The Footprints and Canoe before the 1977 Flooding
View this location in VR as it was before the flood.

View this location in VR as it was before the flood.*

Footprints (Otetiskiwin)

Canoe (Ciman)

Before 1977 Flooding

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The Footprints (Otetiskiwin)

The footprints were created by Wesahkechahk, a kind and loving spirit and legendary Nehetho cultural hero and teacher.

The Footprints created by Wesahkechahk
Footprint Lake is named for the footprints left there by our spiritual hero and our brother Wesahkechahk. The footprints are rock features prominent in Nehetho legends and known throughout northern Manitoba. These footprints are not associated with a particular legend of transformation, but they are taken as proof of Wesahkechahk’s presence in kiyah.

The footprints were moved from their original location and placed in their current location above the floodline.

English Story by Clifford Hart & Ella Moose Hart
Cree Story by Florence Norma Spence
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The Canoe (Ciman)

NCN’s ancestral homeland is also associated with Mimikwisihwahk, the legendary little rock people. A stone boat feature attributed to the Mimikwisihwahk is located just south of Wesahkechahk’s footprints. The Mimikwisihwahk were water people who could go through rock. They are described as having bodies similar to human beings but they had gills instead of a nose. This enabled them to breathe under water. These people provided the Cree with their knowledge of medicine.