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CANADIAN LANDSCAPES/ PAYSAGES CANADIENS
and the child, considering the challenging circumstances they face (Davis¬
Floyd—Cheyney 4).
Surprisingly, natural elements were not only linked with times of peace for
the Denesuline. A relevant example here from Hearne’s body of work is the
Bloody Falls massacre. On 16 July 1771, scouting Denesuline parties of Hearne’s
expedition returned with a report that they had found a few tents full of Inuit.
The group immediately prepared to attack, and ambushed the sleeping natives
on July 17 at 1 a.m. Hearne accompanied the Denesuline but took no part in
the attack, retreating a little further from the tents. Despite this, an Inuit girl
was killed at his feet, which shocked him. Around twenty Inuit lost their lives
this time, men, women and children alike (108-116). Before the battle, rituals
were performed by the Denesuline to commune with their environment. One
such ritual observed is what Hearne terms superstition. The day before the
battle, the natives made themselves a shield decorated in the following way:
“each of them painted the front of his target or shield, some with the figure of
the Sun, others with that of the Moon, several with different kinds of birds and
beasts of prey, and many with the images of imaginary beings, which, accord¬
ing to their silly notions, are the inhabitants of the different elements, Earth,
Sea, Air” (Hearne 109).
Hearne believes the painting of the shields had to do with possessing the
power of these creatures and phenomena in battle. And although the descrip¬
tion mentions that they produced two colours, black and red, for the lack of
time, Hearne himself assumes that in calmer times these shields could have
been much more colourful (109-110). This may suggest that the practice of
creating shield paintings belonged to the scope of Frazer’s classic sympathetic
magic (Frazer 31-32). The creatures painted on the shield include natural
elements such as the sun or the air (Tylor 174-178). That such elements are
inhabited by supernatural forces or spirits is an ancient concept among many
indigenous peoples of the Americas, e.g. the Inca culture of Peru, the Inuit
culture of Greenland (Vassänyi, Second Contact 209-228; Vassänyi, Szellemhivok
es dldozdrok). What is interesting in Hearne’s description though, is that the
forces that reside in these elements are invoked in a battle.
Fishing also has its own customs and rituals, which cannot be ignored.
Generally speaking, nets are made of deerskin, and the corners of the finished
net are tied with beaks and feet of birds, and even otter legs. The function of
these animal parts is not ornamental, but rather stems from their superstition,
Hearne claims. Indeed, aboriginals believe that if these animal parts are not
attached to the nets, they will not catch any fish, and throwing the nets into
the water is useless (Hearne 217). According to folklorist Gary R. Varner, the
talismans made this way are designed to “trap” the spirits and tie them to the
net, to ensure the success of the fishing venture. And although Hearne does
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