The Lost Land

The Lost Land
Written by Sara Ouellette

“A story about grief and bereavement” – Sara Ouellette

SWRK 4306 – Indigenous Wellness

The Lost Land
Along the freshwater shores and in between islands of M'Chigeeng
First Nation lies a convocation of eyries perched high in white pine
evergreen's with fledgling eaglets preparing to spread their wings. This
area is home to the bravest, honourable and strong family of eagles.
Every mile stands a white pine tree with a nest of moss, grass, twigs and
feathers with several families of eagles soaring high in the sky, resting in
their nests, flapping low over treetops or searching for food.
Near the waterfall in the greenest, tallest white pine tree, lives an
eagle family of five. Mother eagle, Nimkee and father eagle Kasheese
prepare for a night's sleep in the warm and unusual smokey summer
night with their three children Saswaa, Kenj and Saugi. This tree is their
home, where they are protected and are safe to heal from troubles,
difficulties, raccoons, bears, or any other miseries. "Have you seen the
other families of eagles?" Nimkee whispers. "They have yet to return
from their day of hunting and foraging," she continues. "The eyries seem
to be empty. That is unusual. Let’s not worry until the morning. Rest and
sleep for a new day of teaching our eaglets to fly. I am sure they will

return by morning," Kasheese affirms. As the moon is shining bright and
the sun is nowhere in sight, the stars that were once twinkling with all
their might begin to be overwhelmed with yellow clouds just as the
eagle family wishes each other a very good night and fall fast asleep.

The Next Morning…
"Cheep, Cheep, Cheep," the eaglets cry. "Mother, father, wake up
- the big red giant is coming for us." Just as Nimkee and Kasheese rise,
they catch sight of the big red giant withering plants, grass, the homes of
their friends and family, and their beloved white pine trees' just before
their eyes. "We must hurry and fly south away from the big red giant,"
Nimkee weeps. While the family of eagles fly south, they discover what
was once their home, healing, and safe space became embers flowing in
the sky and learn that the big red giant took over all lands near and far
with nothing left to spare. The eaglets become fatigued from flying and
begin to fall weak. "Kasheese, we must land. Our eaglets cannot fly any
longer; they are worn out from the smoky skies," Nimkee exclaims in
fear. 'There is nowhere to build a home or land safely. The big red giant

took everything," Kasheese responds. Finally, the eagle family lands on
an empty, dry and grey land, alone, scared and concerned.

As weeks and months pass with little food, sleep or home, Nimkee
and Kasheese fill with anger, shock, sadness and disbelief. They soon
fall ill, leaving them unable to fly, feed or protect one another.

One dreary and dark day with only one hopeful cloud in the sky,
father eagle Kasheese observes a white, back, red, yellow and green
turtle lingering in the area and approaches the visitor, “who are you and
why are nagging around my family and me. We have not seen anyone in
months, and you show up out of nowhere - why? WHY?" Kasheese
yells. The turtle ignores father eagle and saunters away. Intrigued by
where the turtle is going, Kasheese follows. "HEY, I am talking to you.
Who are you, and what do you want?" Kasheese continues to shout.
Miles later, the turtle leads the father eagle to what is left of a burnt but
thriving white pine tree and turns around to face the strong and mighty
father eagle. "My brother," he begins, "listen to the helper in the sky.
The helper will bring you where you need to be. To heal. To love. To
move forward on this beautiful land," he utters. Kasheese hums and

haws in frustration but decides to give the turtle the benefit of the doubt
and looks up to the sky - where he spots the helper in the sky hovering
over him. "You and your family are one of strength, Kasheese," the
helper voices. "Strength?" Kasheese responds, "we lost what we loved
most. Our home, our friends and family. We have nothing left and we
are stuck here in the land of nowhere and nothing," he continues. "You
are one of bravery Kasheese, for finding this new land and making what
is best of it. You must accept your loss and process your pain," the
helper answers. "Accept and process my pain? How am I supposed to do
that? I have no home. We cannot move on," Kasheese answers, "You
have forgotten who you are Kasheese, look inside yourself. One day at a
time. Rely on what is around you - what you see, what you feel, and
what you hear. You are angry, I know. It is normal to feel that. Reinvest
that anger and focus on what is around you. You and your family will
find your way," the helper states as it disappears.

The turtle leads the father eagle back to his family. As he arrives,
he picks up what is minimally made of his family's nest and home on the
dry and grey earth and leads them to the last burnt but standing white

pine tree that the turtle led him to. "A home. We, we have not seen a tree
in months since the big red giant came," Nimkee responds. "The big red
giant may have taken our home, but the turtle led me to the helper in the
sky. There is hope, Nimkee," father eagle exclaims. Since that day, the
eagle family trodded daily to rebuild their strength. Day by day, they
found new growth of trees, moss, twigs and food. Every day the turtle
leads Kasheese to the helper in the sky.

Although it took some time for new earth and sustenance to grow,
the blue skies did begin to emerge, and green crops began to form.
Nimkee, Kasheese and their three children Saswaa, Kenj and Saugi
began to build a new home and happiness in the area they once thought
had no happy ending. Slowly, they became again the highest soarers in
the sky.

The End.