The Man Who Lived with a Giant

A vital book of cultural storytelling for Dene readers and anyone invested in Indigenous knowledge-keeping.

Our parents always taught us well. They told us to look on the good side of life and to accept what has to happen.The Man Who Lived with a Giant is a collection of traditional and personal stories told by Johnny Neyelle, a Dene Elder from Déline, Northwest Territories. Johnny used storytelling to teach Dene youth and others to understand and celebrate Dene traditions and knowledge. Johnny’s voice makes his stories accessible to readers young and old, and his wisdom reinforces the right way to live: in harmony with people and places. Storytelling forms the core of Dene knowledge-keeping, making this a vital book for Dene people of today and tomorrow, researchers working with Indigenous cultures and oral histories, and all those dedicated to preserving Elders’ stories.

vii Prefacexi Introductionxi The Sahtu Denexii Telling My Dad’s Story Morris Neyellexiii Story and Dene Philosophy Johnny NeyelleI SacredandTraditionalStories3 The Man Who Lived with a Giant9 Bone Grease from the Sky: How the Animals Became Fat 13 Doo-roo-tseh, the Medicine Man17 Kidnapped Woman Escapes27 A Man and His Mother Turn to Cannibalism31 Ia’eh, the Evil Strong Medicine Man37 Tł’o-k’áe-tee, the Medicine Man41 Yamorehya, the One Who Walked the World 59 Yamogah and AyoniaII OralHistoriesfromtheLifeofJohnnyNeyelle69 Life with My Parents, Jacque Neyelle and Marie Kotoyeneh 81 Trapping with My Father89 Jacque Neyelle’s Story95 A Trip to Mackenzie Mountain101 The Dream, 1940s105 Advice from My Parents111 The Hunt to Whiskeyjack Point 115 Tragedies of the Past117 Epilogue: Goodbye to Johnny Morris Neyelle 121 Afterword: The Editing Process125 Genealogy of the Extended Neyelle Family137 Glossary of North Slavey Words