Sacred Legends

Carl Ray (1942-1978) and James R. Stevens

6 X 9 inches, 160 pages
over 80 b&w reproductions of paintings by Carl Ray

Cree Legends of Sandy Lake, No. 3

STORIES OF WINDIGOS, THUNDERBIRDS, AND AVENGING GODS that once inhabited the world.... James R. Stevens revisits and completely revises his original publication, Sacred Legends of the Sandy Lake Cree, which was widely known for its accurate presentation of myths and legends from the boreal forest south of Hudson Bay. It was the artist Carl Ray that first drew Stevens to the stories of Sandy Lake. This revised work completes the Penumbra Press trilogy of Sandy Lake stories, including Legends from the Forest and Killing the Shamen, both collaborations of Chief Thomas Fiddler and James R. Stevens.

"The best collection of Cree Myths."

—The Winnipeg Free Press

"An ancient selection of epic legends and heroic stories passed down through the generations by our peoples."
—Lawrence Martin

"It is a marvellous account.... I heartily recommend it to all readers, and especially to those who realize how dangerous the alienation of modern man from his world has become."
—Farley Mowat

James R. Stevens

Author

Originally from St. Marys, Ontario, James R. Stevens has co-authored several books with First Nations holymen and leaders, including James Redsky, Chief Dan Kennedy, and Chief Thomas Fiddler. A counselor at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Stevens is perhaps best known for one of his earlier books Sacred Legends of the Sandy Lake Cree.

Photo Credit: James R. Stevens, <i>Carl Ray</i>, c. 1970

Carl Ray

(1942-1978)

Storyteller, Artist

Carl Ray (1942-1978), known to his Cree brothers as Tall Straight Poplar, was from the Sandy Lake Reserve in northwestern Ontario. A translator and illustrator of these heoric tales of his people, Ray was an important and dynamic member of the Canadian Woodlands Artists. The son of James and Maggi Rae, he died in a tragic event in Sioux Lookout.

Sacred Legends

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