The Star-man And Other Ojibway Tales

,, The Star-Man and Other Tales Basil H. Johnston Jonas George (Wah-sa-ghe-zik) Illustrated by Ken Syrette (Nohdin) \ ✓ v Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/starmanothertaleOOOOjohn The Star-Man and Other Tales Basil H. Johnston Jonas George (Wah-sa-ghe-zik) Illustrated by Ken Syrette (Nohdin) ROM Royal Ontario Museum © 1997 Royal Ontario Museum All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or data base, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. First published in 1997 by the Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6 Managing Editor: Glen Ellis Designer: Virginia Morin Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Johnston, Basil. 1929The star-man and other tales ISBN 0-88854-419-7 I. Ojibwa Indians - Folklore. I. George, Jonas. II. Royal Ontario Museum. III. Title. E99.C6J594 1996 398.2'089’97 C96-931347-0 Printed and bound in Canada by Friesen Printers Contents Thunderbolt (Nimkiiwaagan) 9 Short Tail (Tukwaunowae) 13 “Dog! Bring Me a Beaver!” (“Animoosh! Amik Abeedimoowishin! ”) 21 Mermaids (Nebaunaubaequaen) 27 Thunderbirds (Nimkii-Bineshiinyag) 33 Thunder/Monsters (Nim-Mah-Kie/Miisaandamoog) 39 What the Dog Did (Animoosh w’gauh izhitchigaet) 43 The Closed-Eyes Dance (Pizungowciubigauh) 53 The Star-Man (Nangiiwnini) 59 Introduction The ancient storytelling and picture-making tradi¬ tions of the Ojibway people find contemporary expression in the retellings of the myths and legends by the elders and in the illustrative interpretation of these tales by Ojibway artists. As the artists are the successors to their ances¬ tors who painted, often in ochre, on rock and hide, so the storytellers are a continuous line reaching deep into a spiritual past. In their honour, the Royal Ontario Museum is pleased to bring together stories told by present-day narrators Basil Johnston, Sam Ozawamik, and Frank Shawbedees with others told by Jonas George (Wah-sa-ghe-zik) early this century, all of the tales illustrated by Ken Syrette (Nohdin), of the Batchewana First Nation. Imbued with humour, wisdom, and mystery, the tales and the art reveal the continuity and power of the Ojibway myth-making tradition. Anishinaubaek is an Ojibway word having vari¬ ous translations —“the people” and “the good beings” among them. It is the name that many Ojibway now prefer to call themselves. The singular 6 form, and the adjective, is Anishinaubae, which is also the language of the Anishinaubae people. These words are often spelled Anishnawbek, Anishnawbe. The pronunciation is usually (a)nishNAH-bek, (a)nish-NAH-bay. The publishers wish to thank Harvey Anderson (.Nimkie-Benishie-Nini, “The Thunderbird Man”), elder of the Chippewa of Rama, for his guidance in the interpretation of Rama stories told by Jonas George (Wah-sa-ghe-zik, “A Shining Day”), which were collected by Colonel G. E. Laidlaw and first appeared in the Ontario Archaeological Report of 1914 and 1916. Thanks also to Amy Alison, of the Curve Lake First Nation, a teacher of the Anishi¬ naubae language, who generously advised regarding the translation of legend titles for “Thunderbolt,” “Thunderbirds,” “Monsters,” and “The Star-Man.” 7 Thunderbolt Nimkiiwaagan Told by Jonas George (Wah-sa-ghe-zik) Rama First Nation. 1914 Many years ago, a young man went out to hunt early one morning, and coming on noon he got hungry and started back to camp. In passing a pine stub that had been struck by lightning, he saw some¬ thing sticking in