle Island.
Even today, when you walk along the riverbanks of Missi Nipi or hear the wind across Kichi Sipi, you are standing in the story. The land still remembers. And so do we.
êkosi
Kanipawit Maskwa
John Gonzalez
Standing Bear Network
