CHAPTER V. 

 RESOURCES OF LESSER SLAVE LAKE REGION. 



It was expected that the sergeant of the Mounted Police 

 stationed at the Lake would have set out by boat on the 3rd 

 for Athabasca Landing, taking with him the witnesses in 

 the Weeghteko case — a case not common amongst the Lesser 

 Slave Lake Indians, but which was said to be on the increase. 

 One Pahayo — " The Pheasant " — had gone mad and threat- 

 ened to kill and eat people. Of course, this was attributed 

 by his tribe to the Weeghteko, by which he was believed to 

 be possessed, a cannibal spirit who inhabits the human heart 

 in the form of a lump of ice, which must be got rid of by 

 immersion of the victim ia boiling water, or by pouring 

 boiling fat dowa his throat. This failing, they destroy the 

 man-eater, rip him up to let out the evil spirit, cut off his 

 head, and then pin his four quarters to the ground, all of 

 which was done by his tribe in the case of Pahayo. ISTapesosus 

 — " The Little Man " — struck the first blow, Moostoos fol- 

 lowed, and the poor lunatic was soon dispatched. Arrests 

 were ultimately made, and a boatload of witnesses was about 

 to leave for Athabasca Landing, en route to attend the trial 

 at Edmonton, the first of its kind, I think, on record. 



There can be no doubt that such slayings are effected to 

 safeguard the tribe. Indians have no asylums, and, in order 

 to get a dangerous lunatic out of the way, can only kill him. 

 There would therefore be no hangings. But, now that the 

 Indians and ourselves were coming under treaty obligations^ 

 it was necessary that an end should be put to such proceedings^ 



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