Muddy, frustrated, and hungry, and also realizing that maybe one
or two geese – instead of a whole bunch of them, let alone a complete flock -
had been sufficient for him to feast on, Wenabozho picked up his bow and arrows
where he had left them and decided to walk back into the island’s thick forest
of cedars and pine to look for a deer, elk, or moose. After an hour walk, dusk
had already settled in and the moon and the stars were out, he came to a big clearing. In the Fall sky the shape of a moose appeared, shining
down on the hungry Wenabozho full strength. It was the
biggest ayaabe (bull) he had ever seen in his entire life! Without
thinking twice and with lightning speed Wenabozho shot an arrow into the
direction of the moose. The moose, head down, descended with the speed of a falling star, which led
Wenabozho to think he was mortally wounded. But the Mishi-ishpiming-mooz (Big Sky Moose), somehow managed to adjust his freefall to correct his descent! Hovering above
the treetops, his mighty antlers cast a giant shadow over the forest clearing where Wenabozho stood. Next, something happened that surpassed all logic!
Wenabozho, who despite his unfortunate adventure with the geese still had some
of his magical powers intact, jumped up into the sky, far enough to stand face
to face with the moose. Dancing above the treetops, his bow in one hand and
three arrows in the other, the light of the moon disclosed to him the reason why the moose had not crashed to the ground. The arrow stuck in his flank, and
a tiny stream of blood oozing from the wound indicated that the sky buck was only
superficially wounded. With bewildered eyes, wondering what had hit him, Mishi-mooz looked
at the strange fellow dancing in front of him, but his small brain could not
grasp the meaning of what had happened, let alone what was going on in front of
him. Then, his anger steaming from his nostrils, he said to himself: moowich! shit! I do
not know what caused me to lose my balance up there, but I do know this: There’s
that son of a gun Mishaabooz, covered in mud! I suppose I ought to make
tracks, back into the sky, or that sly two-legged bully of a hare is going to
talk to me! I have enough problems of my own, and he is the last person I want
to speak to! Hereupon Michi-mooz started ascending back to where he came from,
and not without reason, because sure enough Wenabozho - who had already
forgotten about the painful lesson the ikagoog had taught him -
called out to him, “Ah niikaan ayaabe, oh brother bull, hold up for a minute
before you head back, I want to have a little chat with you!”
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Mishi-mooz, being the decent and kind-hearted soul he was, stopped right where he was, and as soon as Wenabozho, still
dancing his silly dance, caught up with him he said, “How come you’re always
trying to avoid me niijii? Don’t you ever want to talk to me? Are you
scared of me? Am I not to be trusted?” Mishi-mooz, who didn’t trust Wenabozho
one bit but was too polite to say it straight to his face, held his breath and said nothing. Then Wenabozho, pretending he was
out of breath, said, “tayaa! oh boy! You should have seen the place where
I just came from! There’s crazy folks with bows and arrows shooting stars out of the
sky! It’s just too terrible for words what I just experienced.” And as he was
talking, Wenabozho strung three arrows into his bow, and swinging his bow up and down and around
from left to right and from right to left he said, “Those folks are aiming over
this way! And they’re aiming over that way!” Suddenly he aimed one arrow right
at the big ayaabe, and before the surprised colossus could jump away, Wenabozho shot
him, straight into his heart. Within an eye-blink his heart was pierced by three arrows! The moose dropped down, and as his heavy body
thumped on the earth, his last thoughts were, “sha naa, dammit! I knew I
shouldn’t have trusted that giiminijaagan (bastard) Mishaabooz!"
The Great Hunter Wenabozho had deceived and killed the big sky moose! He
was so mighty pleased about himself and his great hunting skills! He
congratulated himself for being so clever and said, “Hoowaah! I’m going have
plenty to eat for a while and I can save my
precious arrows for some more target-shooting at the stars!” But of course, being
Wenabozho, he wanted to eat as much of the great heap of food that was in front
of him right then and there! So, without much further ado our hero took out his
knife and started to cut up the mishi-ayaabe that had fallen out of the sky.
_________________________________________________________
![Wenabozho's Thanksgiving painting by Zhaawano Giizhik]( "Wenabozho's Thanksgiving") |
Wenabozho's Thanksgiving ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik |
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Part 10: The Offering
Being an expert hunter, he first looked for a big sheet of wiigwaas (birch
bark) which he then put down on the ground. Then he cut up all the various
parts of mooz and spread the chunks of moozowiiyaas (meat) on the
birch bark. Next, he started a fire. He made a spit out of a slender tree
branch, stuck it through a big prime chunk of meat and placed the meat over the
red-hot fire. Next, he hung a wiigwaasi-makak (birchbark cooking pot) filled with meat over the fire, ready to simmer for the rest of the day. The fat he had cut off the meat he strung up in the lower
branches of a nearby zhingob (spruce tree).
Wenabozho, the Great
Hunter, worked up quite an appetite! He could hardly wait for that nice steak
to get done on the fire! Finally, it was smelling good, and his stomach
was rumbling away. “Wiishtaa taa haa! I can’t wait!” he said to
himself. When it was done, he took the meat off the spit and, his mouth
watering, sat down to have himself a real nice meal! But then, ay ay ay, alas!
As he was just ready to chomp into his first bite, a stinge of remorse cut
through his heart like an arrow. He suddenly realized that the mooz he was
about to eat was truly no ordinary mooz! He, Wenabozho, the great creator of
the star trail called River of Souls, had robbed the autumn night sky from one
of its shiny beacons – the Mooz constellation! Instead of using his hunter
skills and exploring the bush to look for a terrestrial moose, he had been so
lazy and careless to shoot an easy target out of the sky…now, despite his
appetite, he feared for the consequences of his impulsive deed…what will Nooko
say when she finds out?Wenabozho, the Great
Hunter, worked up quite an appetite! He could hardly wait for that nice steak
to get done on the fire! Finally, it was smelling good, and his stomach
was rumbling away. “Wiishtaa taa haa! I can’t wait!” he said to
himself. When it was done, he took the meat off the spit and, his mouth
watering, sat down to have himself a real nice meal! But then, ay ay ay, alas!
As he was just ready to chomp into his first bite, a stinge of remorse cut
through his heart like an arrow. He suddenly realized that the mooz he was
about to eat was truly no ordinary mooz! He, Wenabozho, the great creator of
the star trail called River of Souls, had robbed the autumn night sky from one
of its shiny beacons – the Mooz constellation! Instead of using his hunter
skills and exploring the bush to look for a terrestrial moose, he had been so
lazy and careless to shoot an easy target out of the sky…now, despite his
appetite, he feared for the consequences of his impulsive deed…what will Nooko
say when she finds out?
In a pensive mood and intent on easing his guilt, Wenabozho, as he muttered
to himself “Hoowaah! Instead of eating the mooz I am eaten up with the guilt,” took his
opwaagan (pipe) out of his gashkobidaagan (pipe bag) and lit it. He remembered
something Ookomisan had told him about smoking the pipe and sending good
thoughts out there. “When you puff smoke to all directions, noozis,” she had
told him, “make sure to send good thoughts along with the smoke, and with a
little luck they will become stars. This way, each time you look up in the
night sky, your thoughts will not just be tiny meaningless lights, but guides that will
travel with you as long as you walk the earth.” Wenabozho smiled, thinking back
to Grandmother’s wise words, and thought by himself, “What if my thoughts turn
into stars? What if I were able to return the spirit of the Mooz to his moozomii (trail) in
the night sky? As soon as night falls, I will search the sky for the thirteen
stars that make up the Mooz constellation!"
Wenabozho sat down and smoked and allowed good
thoughts to rise with the smoke of his pipe. With the speed of running hares his prayers traveled to the four corners of the earth and the sky world! Next, as an apology to the spirit of the mooz, he walked toward the moose's head that lay nearby in the grass and carefully blew puffs of smoke in his moozoshkiin (nostrils). Next, he hung the giant moose's head, to which he had tied two eagle feathers, from the strongest branch of the thickest mitigomizh (oak) he could find.
Feeling much
better about himself, Wenabozho walked back to the cooking area and laid aside
his opwaagan. Then, just as he was finally about to take a bite of the juicy meat, again a thought flashed through his brain. He suddenly remembered
another lesson Ookomisan had taught him! “Whenever you hunt and shoot Gidinawemaaganinaan Mooz (Our Relative the Moose), never forget, after you cut him up, to hanghis omoodayaan(beard or "bell") from a tree! This way, you
pay respect to the spirit of the mooz and, at the same time, acknowledge the
presence of the mooz in the sky lodge! Always remember, noozis, as it is below, it is
above, so always acknowledge and honor the ways things and beings of the above and below worlds are connected! Hanging the omoodayaan from
a tree branch reflects how the stars hang
from the sky vault, attached with invisible strings to the Great Mystery of the
Universe that sits on top of the sky lodge…”
Sighing, cursing the
fact that Grandmother’s wise lessons had a way of ruining his appetite,
Wenabozho again laid aside the mouthwatering piece of moose meat and, thinking it
wouldn’t hurt to appease the spirit of the mooz by a food offer,sliced off a little bit of fatty tenderloin. Next, hewalked back to the
mooz's head and cut off the omoodayaan,
after which he walked to the zhingob tree where he had hung all the moose
fat. Figuring that the higher he
placed the offerings, the closer they would be to the
star world, he slung his bow over his shoulder and started to climb up into the tree - which wasn’t an
easy task since he had to skip the lower branches, which sagged under the
weight of the moose fat! Way up in the upper branches of the tree he climbed! As
he placed the offerings where he thought they were closest to the stars, he
said, “Haw dash, niin ishpiming inawemaagan! Owe miijin.” (“Well now, my sky relative! This you must eat!”)
Of course, as he was
putting down the food and tying the moose bell to the branch, a big gust of
wind came up and moved the tree with such force that he lost his balance! Even
the fat that he had put in the lower branches dropped to the ground! As he
fell, just before he hit the ground, his bow that he carried on his back got
stuck between the lower branches and he found himself helplessly dangling from
the tree, his feet unable to touch the ground! Try as he might, his bow was
seriously stuck and there was no way he could free himself! All he could do now
was wait until the wind was going to come up again and make the branches let go
of his bow…
He hung there for a
great while, and as he was hanging up there, swinging back and forth in the
wind, meanwhile repenting his sins while his tummy made terrible grunting
noises, he noticed to his dismay that the smell from the moose meat that he had
cooked and put out had attracted all kinds of awesiinhyag (animals) to his camp! All that poor Wenabozho could do was look down from where he was
hanging and watch all the ma’iinganag (wolves), gwiingwa’aageg (wolverines),
ojiigag (fishers), waabizheshiwag (martens), and waagoshag (foxes) – enh, even the waawaabiganoojiinyag and enigoog (mice and ants) - feast on the meat he
had prepared and arrayed with such great care! Atayaa! As they
feasted, he yelled at them and cursed and threatened them, but to no avail! The awesiihnyag laughed at poor Wenabozho! So many times he had
played tricks on them, but this time the joke was on him! So, they had a good
feast and teased him, and said “Giga-waabamin Mishaabooz! See
you later Great Hare!”
___________________________________________
![Wenabozho and the Moose Head painting by Zhaawano Giizhik]( "Wenabozho and the Moose Head") |
Wenabozho and the Moose Head ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik |
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Part 11: The Little Mouse
When the wolves, wolverines, fishers, martens, and foxes were long gone and only a handful of mice toddled around the camp searching for left-overs, the wind came up again. Wenabozho’s bow was released from between the entangled mass of branches, and he finally managed to free himself from his tight spot. As he walked around the tree, he noticed to his horror that the fire had died down and everywhere he looked were moozoganan (moose bones), picked clean by the animals. Even the moozaanow (tail) was gone! All that was left was mishi-mooz’s head hanging from the mitigomizh tree branch!
Trembling Tail looked at the big head dangling from the tree branch and he was so starved by then that he could eat just about anything! So he took it down and started to gnaw on the ojaash (nose) of the big head. Ay ay ay that wasn’t very good unless he cooked it, but he was too hungry to even bother rekindling the campfire! Then, he turned the moose head around, and he looked inside of there. It was too dark to see but he figured that there must be some nice-looking brains still way in there inside the moose head! And he said to himself, “Tayaa, oh boy! How would I love to set my teeth in those juicy moose brains!”
And he tried to stick his hand in there, but the head was too big and his fingers wouldn’t reach it. He tried sticking his tongue in there as far as he could - he just couldn’t reach those juicy brains that he knew were in there inside that moose head! He said, “Sha naa! How am I going to get those out of there?” Then, as he noticed the ookweg (maggots) had eaten away the moose’s eyes he took his bow and stuck it in one of the eye sockets, poking around in there hoping to winkle out those nice juicy brains. But oonyooy! Again, the bow got stuck! This time inside the big moose’s head! Wenabozho, patience not being his strong point, braced his foot on the moose’s head for support as he, grunting and sighing, tried to wrench it loose. He felt the bow slowly begin to give, but it was too slow to his taste, and, being hot-tempered as usual, and unaware of his muscle strength that was quite extraordinary, he started to wrench more forcefully, but then, tayaa! the bow – although it was very powerful and could bear a great burden - broke in two pieces and poor Wenabozho fell backwards, iyoo! flat on odiy (his butt)!
For a while he sat there, dazed and confused, looking at his broken bow, and it slowly dawned on him that his magic bow that he had obtained from the tall stranger from the South was damaged beyond repair…tayaa, what will nookomis say? he thought to himself. “If you can make the gichi-ogimaa from the South hand over the magic bow to you, you will be forever successful in the hunt and invincible against the dreaded Wiindigoo and the Underwater Beings,” she had told him… Maybe I best not tell her about the bow, he said to himself…
Then he noticed his growling stomach, and he thought to himself, “the day is almost over, I must find a way to get to those moose brains or I will starve and never see nookomis again.” More desperate than ever Wiinabozho, the Great Hunter, looked down and there he saw a waabiganoojiiyens,a little mouse, going along in the grass. "There is that Wenabozho," the mouse thought by himself, "he always thinks he's so clever! Wait, I will give him some more brains to chew on, heh heh."
“Boozhoo niikaan” he said to the mice, “Hello cousin!” “Can you help me?” he said. “I need some help!”
The mouse stopped right where they were and, with his most innocent snout, glanced up to Wenabozho, who still sat there in the grass, looking desperate and defeated because the trauma he had just aquired (his magic silver-and-turquoise bow breaking in two pieces) made him feel powerless; it seemed as if his supernatural powers had left him just when it mattered the most! Ay ay ay! He could not even change himself into a hare anymore like he used to! Or into a little rabbit or mouse for that matter!
“Aaniish, well, I am just a waabiganoojiiyens, what am I supposed to do Mishaabooz? Gaawiin geget! I can’t help you! You know I'm too small!” the cunning little mouse said. Wenabozho, true to his manipulative nature, responded, “Geget niikaan, gidaa-gashkitoonaawaa na gaye niin i’iw ji-iniginiyaan eyaniginiyeg? You have some magic you can do cousin! Surely you can make me small like you are?” And the mouse said, “Aa, gaawiin geget! I don’t think so! Ozaam gi-mindid Mishaabooz, you are just too big, Great Hare; I could never make you as small as I am!” But the mighty hunter and warrior Wenabozho, who was known all over Turtle Island to have battled and defeated many powerful enemies and monsters that dwelled in, on, above, and underneath the earth and the lakes, said in his most whiny voice, “Aa, daga, daga! Oh, please, please! I’ll do anything! Please help me to get into the head of the moose!”
Waawaabiganoojiinh, the little mouse, feigned to pity the great Wenabozho and he said, “Ahaaw isa, all right then. I will use our mouse magic and make you small enough to be able to climb into the moose's head; maybe then you would be able to reach those brains! Aaniin igo! However! You have to remember that you can’t climb too far in that skull or move around too much in there or else the spell is going to be broken!” “Geget, geget, booshke giin! Yeah, yeah, whatever! Whatever it takes!” said Wenabozho, who now grew really impatient. The little waawaabigonoojiih, who had positioned himself on top of the moose's head then worked his magic and shrunk Wenabozho to the size of an enigoo (ant) ..He then climbed into the opening in the bottom of the skull. He climbed it in there as far as it would go and the little mouse warned him once again, “Bekaa go wiisinin, make sure to eat slowly.”
Wenabozho tried to get in the moose head as far as he could, stretching his neck to reach the brains. “Gego ombikweniken,” he heard the mouse saying, “Do not lift your head!” But of course, Wenabozho would not be Wenabozho if he had heeded Waawaabiganoojiinh’s warnings, and being greedy as usual, he lifted his head too high in his attempt to reach those juicy moose brains. And all of a sudden, he sensed that the moose head was shrinking rapidly. The mouse used his magic to shrink the size of the big moose's head to that of a regular mooz! Panicking, Wenabozho moved backward in an attempt to prevent from getting stuck in that dark hole of a moose head! He managed to wrestle and wiggle his body back through the opening but, tayaa! Wenabozho’s head remained stuck fast inside of the moose head! Try as he might, his big head was seriously stuck and there was no way he could free himself!
Trembling Tail, now panicking, got up off the ground as fast as he could, and he lifted the moose head up! That made the Waawaabiganoojiinh giggle, it was truly an odd sight to behold! Wenabozho, not knowing where he was going, tried hard to keep the moose head from falling over; then, as he was stumbling around like a headless chicken (or rather, a mooseheaded demi-spirit), bang! He ran into something.
“Awenen giin?” he spoke. “Who are you?” To this he was answered, “Always on the ridge do I stand.” “Aa,” Wenabozho said,”You must be Wiigwaas (birch tree).” “Giiyak’go!” answered the birch, “Niin wiigwaas sa.” A birch tree it was. And Wenabozho said, “A’aam zha, miigwech, okay, thanks.” He stumbled along trying to keep up to the big heavy moose head, and bang! He ran into something else! He almost got knocked right over backwards! He got back up and said, “Awenen giin?” And to this he was answered “Always on the hillside do I stand.” And Wenabozho said, “Aa! You must be Zhingob (pine tree) then!” “Giiyak’go! That’s me, niin zhingob sa,” said the pine tree. “A’aam zha, a’aam zha, onjida,” mumbled Wenabozho, “okay, okay, thank you greatly.”
He stumbled on, and this time he felt like he was running down a hill. Faster and faster he went! He could hardly keep up with that heavy moose head, and then, bang! Once again, he hit something! This time he got knocked right over backwards! He almost got knocked right out! He said, “Aaniin danaa, awenen giin?? What the heck! Who are you??” And to this he was answered, “Always by the water do I stand.” “Oh well you must be Maanazaadi (balsam poplar) then”, said Wenabozho.” “Giiyak’go! That’s me, niin azaadi sa,” replied the poplar tree. “Mii sa besho jiigibiig indayaamidog,” answered Wenabozho, “Then close to the edge of a stream or lake must I be.” “Enh geget sa go noozis” replied the poplar, “Certainly so, my grandchild.” “Miigwech nimishoomis, thank you my grandfather,” Wenabozho said, “Nimaamendam, excuse me, but I must keep going.”
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![The Moose Hunt painting by Zhaawano Giizhik]( "The Moose Hunt") |
The Moose Hunt ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik |
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Part 12: The Moose Sturgeon
By now Wenabozho realized he was going out into the water of the bay, and not only that, but he was going deeper and deeper! As he was desperately swimming and paddling to keep the moose head up and keep from falling over, he heard somebody calling from a distance away. It happened to be that on that day, some gogoonyikewininiwag (fishermen) armed with spears headed out into the lake into their canoes to hunt for Na-me (sturgeon).
“Ha!” Wenabozho heard them shout, “Nashke gosha ezhinaagozid wa’aw name. Wadakani’ind igo moozong ezhinaagozinid wadakani! Hey! Look at how this sturgeon looks! He has horns like a moose, he has horns like him!” Wenabozho heard the fishermen come closer and he tried to paddle and swim as far and fast as he could away from the approaching canoes, and then one of the gogoonyikewininiwag shouted,“Let’s go get him!” And before he knew it, they speared him! A big spear almost penetrated the moose’s head! Ay ay ay!
Now, all the gogoonyikewininiwag in their canoes surrounded poor Wenabozho, and they said, “Hoowah! It really does have horns! So this adizookanaa giigoonh, this magic fish spirit is a manidooname (sacred sturgeon)! We’d better let him go his way!”
Then the men smoked and put asemaa (tobacco) on the water. After they smoked, they went their separate ways, leaving Wiinabozho, who kept his breath and tried to move as little as possible until the gogoonyikewininiwag were out of sight. Then, when he thought he was safe, he swam and paddled on, hoping he could make it to the other side of the lake.
As he was floundering along, ay ay ay! He noticed that another group of Anishinaabeg, who were out hunting moose, approached him in their canoes, and he heard them say, “Hey look at that mishi-mooz out there on the water! Someone threw a spear in its head! Let’s go get him! Tayaa! We’re going to have some mino-moozowiiyaas to eat today! Tayaa!”
Quickly Wenabozho turned about and swam for his life, back into the direction of the island, and just when he thought he couldn’t go any further, he felt ground under his feet. Out of breath he stumbled onto the island shore. The nandomoozwewininiwag (moose hunters) who had chased him in their canoes saw to their amusement the moose head housed no one else than Wenabozho, their beloved spirit hero! The nandomoozwewininiwag cheered at Wenabozho and they had a big laugh! But Wenabozho, the Great Hare and hero of the Anishinaabeg Peoples, he kept on running, but gichi-wiiyaagaaj! He slipped on some slippery rocks! He fell, and the moose head hit a big rock and split right open! Finally, he could see again!
Wenabozho, who never before in his life had been so tired and humiliated, as he stumbled ahead on the shore, started to laugh! He said, Waahowaa! We’re going to have some mino-moozowiiyaas (good moose meat) today! – Ishte! Gaawiin ningodano Wiinabozh – Aha! I don’t think so Wiinabozho! Ay ay ay! Nibagandiz! I am a stupid! What will Nookomis say! Ay ay ay! What will Nookomis say!
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![Wenabozho and the Bear painting by Zhaawano Giizhik]( "Wenabozho and the Bear") |
Wenabozho and the Bear ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik |
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Part 13: The Angry Bear
And as he
was running, he
shapeshifted himself into a big hare so he could run even faster. He ran right
through shrubs and bushes that lined the river and he was in such a hurry to return to
Nookomis’ camp that he didn’t notice a big makade-noozhek (black
female bear) that was squatting down in a field of waabigwaniin (flowers) and miinagaawanzhiig (blueberry bushes), eating berries. When he bumped into something
soft and furry it was too late…the bear, annoyed at the disturbance, the moment
she realized it was Wenabozho who had run into her, remembered how the Great
Hare had once, rather discourteously, roused her from her winter sleep and
whacked her nose, now grew really angry at the unpleasant memory. Growling with
anger she began to chase Wenabozho as fast as her bulk permitted! But
Wenabozho would not be Wenabozho if he didn’t take advantage of the situation
at hand (after all, he was still mighty hungry, and those juicy berries were
within reach)! With his
mouth full of miinan, flowers and butterflies flying around everywhere, and the angry makade-makwa (black bear) close
behind him, the Great Hare, his nose quivering and his long ears flying, raced
along the bank of the river in the direction of the Great Lake whose water he
saw shimmering in the distance. After he had, hastily, swallowed most of the berries,
he quickly grabbed a handful
of stones and threw them out into the water of Gichi-gami. Using the
little magic power he had left, he made the stones grow larger and before his
eyes they multiplied and turned into a long bridge of stepping stones across
the great lake!
Quickly
Wenabozho skipped to the other side and once he was sure he had left the angry
makade-makwa behind him, Wenabozho sighed with relief at the narrow escape. Of
course, Wenabozho being Wenabozho, he was mighty pleased with his own cunning
tricks - but still he kept on running; he ran and he ran and ran,
exclaiming, Ay ay ay! Nibagandiz! I am an idiot! I wish I had my
magic bow! What will Nookomis say! Ay ay ay! What will Nookomis say!
until he finally reached Ookomisan’s camp…
Mii sa ekoozid. Miigwech gibizindaw noongom mii dash gidibaajimotoon wa’aw aadizookaan. And that is the end of the story. Thank you for listening to me today, for allowing me to relate to you this traditional tale. Giga-waabamin wayiiba, I hope to see you again soon.
Mino bimaadizin! Live well! Migwechewendan akina gegoo ahaw! Be thankful for everything!
> Read part 5 in the series
