ABSTRACT
The Cree of Manitoba say that traditional narratives are only told in winter so that certain hibernating reptiles and lizards, for example, will not steal the stories. When questioned Nathaniel Queskekapow, a Cree elder from Norway House reserve in north central Manitoba, responded with his usual touch of humor:
Yes, it is not true that lizards would steal away the stories in summer. But now, there are people who love to hear legends and stories and steal away that golden age and sell them and become rich. That is why I don't write down any stories in books, (letter, February 23, 1983)
