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Manitutshu the Spirit Mountain at Muskrat Falls [archive]
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Manitutshu the Spirit Mountain at Muskrat Falls
Manitutshu is the Innu name for the hill at Muskrat Falls on the Churchill River, Labrador. N 53.248, W 60.774 degrees. The Evil Creature, Uentshukumishiteu, lives in this hill.
From Etien Rich. Sheshatshiu. Fall 1994. This story was told to me by two Innu from Natashquan who had traveled to Sheshatshu.
An Innu man saw two young otters. One was white and that is the one he wanted to kill. He silently approached the white otter while his friend stayed behind. When the hunter was about to shoot, his friend heard something in the water, like a dog growling. The hunter shot at the otter and killed it. Then the water started to form a wave and the hunter ran towards his friend. Then they saw the ground shaking and moving just like the water. The creature was chasing the hunter who had killed the otter and when it caught up with him, a hole opened up in the ground and he fell in it. His friend could hear him screaming. The creature did not come after the one who had not shot at the white otter. The Innu say it was Wentshukumishiteu, a very dangerous creature.
From Greg Penashue. Sheshatshu. Fall. 1994.
My uncle Tshetshishepateu (Edward Rich) talked about having seen the evil creature (manitush) Uentshukumishiteu near the mountain called Manitutshu. The Innu say the evil creature Uentshukumishiteu is able to travel anywhere on the water and under the water and it is able to break through the ice. It can also travel under the ground and through rocks.
My father talked about the manitush Uentshukumishiteu. During the night, they heard the ice cracking at a far distance. They were camped near Mekentsheu-shipiss (MacKenzie River). He said the ice had the shape of a circle as if something had broken through it. Yet the ice was very thick. What could have broken the ice like that if not the evil creature called Uentshukumishiteu?
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