Climate Changed

“There is a character in Wabanaki mythology named Kiwawk, the Cannibal Giant. He is also known to other Native cultures, though they call him by different names. To several of the plains tribes, he is known as Wetiko. The Ojibwe call him Wendigo. He is a cannibalistic spirit that feeds on greed, excess, and unchecked consumption. Kiwawk resides deep in the forest, insulated from the disturbances of the outer world. He remains there, peacefully asleep, until the cries of the Earth Mother awaken him. Kiwawk has only one task: to protect the Earth Mother from being destroyed by mankind. Once he is awakened, he infects mankind with a spiritual illness, an illness that affects the mind and leads to a suicidal path of endless consumption.

The Earth Mother calls to Kiwawk when the people of the Earth begin consuming faster than she can produce, and when she is being damaged faster than she can heal. Kiwawk lulls humanity into a trancelike dance of mindless consumption. Then he quickens the pace until our dance becomes frenzied, eventually dancing us to our destruction. He does this so that the Earth Mother can heal and renew herself. Our elders tell us that Kiwawk is awake and humanity is infected by his disease. If left unchecked, this illness will destroy all human life. There is only one way for us to stop this dance with Kiwawk and put him back to sleep, and that is for us to wake up.