Edward Ahenakew was born on Sandy Lake Reserve (now Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, in Saskatchewan) in 1885. He studied theology in Toronto and Saskatoon, receiving ordination as an Anglican priest in 1912. Ahenakew worked as a missionary in northern Indigenous communities, and gathered legends and stories told to him by First Nations individuals. Following his death in 1961, Ruth M. Buck transcribed Ahenakew’s notes of stories told by Chief Thunderchild (Peyasiw-Awasis, a signatory of Treaty 6), forming the first half of “Voices of the Plains Cree.” The stories range from human origins myths to tales of conflict between Indigenous groups. The volume’s second half focusses on Old Keyam, a fictional – but autobiographical – character created by Ahenakew. Old Keyam offers a more contemporary account of the challenges of First Nations life on the Canadian prairies.
