144 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



Indians make no sacrifices to him, not even 

 to avert his wrath. They pay a kind of 

 worship, however, and make offerings to a 

 being, whom they term Kepoochikawn, 



This deity is represented sometimes by 

 rude images of the human figure, but more 

 commonly merely by tying the tops of a 

 few willow bushes together ; and the offer- 

 ings to him consist of every thing that is 

 valuable to an Indian; yet they treat him 

 with considerable familiarity, interlarding 

 their most solemn speeches with expostula- 

 tions and threats of neglect, if he fails in 

 complying with their requests. As most of 

 their petitions are for plenty of food, they 

 do not trust entirely to the favour of Ke- 

 poochikawn, but endeavour, at the same 

 time, to propitiate the animal, an imaginary 

 representative of the whole race of larger 

 quadrupeds that are objects of the chase. 



In the month of May, whilst I was at 

 Carlton House, the Cree hunter engaged to 

 attend that post resolved upon dedicating 

 several articles to Kepoochikawn, and as I 

 had made some inquiries of him respecting 



