They Knew Both Sides of Medicine: Cree Tales of Curing and Cursing Told by Alice Ahenakew

By Algonquian Text Society Staff, Alice Akenakew, H.C. Wolfart, et al.

Born in 1912, Alice Ahenakew was brought up in a traditional Cree community in north-central Saskatchewan. As a young woman, she married Andrew Ahenakew, a member of the prominent Saskatchewan family, who later became an Anglican clergyman and a prominent healer. Alice Ahenakew's personal reminiscences include stories of her childhood, courtship and marriage, as well as an account of the 1928 influenza epidemic and encounters with a windigo. The centrepiece of this book is the fascinating account of Andrew Ahenakew's bear vision, through which he received healing powers.

Written in original Cree text with a full English translation, They Knew both Sides of Medicine also includes an introduction discussing the historical background of the narrative and its style and rhetorical structure, as well as a complete Cree-English glossary.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0887556493
• ISBN13: 9780887556494
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: University of Manitoba Press
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.1" x 9.0"