Part 1
OJIBWA MYTHS AND TALES
BY COL. GEO. E. LAIDLAW
REPRINTED FROM THE ARCHÆOLOGICAL REPORT, 1915
OJIBWA MYTHS AND TALES.
By COL. G. E. LAIDLAW.
This series was obtained from Peter York this summer of 1915, when camped here with his family of basket makers, and also after his return to the Rama Reserve where he lives. This reserve is to the east of Lake Couchiching in Ontario County in Ontario Province. The tales told by John York were told in Ojibwa to Peter York and were written down in English by Peter York, who can read and write English. I have followed York’s phraseology in the stories as closely as possible, using his terms, such as “went to work,” etc., and not changing his meaning in any sense. Some of these stories may appear crude, and others rather indefinite, but I have in no way altered them, preferring to leave them as they are.
John York is an old man of 96 years and his Indian name is “Kitche-Penascie” or “Big Thunder.” Peter York is 48 years old and his Indian name is “Penascie” or “Thunder.” Both names, according to Peter, are “hard” names. York frequently visits this section which is only a score of miles from the Reserve.
Nanabush is one of the variants of Nenebojo, others being Nanabozho and Nenebuc. This personage while being human possesses certain supernatural powers, one of them being, that whoever or whatever he addressed had to answer him. Nanabush seems to have been a joker and a scapegoat at times, and is reputed to be alive yet. York remarked upon one occasion that Nanabush “was a sort of god” and addresses him as Mr. Nanabush. This band of Ojibwas did not know where or when Nanabush was born, or the circumstances of his birth. Perhaps some of the older Indians on the Reserve might know. Inquiries will be made in the future.
York’s ending to the stories is “This ends this story.” And his use of the words “great big” means a giant such as “a great big man,” a giant. “A great big beaver,” a giant beaver, etc.
NO. 1.
NANABUSH AND THE DUCKS. (MODERN.) (NO. 1.)
Told by Peter York.
A long time ago Nanabush when out hunting ducks came to a lake. He saw a nice bay, round (curved) all along to the end which we all know bays are not straight. And in this bay there were a lot of ducks sitting along the shore, and Nanabush would like to kill them all with one shot. He did not know how to do it. He thought that he must get them all. He looked at his gun which was straight, and he thought if he could bend his gun he might get them all. He went to work and bent his gun. He got close and made a good aim, pulled the trigger and “Bang.” When the smoke cleared away there were no ducks to be seen dead or alive. Nanabush got so mad (angry) that he made another plan.
NO. 2.
NANABUSH AND THE DUCKS. (NO. 2.)
Told by Mrs. Joseph Kenice.
The other plan that Nanabush made to get these ducks was this: He and his mother made a big camp (lodge or wigwam) and invited all the different kinds of ducks to come to a big dance on such a day set apart for the dance. All the ducks came and when they came up Nanabush started to sing a song. Before the dance started he told the ducks that they had to keep their eyes closed when they danced and had to dance around the middle of the camp. Nanabush seated himself near the door and as the ducks would dance near him he would grab them and twist their necks and throw them behind him (York exemplified this by gestures) and got quite a lot this time. But one of the birds, a diver, opened her eyes a little bit and saw what Nanabush was doing. She made for the door and told all the ducks to run away. Nanabush made for the one that told on him. He got the duck in the door as she was going out and reached out his foot and stamped on her as she went past, and this is the reason the diver has flat feet and legs that stick out behind. These are some of Nanabush’s works while he lived. This ends this story.
Note by G. E. L.—The song that Nanabush sang for the ducks was called “Ki-ah-wah-na,” which, according to York, means “Something that has been used to get such a thing or to do such a thing with. May have been an axe or a knife, etc.” This is very indefinite, but is just what York explained, that it was difficult to understand. I fail to see any connection with the ducks as in other variations of this story.
NO. 3.
THUNDERBIRDS. (NO. 1.)
Told by Peter York.
The old people once went to the Blue Mountains near Collingwood a long time ago. At the end (escarpment) near the Bay a Thunderbird had its nest. It had two young birds. They were shaped like geese, but were naked and were about as high as a man’s chest and were of brownish red or russet color. By and by they began to grow pin-feathers and get big. Then they went away. The old people went over several times to see them, and they first saw them during a thunderstorm.
NO. 4.
THUNDERBIRDS. (NO. 2.)
Told by John York.
Once two Indians, a man and his wife, camped near a little lake. The Indian was trapping. He had a dream one night never to cross on the ice at night on any lake, but one day shortly afterwards he went too far away hunting and got very tired. As he was coming home with his bag of beaver on his back, and his ice chisel in his hand, he came to a narrow place in the lake where he either had to cross on the ice or go a long way around, so he thought he’d chance the ice (risk it for once), but when he got about half way over he heard something coming down from above, but could not see anything because it was dark. He fainted (became unconscious) and dropped on the ice, and the next thing he knew he found himself sitting inside a big bird’s hand (or claws) with all his game, beaver, ice chisel and bag. He could not do anything except to remain very still. After a while he saw something ahead, which was a rock, and the big bird lit on the rock and let the man go and flew away again.
The man saw two young ones (young Thunderbirds) coming towards him, and when one of these got near enough it opened its mouth wide. The man got up and got his chisel and knocked the young bird down and killed it. This young bird was very big and heavy (as York expressed it, “it would weigh easy a ton”). The man made up his mind what to do, as he had got to die anyway, so he went to work and opened the young bird and took all the insides out and got in himself. He found that he could stay inside the bird in going down to earth again. He managed to get the young bird to the edge of the rock. Then he got inside and fastened himself in with his long sash, closed the open hole with strings and rolled off. The young Thunderbird spread its wings and began to float down through the air. The man fainted and when he came to he found himself on the edge of a lake in a strange place, so he got up and wandered about till he came on some man tracks which he followed up till he came to two men and asked them where he was. They told him where he was and the name of the place, and then he knew which way to go to reach his own camp.
When he got near his own camp he saw that the place looked very old anyway. He went nearer and got to the door and called “Who’s in there?” Some one inside told him to “come in.” Inside he saw a very old lady. He thought “this can’t be my wife, she’s too old. I’ve been only away a few days.” He asked her “where was her man?” She said, “A good many years ago my husband had a dream ‘never to walk across the ice of any lake’ and he may have tried to go across some lake at night and was taken by some big bird (Thunderbird) or somebody I never heard of. Here I have been ever since he went away and nobody knows where he is.” The man told her who he was and they kissed each other and lived together the rest of their lives. This shows that he was away a long time, but it seemed short to him. When on the Thunderbird’s rock he killed only one of the young Thunderbirds. The other he did not touch.
Notes by G. E. L.—The word “Lady” used here is equivalent to Ogemahkwee, which means a chief’s wife or daughter, or some female relative of a chief. This word is also used in speaking of, or to a white lady of quality.
Kissing is seldom met with in stories or tales of their own life by the Indians, so I think it is a modern introduction.
NO. 5.
RAT AND BEAVER STORY—WAH-ZESK AND AH-MIC.
Told by Peter York.
A long time ago the Rat had the Beaver’s tail, and the Beaver the Rat’s tail. The Rat wanted to trade tails, very badly, but the Beaver didn’t care enough about trading, but at last he traded. Then the Beaver when he got his present tail liked it very much for he found that he could swim faster, but the Rat didn’t like it, because he had to swim slower, so he begged the Beaver to trade back, but the Beaver would not trade; so the Rat cried and cried till his eyes got small, and this is the reason that the Rat has small eyes and a small tail.
(Rat here means the Muskrat.)
NO. 6.
THE BEAR, THE WILD CAT AND THE BIG STURGEON—MUH KWAH, PEZHEW AND KITCHÉ NŬH MAH.
Told by Peter York.
Near the mouth of the Nottawasaga River there are rapids. The bear was fishing there one day. He was catching sturgeon in his paws and throwing them over his shoulder on to the bank. By the time when he had enough he quit fishing and started to carry the sturgeon back into the woods from the pile he had thrown them into. The wild cat (lynx) was watching the bear whilst the bear was fishing. When the bear went away, the wild cat went to fish at the same place. He caught a very big sturgeon, but on account of his crooked claws, could not let go, and the sturgeon swam out to deep water and drowned the wild cat.
NO. 7.
NE-WE-NO-NAH K’SHE MŬH.
The story of the woman who visited a man who lived in a tree, and who could change himself into a serpent when he wished.
Told by Peter York.
A very long time ago there was an Indian who lived with his family in the wilderness or wild bush where nobody was to be seen. This man lived by hunting wild game. One time he noticed his wife dressing up very nice. This kept on for a good many days. One day the oldest boy told his father that the mother went away every time the father left camp for hunting. The man thought that he would watch her, so he went away one morning, but went only a little way and watched the camp. After a little while the wife came out dressed in her best. She went out in the bush and the man followed to see what she would do. She went to a big tree and stood at the foot of the tree and rapped, just the same as a person would do on a house door. Then he saw a very nice man come out of the tree and observed what was going on, so he thought he would kill his wife as soon as she got back to camp. When he got home he made a big fire and told his two children (boys) what he was going to do, and also told them what to do when he (the father) would run away. His wife came home in the evening and he killed her and burned her in the fire. He then told his boys “if they saw the sky red that would show them that he (their father) was killed by his wife’s sweetheart.” The next day they saw the sky red which showed them that their father was killed, so they ran away themselves. Before their father went away he told them that their mother would follow them though she was dead, so the father gave them some things to use in case they wanted help; an awl, a stone, and a thorn. When they saw their mother coming, they threw the stone down, when it became a big mountain, and the two boys went a long way before their mother was able to get over the mountain and catch up to them. When she came close again the boys threw the thorn down when it became a very big bush of thorn trees (Haw trees), which gave the two boys a chance to get ahead a good bit before she got through. When she got close again the boys threw the awl down, which became many hundred awls with their points sticking up, but she managed to get over them and kept on trying to get her children.
The boys came to a big river and saw a big snail which they asked to take them across the river. The big snail stretched himself across the river and the two boys got across. When the mother got to the river she also asked the big snail to take her over. The snail told her he would, but when about half way across the snail dropped the woman into the river, and that was the last of her.
The two boys went on and came to a lake where nobody was to be seen only themselves. The big boy made a little bow and arrow for his little brother. After a little while they saw someone coming in a log canoe, who turned out to be a bad old man. As soon as the old man saw the two boys he made up his mind to take one of them and leave the other, so he told the little boy with the bow and arrow to shoot up in the air. The arrow dropped into the canoe, and the old man told the big boy to come and get it. As soon as the big boy got in the canoe the old man pushed out quickly and left the little boy behind. The big boy asked the old man to take his brother along but the old man said “No!” When they got to the old man’s place the big boy was locked up (confined) for a good many days and could not get a chance to run away. One day the old man told the big boy that if he wanted to go out with him he could go. They came to a big hill and he asked the boy to go for a sleigh ride down the hill. The old man wanted the boy to sit in front but the boy chose to sit behind. There were stumps and stones down the hill and as they went down the hill very fast, the boy thought to hit a stone and kill the old man, which he did. Then the boy thought about his little brother and went back and looked for him. When he got to the place where his brother was left he saw a wolf which was his brother who had become half a wolf and half a boy. Which all Indians believe to be where the wolf came from. The boy got too hungry and became part wolf. This ends this story.
NO. 8.
OJIBWA AND MOHAWK. (NO. 1.)
Told by Peter York.
Long years ago there were two Ojibwa boys who lived so close together that they called each other “Brother,” and one time when they got to be big boys they talked about getting married, so they went away to an Indian (Ojibwa) village not far away and got girls to marry them. When they got married they wanted to know what to do to make a living. One said “We will go a long ways up the river to hunt and stay there for a good while and will be able to get enough to keep us during the winter months.” They got ready for the trip and started with a good supply. They stayed a long time till they got enough (furs and meat) and then started to come home.
On their way home they came to a place where there were a lot of stumps and snags, and one of them struck a stump and made a big hole in his canoe. He had to go to shore to fix his canoe, whilst the other canoe went on ahead. When the canoe was mended they started on again and when they came to a little lake they saw their comrade just about the other side of the little lake going into a river where there were lots of other Indians (Mohawks, their enemies) waiting for them to come home with their catch of fur and meat. The man in the second canoe said to his wife, “Well, my brother is going to get killed, as he goes into the river, you watch!” And when the first canoe was just going into the river there was smoke of gunfire from both sides. The wife (in the second canoe) said, “We will be killed the same way.” The husband replied, “Well, no. If I get mad (angry) there is no shot that could hit me. I will go alone to see, and you stay here till I come back.” “No,” she said, “You can’t go, you will be shot too.” “Well,” said he, “let them shoot, they can’t hit me. I had a dream in my early days that no gun could hurt me, and if my dream is no good I won’t come back.” So they got everything out of the canoe and he started in the canoe with his gun for the same place where his comrade got shot. When he got there the gunfire started from both sides of the river and kept up for a long time, till after a while the fire was not so bad, after another while the fire ceased and the wife looked and looked and after a short time she saw something coming straight to where she was waiting. She knew the canoe but there was a different man in it. She hid herself in the bush till she heard her man calling to her and then she came out. Her man was all black, and it was because he had so many close shots fired at him that the gunpowder blackened him up, so that the wife only knew him by his voice when he called her. They got ready and crossed the lake to where the fight took place. They got out of the canoe and he showed his wife where there were a good many dead Indians (Mohawks) on both sides of the river. They went to work to see if they could find their friends’ bodies. It did not take them long to do so and to bury them the best way they could. They then started on their way home and upon arrival spread the story and went to see the parents of the dead ones. This ends this story.
NO. 9.
OJIBWA AND MOHAWK. (NO. 2.)
Told by Peter York.
A good many years ago there were two head chiefs of the two big nations of Indians, the Ojibwas and the Mohawks. One time the head chief of the Mohawks thought to do something to hurt the Ojibwa chief. He did not know just what to do. The Ojibwa chief had one son and one daughter. Well, the Mohawk thought “If I kill one of his children this would make him mad (angry).” So he got his warriors to come to him and told them to go to the Ojibwa village at night and try to kill the chief’s son or daughter. The warriors started at night and went on their errand and it happened that the son was out late and was taken prisoner. The warriors took the boy to the Mohawk chief and the chief cast lots, by drawing little sticks, and the one that got the longest stick had to kill the boy. The boy was killed before the people and the chief called a big feast and had the boy cooked. When everything was ready he invited all the other neighbouring chiefs as well as the Ojibwa chief who had lost his son, and there were hundreds of Indians besides. The big feast was ready by this time and all sat down on the ground. Those who were appointed to act as waiters started to bring in the eatables, beginning at the door, giving the food to the men as they went along. The head Ojibwa chief was placed in the middle, and when the waiters came to him they brought his son’s head well cooked. This chief recognized his son’s head, but said nothing, and as they were all eating, he ate his son’s head just to show them that he was a man.
When everything was over the Ojibwa chief started for home, and as he was going home he made up his mind that he would also do this kind of work some day. He did not do it at once but waited for a few years, when he got his warriors to come to him one day and told them that they had to go to the Mohawks’ village and get the chief’s daughter and bring her to him. One of the warriors told the chief “that there were hundreds of warriors guarding the Mohawk chief’s house ever since the Big Feast when the Ojibwa chief’s son was killed and eaten” (or in other words, since you lost your son).
The Ojibwa chief then said, “You go in the daytime and take her and I will make them sleep sound. I will be able to do that.” So they started, six of the best men. When they got to the Mohawk village they found all the watchers asleep and the chief also sound asleep. They took the girl away as they were told to bring her. Before this the Ojibwa chief told one of his men to kill her, and she was killed in a quiet way. Nobody knew what happened. The Ojibwa chief then called a big feast and told his people to get ready, that after the feast there was going to be a big battle right there. So they got everything ready.