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In Innu
The Innu/Ilnu ('man, person'), formerly called Montagnais (French for ' mountain people'; ), are the Indigenous Canadians who inhabit northeastern Labrador in present-day Newfoundland and Labrador and some portions of Quebec. They refer to ...
mythology, Matshishkapeu ("The Farting God") is considered to be one of the most powerful spirits, and thought to be even more powerful than the Caribou Master
The Caribou Master, variously known as Kanipinikassikueu, Katipenimitak, Papakashtshishk, or Caribou Man is a powerful spirit in traditional Innu religion and mythology, an indigenous people of present-day Canada and Quebec. In the myth, an Innu ma ...
. According to legend, the Caribou Master withheld caribou
The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only represe ...
from the Innu out of greed, causing them to begin starving. Matshishkapeu approached the Caribou Master and asked him to provide the Innu with enough caribou to eat, but the Caribou Master refused. Matshishkapeu then said if he did not give the Innu caribou, he would be struck with illness. The Caribou Master refused again, subsequently being cursed with a painful case of constipation
Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The Human feces, stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the ...
. Finally, the Caribou Master relented, and Matshishkapeu then cured him of his ailment.
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