Many years ago, by a lake in Northern Canada, there lived a girl named Marie. She spoke French and she spoke Cree.
Every evening in the fall, Marie walked to the lake to watch the geese land.
Marie loved the geese.
She loved them with her whole heart.
Marie thought that geese were the most beautiful creatures in the whole world. They were her family. They were her friends.
They were her babies.
There were hunters at the lake too. Every time that Marie heard their guns roar, and saw a beautiful goose fall dead from the sky, her whole body would shudder and she would cry.
Marie didn’t hate the hunters. Her father and brothers were hunters. Marie knew that they had to hunt geese for their family to survive. On evenings when they had goose for supper, Marie would sit in another part of the house and her mother would bring her something else to eat. Her mother understood.
Comprehension Questions
1. What does Marie do when people nearby are hunting geese?
A. She gets out a large horn and makes noise to scare the geese away.
B. She runs toward the hunters and scolds them.
C. Her body shakes and she cries.
A. She lectures her on the importance of geese, as a staple in their diet.
B. She says the Creator gave us geese to help sustain our life.
C. She brings Marie another food to eat if the family is having goose for supper.
Your Thoughts
Vocabulary
4. List any vocabulary words below.