The narrator uses gestures and movements to illustrate the story. The movements of the animals, the stealthy approach of the hunter, the aim, the shot, the cry of the animal or the pursuit are all acted out as the tale unfolds. Stories are used to entertain listeners of all ages, to instruct the young, and to preserve history, rituals and beliefs. They are told during the long cold winter nights when everyone is craving stimulation, wanting something to spark their imagination. The Cree belief that stories based on fiction cannot be told during the summer is shared by many nations.
Summer is the season when people are supposed to use their time as well as possible.
People who narrate such stories in the summer risk having their lives destroyed by lizards, who would come to suck their blood. It was believed that toads or snakes would creep into the beds of people who wasted precious time telling stories before the first snow fell. This type of punishment is also reserved for narrators of the endless cycles about the superhuman chameleon-like joker Wisakecahk, a revered character in the Cree storytelling tradition. During the summer, spirits are about and may take revenge on people who tell stories that are damaging to them. Animals may also overhear and be offended by the stories when they are roaming in the summer.