Reading notes: MS/Lakes part A

 The Earth Maker

• when the earth maker became conscious, he cried because he saw nothing 
• he took some of the substance he was sitting on and made earth, but it was loud and bare 
• he made a man and called it tortoise, then made two legged walkers 
• he sent tortoise to protect the world from evil spirits, but tortoise came to earth and made war so he took him back 
• next the earth maker sent hare, and the hare made the two legged walkers immortal
• the hare thought his grandmother was evil, and she heard him thinking that 
• they got up and started to go around the earth, and hare's grandmother told him not to look back 
• he did so anyway, and everything caved in 
• they went to the edge of the fire that surrounds earth 

Creation

• the creator initially created the earth to be underwater and created fish first
• he realized he had no land for humans, so he pulled up some of the earth out of the water by the crawfish
• he created humans, called the Chitimachas
• the humans caused trouble, so he created tobacco for men to rest
• he made women and taught them how to cook and sew 
• the animals ridiculed the humans because they had no protection, so the creator gave them weapons and taught them how to cook and hunt 
• the animals took care of the humans and gave them advice and wisdom 
• the creator made the moon and the stars, and the mounds are camping places of the spirits when they visit the Chitimachas

The Great Flood 

• manabush wanted to punish Anamaqkiu for destroying his brother wolf so he made a ball game 
• the thunderers played against them as bears, and manabush watched from a tree 
• manabush decided he wanted to become a tree so he did by the place they played ball
• the bears noticed that it was manabush, so they attacked it and tried to kill him, and told the serpent to do so too 
• they decided it wasn't manabush so they continued to play ball. when they were alone, manabush shot an arrow at the white and brown bears, and ran away 
• they sent a flood to kill manabush, but the beaver protected him 
• he killed the bear chiefs, so they sent a flood that reached him on the highest mountain in a tree
• he found the otter and told him to bring up earth so that he could make a new world 
• otter drowned, then mink, but muskrat was able to do it
• he saved muskrat and beaver and they started a new world 

The Thunderers

• when the great mystery created earth he created manidos, in which bird form they were called thunderers 
• the golden eagle was thunder which nobody can see 
• the great mystery allowed the bear to change form into an indian 
• eagle came down to earth and also became an indian, and beaver came up and became a woman
• sturgeon and elk also joined the thunderers and became servants 
• wolf and crane became the younger brothers of bear
• thunderers were made to benefit the whole world, and brought greenery and rains in the spring 
• they traded corn and fire for rice 
• when people travel, the thunderers go to the camping place and light the fire since they are the war chiefs 

The Gifts of the Sky God

• indians started to reach the sky world, and the sky cover crushed all but six when they tried to go to the sky land, so the six went
• they stayed at the lodge of Kutnakin, and when they wanted to go down to earth they went as animals 
• some of them without wings were killed, but others survived and brought gifts to Kutnakin
• they all taught humans different skills for life 
• there was a spider, an eagle, and a pidgeon 

Mondamin

• an indian boy started to fast in the spring. his father was not a good hunter so there was not food in the home often
• he wandered into forests and contemplated the purposes of various plants, so sought out to discover them in his visions 
• in his vision, he had to wrestle the great mystery every night until he became stronger 
• he defeated the great mystery so his wish was granted. the stranger from the dream said that he would have to bury his body and let no weeds grow on him, and also not touch any food
• he returned with his father to the place where they wrestled, and he found corn 

The Origin of Winnebago 

• manabush was hungry one day and walking along the shore when he saw birds, so he approached them
• they ran when they saw him, so he said that he only wanted to dance with them
• while they danced, he seized the swans by their neck 
• the duck screamed and ran so manabush stepped on his tail until it came off, so that's why ducks don't have tails 
• he fell asleep while he cooked the birds, and indians came by on their canoes and ate them 
• manabush ran to see who had thieved him, and yelled Winnebago at them- so the menomini always called stealers Winnebago

Tobacco and Maple Syrup 

• manabush was wandering one day when he smelled something from a cave,
• it was tobacco, so he asked the keeper of tobacco for some and he told him to come back in a year 
• he stole a bag and ran, so the giant chased after him 
• manabush dropped him off of a tall cliff and told the giant he would be a grasshopper
• manabush gave it to all his brothers, so the indians are never without tobacco 

Manabush and His Brother 

• the daughter of nokomis (the earth) died, so she wrapped her in grass in a wooden bowl and mourned
• after 4 days, a white rabbit was in the bowl and she named it manabush and took care of it 
• manabush hopped and the earth shook, so the evil underground spirits knew he was powerful and plotted against him
• he came to earth and grew into a young man 

Manabozho and West

• manabozho lived with his grandmother naomis, and heard an owl 
• he was scared but naomis told him it was only an owl, so he wondered how she was so wise 
• he asked her if he had a father or mother, and he didn't, so she told him west was his father and he had 3 siblings, and that his mother was dead.
• he set out to wage war on his father since he was not kind to his mother 
• he found his father on a mountain, and they talked about their greatest fears
• they quarreled because west was not kind to his mother, so manabozho threatened to find the black rock, his worst fear
• they fought until they came to the end of the earth, and west told his son to do good and fight evil
• manabozho became the northwest wind 

Manabush and the Great Fish 

• manabush's brother wolf died, he found that they were no longer alone on earth
• the manidoes bothered people on earth, so manabush wanted to destroy them
• he went to the lake and drained it, and the manidoes were fish
• when he threatened to kill them the waters returned and they escaped 
• he threatened the great fish, so it swallowed him and his canoe whole 
• many other animals were in the great fish
• they began to dance in the great fish and cut a hole to escape, so the fish swam to shore and they ate him 

How the Hunter Destroyed the Snow 

• a hunter was out one day and met snow, called Kon, who froze his feet badly
• he took kon and put it in a bowl to melt it, so that way it would be trapped until summer 
• a voice spoke to him in the autumn and said that it would punish him this winter, and it was Kon
• he built another teepee with firewood, and the voice said it would come to his teepee in 4 days
• the world froze, but he was able to protect his family with the fires and blankets
• on the 5th day a stranger approached and came in the teepee, but would not near the fires
• he saw that the warmer it got the more they shrank, so he kept building the fires until he discovered it was kon 

The Tar Baby

• rabbit aided the Frenchman with his work, and they planned potatoes. rabbit ate them all 
• they planted corn and the rabbit ate the roots 
• then the Frenchman wanted to build a well and the rabbit said no, so he said he couldn't drink water out of the well
• the Frenchman puta tar baby on the well that the rabbit got stuck to, so the Frenchman tied him up and threatened to throw him in the briar patch 
• he picked himself up and ran off, tricking the Frenchman 

Silver bear

Source: Pinterest

Katharine Berry Judson. Myths and Legends of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes. Un-Textbook