The Legend of the Wountie

[rebelyell08_PREV (deleted)]

A long time ago, even before the flood, the Cheakamus River provided food for all the Squamish people. Each year, at the end of summer, when the salmon came home to spawn, the people would cast their cedar nets into the water and get enough food for the winter to come.
One day a man came to fish for food for his family for the winter. He looked into the river and found that many fish were coming home this year. He said thanks to the spirit of the fish for giving themselves as food for his family and cast his net into the river and waited. In time he drew his nets in and they were full of fish..enough for his family for the whole year. He packed these away into cedar bark baskets and prepared to go home.--But he looked into the river and saw all those fish and decided to cast his net again. Again it filled with fish, which he threw onto the shore. A third time he cast his net into the water and waited. This time when he pulled his net in it was torn beyond repair by sticks, stumps and branches which filled the net. To his dismay, the fish on the shore an the fish in the cedar bark baskets were also sticks and branches. He had no fish and his nets were ruined.--It was then he looked up at the mountain, and he saw Wountie, the Spirit protecting the Cheakamus who told him that he had broken the faith with the River and with Nature by taking more than he needed for himself and his family-and this was the consequense.
The fisherman and his family went hungry and starved..(a lesson for all the people.)
**To this day, high on the mountain overlooking the Cheakamus and Paradise Valley is the image of the Wountie, protecting the Cheakamus.

[rebelyell08_PREV (deleted)]

`Modern day..a man was walking with his two dogs along a stream off the Missouri River, not far from where I live. Later that afternoon both dogs became very ill. He took them to the vet where one of the dogs died and he other, though very sick, did recover..it was found that the dogs had been poisoned by the pollutants (pesticides and such) that are in the water. In our own town we are told we cannot drink this water..most people here buy bottled and just use tap for cooking.

But I think this story is a good way of also looking at consequenses when we demand too much of anything..casting nets too wide(?) not grateful for what we are already provided...we get back sticks and end up with broken nets.

Love to all and Good day!!!