Carol A. Hand

In a world ruled by windigos,
What can we do
To end a hunger that they can never satisfy?

Photo Credit: Windigo, by Ashere

They tear open the earth
For coal, diamonds, and oil
While farmers commit suicide and hungry children cry.

As the land that fed people
Becomes barren arid soil
The life that once flourished has rapidly begun to die.

They cut down her forests
That give us air to breathe,
And they poison her waters and blacken her sky.

Photo Credit: The Koch Brothers, Fox News Radio

Although legends say only medicine people
Can send their evil spirits away,
If we stand in solidarity together to protect life and expose the lie
That there are no options to their rule as we idly wait to die,
I believe we can reclaim our world if we’re courageous enough to try.

 According to an essay posted in Indian Country Today,

“The most important difference between Windigo and the European vampire is that surviving an attack by Windigo does not turn you into one. The creature is evil and the human who takes that form must have an evil heart rather than just stumbling into the path of a hungry monster. People can turn into Windigos, but they must be predisposed to evil.”

Read more here.

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