Finding his Religion

Max came from a very religious family, but the beliefs that his parents held so dearly were not such that he wanted to claim as his own. They were both deemed ‘survivors’ of a residential school that was run by strict Christian missionaries who strived to drive the Indigenous beliefs out of the hearts and minds of their students. That had worked with his parents, but not many others of their generation. They were regular church-goers who had forced him as a child to attend church services at least twice a week. 

One Friday, when Max turned sixteen, they told him that it was time for him to exercise his choice as a young man as to what his religion would be. While he reckoned that they believed that he would make a choice that followed their beliefs, he was still rather surprised that they would let him choose on his own.

There were people in the community that lived according to the ‘old ways’ as his parents called it, clearly speaking of something that they did not fully understand. There was one old man in particular, who lived on the outskirts of the reserve, an Elder, whom Max knew that other people would go to for knowledge about their traditional culture. He was not known by his ‘colonial name’ of John Harvey. No one called him that. People simply called him Maskwa, which meant ‘bear’ in the traditional language. 

So, on Saturday, Max went to see him, bringing tobacco as a gift, as he had seen people do that when they wanted to learn something from an Elder. Maskwa gave Max instructions as to what he needed to do to find his religion. 

Max Tells His Parents a Lie

Not long before supper time, Max came home to tell his parents that he was going to his friend Jim’s place for supper and to stay for a few days. This was not a usual practice with him, so they wondered about it. Still, they said nothing about it, didn’t ask him any questions. They knew that Jim’s family were Christians. And they knew that Max did not like to explain to them why he did what he did. Max quickly gathered up a knapsack full of stuff, strapped it on, and left with only a short ‘goodbye’. After he was gone, they noticed that he had left his cell phone behind. This too was unusual.

The next morning, it being Sunday, Max’s mother Mary called Jim’s place to see whether he would be going to church with them. While he didn’t often do that these days, in his parents’ hopeful minds, there was always a possibility that he would.  When she called, she spoke with Jim’s mother, who told her that Max had not had supper with them, and that he wasn’t staying with them.

Max’s parents became worried. They knew so many stories about Indigenous youth, even some of the kids in their community, who started taking drugs, then disappeared or died. When they went to church that morning, their prayers were for the safety of their son.

Max on his Own

Max was on his own in the woods. He had never fasted before, but it was what Maskwa had told him to do. Now he had gone over a day without eating. He felt that all his senses were incredibly vivid.  Maskwa had told a story to him of how he had gone on a vision quest when he was about Max’s age, and has ‘seen his future’, as Maskwa put it..  Max wasn’t sure about whether or not he would have a vision.  And what could it say about his future?

It was morning now, and although he had slept little the night before, he felt wide awake. He was glad that he had been able to find the spot that Maskwa had told him about – at a curve of the river, where there were a few fallen trees with their roots sticking out. After describing the place, Maskwa told Max that the young man’s grandfather had been a carver of figures of small animals. His parents hadn’t told him much about his dad’s father, who died when Max was too young to get to know him. Max had long admired the carved figures that were around the home, but never was told and never had asked who had carved them.  After Maskwa had told Max about this essentially invisible grandfather, he handed him a knife, saying ‘See what you can do with this.’

Max had thought that strange at the time. But having nothing else to do, and to distract him from his hunger and his wondering whether he would have a vision, he cut off some roots. Then he started carving, with no particular shape or object in mind for him to form. It occupied his mind and was kind of fun. He was just enjoying the process, something of a surprise to him.

The next morning, he felt his senses enhanced even more. As he sat down on a log, beginning, before he began to carve, he heard something, a kind of rustling in the bush. He would swear that he could smell it as well, the pungent smell of fur. At first, when he looked, he saw nothing.

Then he saw a black object that he could gradually recognize as a bear cub. In one of the few words that he knew in the traditional language of his people, it was called maskosis (‘little bear’). He could see it clearly now. It seemed to be looking directly into his eyes, like it was trying to read his mind. It kind of unnerved Max, so he closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them again, the bear cub was gone. But the sight of the maskosis filled his mind. It gave him an idea. He would try to carve a figure of the little one. He worked and he worked at it, with the picture in his mind guiding him along the way. When he completed his carving, he was happy with what he saw in front of him. That would be the first. He carved two more that day, all guided by the mental picture of the maskosis.

Feeling a sense of completion, late in the afternoon he headed to Maskwa’s place. The Elder gifted him with a great smile when he saw the little carved bear cubs. Max gave him the first one he had done. Then Maskwa said to him, “Your new name will be Maskosis. Now go to your parents and tell them what has happened to you over the last few days.”

Max’s Parents and Their Concern

           Max’s parents had grown more and more worried as the time passed without their seeing or hearing from their son. He had been listless and lost over the last few months, and they were concerned that his life had held no direction. That was why they had told him that it was time for him to find his religion.

           Then he appeared, a smile on his face, and two objects in his hands. They were happy to see him when he arrived back home. They could even see that a change had taken place, a change for the better.

           Max handed them the remaining two carved bear cubs. His father, Michael said, “You have inherited your grandfather’s skill”. Max could not remember the last time he had heard his father speak of his own father. The couple were initially very quiet and somewhat straight-faced when he told them of what he had been doing, and why. It was a practice that had been harshly condemned at the residential school that they both had attended. But Mary, after thinking of the opening lines from one of her favourite hymns, faced her husband and mouthed without speaking: “God works in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform”. She then turned to her son and said, “It appears that you have found your religion in the ways of our ancestors. It has done you good. But that does not mean that you can’t go to church with us some Sundays. There we will call you Max, but we will use the name that Maskwa gave you, Maskosis, when you are carving here at home. It is your God-given gift.” 

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