Oowikapun | Page 5

all so new and strange to him. Everybody seemed so
happy. There were no rude words said by the boy to his mother and no
tyrannising over his sister. With equal affection Memotas treated
Meyookesik and Sagastao, and great indeed was his kindness and
attention to his wife. At first Oowikapun's old prejudices and defective
education as regards women almost made him believe that Memotas
was lacking in brave, manly qualities to allow his wife and daughter to
be on such loving terms of equality with himself and his son. But when
he became better acquainted with him, he found that this was not the

case.
Oowikapun could not then solve this question, neither did he until in
after years he became a Christian.
There was one custom observed in the wigwam of Memotas that gave
Oowikapun more surprise than any of these to which we have referred,
for it was something which he had never heard of nor seen before. It
was that in the morning and evening Memotas would take out of a bag
a little book printed in strange characters, and read from it while his
wife and children reverently and quietly sat around him and listened to
the strange words. Then they would sing in a manner so different from
the wild, droning, monotonous songs of the conjurers, that Oowikapun
was filled with a strange feeling of awe, which was much increased
when they all knelt down reverently on the ground and Memotas
seemed to talk with the Great Spirit and call him his Father. Then he
thanked him for all their blessings, and asked his forgiveness for
everything they had done that was wrong, and he asked his blessing
upon his family and everybody else, even upon his enemies, if he had
any. Then he besought the Great Spirit to bless Oowikapun, and not
only heal his wounds, but take the darkness from his mind and make
him his child. He always ended his prayers by asking the Great Spirit to
do all these things for the sake of his Son Jesus.
All this was very strange and even startling to Oowikapun. He had
lived all his life in a land dark with superstition and paganism. The
Gospel had as yet never been proclaimed there. The name of Jesus had
never been heard in that wild north-land, and so as none of the
blessedness of religion had entered into the hearts of the people, so
none of its sweet, losing, elevating influences had begun to ennoble and
bless their lives and improve their habits. So he pondered over what he
witnessed and heard, and was thankful when the day's hunting was over,
and Memotas would talk to him as they sat there on their robes around
the fire, often for hours at a time. From him he learned how it was that
they had so changed in many of their ways. Memotas told him of the
coming to Norway House of the first missionary, the Reverend James
Evans, with the book of heaven, the words of the Good Spirit to his

children. He told him many of the wonderful things it speaks about, and
that it showed how man was to love and worship God, and thus secure
his blessing and favour. The little book which Memotas had was
composed of the four gospels only. These Mr Evans had had printed at
the village in Indian letters, which he had invented and called "syllabic
characters." They are so easily learned by the Indians, that in a few
weeks those who were diligent in their studies were able to read
fluently those portions of the word of God already translated for them,
as well as a number of beautiful hymns. Oowikapun had never heard of
such things, and was so amazed and confounded that he could hardly
believe that he was in his right mind, especially when Memotas, to try
and give him some idea of the syllabic characters in which his little
book was printed, made little sentences with a piece of coal on birch
bark, and then handed them to his wife and children, who easily read
out what had been written. That birch bark could talk, as he expressed it,
was a mystery indeed.
When the time came for Oowikapun to return to his home Memotas
went with him quite a distance. He had become very much interested in
him, and being a happy Christian himself, he was anxious that this man,
who had come to him and been benefited physically, should hear about
his soul's need, and the great Physician who could heal all its diseases.
Lovingly and faithfully he talked to him and urged him to accept of this
great salvation. Then he asked him to kneel down with him, and there,
alone