Kipoc (kipoch) Mounts a Ride

Kipoc was wandering the plains and spoke with many different tribes who told tales of men mounted on the backs of large animals. The animals were said to be like large dogs, “mistatimwak” they called them. Many distances away they traveled and moved faster and with more supplies.

Kipoc wanted in on this, if it means not walking long distances, then even better. He asks the different people about the beasts and he got different answers. Were they like bears or moose, or maybe buffalo? He was given many different answers. He just had to find out for himself.

He walks for hours when he decides to at least try mounting what he can find. Since he was in the woodland area, he figured it have to be the maskwa (bear) or mōswa (moose), or how about the mahikan (wolf). However, the wolves liked him but they would never let him mount them and he didn’t want the cunning animals on his bad side. Bears and moose he didn’t care for.

A maskwa might maul him to death like they have done to so many humans in the past, but he knew he had to try something. He noticed an iyāpīw – bull moose and an onīcāniw – cow moose. It was toward the end of rutting season. The bull moose had been fighting a good while to get where he is today with the cow he was with.

The bull looked tired, but he may still be in fighting mode. There is no way he would mess with that bull. The cow, however, seems to be more passive and is always feeding and sitting around. If he could get close enough and if the bull is not around, he may actually get a chance to ride his animal. Then it was decided, kipoc will become a modern Indian today.

The cow is sitting around as usual, doing something but who knows what. Lo and behold, the bull was gone, and the cow was nodding off. It was his chance to make things happen, specifically his boring life.
Kipoc sneaks over to the cow who is laying blissfully on the grass, for now. As kipoc looks on with his googly eyes, he tries not to make a sound. He gets within two metres and then suddenly, he makes a running dash for the back of the moose. Haaa! He yells, as the cow jumps right up and tries bucking kipoc off her back.

Later that day, kipoc woke up from the leafless thorn bush, he gets up and looks gravely at the moose standing so tall and arrogant. He walks along the edge of the forest and sees his next ride “It will be safer mounting the maskwa.”

ikosi – The End

mistatim – horse (big/large dog)

mistatimwak – horses

bear – maskwa

wolf – mahihkan

moose – mōswa

onīcāniw – cow moose (female)

iyāpīw – bull moose (male)