Some myths and tales of the Ojibwa of Southeastern Ontario / collected by Paul Radin.

  • Paul Radin
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Some myths and tales of the Ojibwa of Southeastern Ontario / collected by Paul Radin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    26/104 (page 16)
    (b) Once Nenebojo visited a Woodpecker, and at about noon the Woodpecker left to get some raccoons for dinner. He went to a tree and knocked against it with his bill, and three little animals about the size of a bee came out. These he threw down, and before they touched the ground they turned into raccoons. Nenebojo, of course, dined with the Woodpecker. Before he started home, the Woodpecker told him that he would give him the power to obtain enough raccoons from a tree to furnish him with three meals. After receiving his gift, Nenebojo left, but he did not believe the Woodpecker and decided to try his power before reaching home. He struck a tree, and sure enough a raccoon appeared. Before he reached home, he had wasted all his power. When he was home, he told his wife to hang up a pail and he would go out and get some raccoons for dinner, but he only hurt his face as he pegged again and again at the tree. When his wife found him, she said, “You wasted the raccoons on your way home.” Nenebojo, however, did not believe her, and was positive that the Woodpecker had fooled him. (c) At another time Nenebojo visited the Skunk. Just about dinner time the Skunk said, “I am going out now to get some deer.” He did not, however, ask Nenebojo to go along with him. After a while he returned with some deer. Then they had dinner, and when it was finished the Skunk told Nenebojo how he might catch some deer. “You must build a fence all around your place, and then whistle. The deer will come into your enclosure in re- sponse to the whistle, and all you have to do then is to turn around and shoot him with your anus.” Nenebojo left, and, as usual, wasted his shots on his way home, and when, therefore, he had succeeded in getting the deer into the enclosure, his shots had no effect. (d) At another time, as Nenebojo was walking along, he saw a Crow and he said to her, “You go and tell the Eagle that you have found a dead kingfisher along the lake and that he should come along and eat it.” The Crow did as she was told, but the Eagle said, “I won’t go, for it must be Nenebojo.” “The Eagle must have done something to Nenebojo to make him angry,” thought the Crow. The Crow then returned to Nenebojo, but he again sent her out to tell the Eagle that she had found a dead sturgeon. The eagle, nevertheless, still fearing that it was Nenebojo, refused to go. The Crow then returned to Nenebojo and again told him about the Eagle’s refusal. Then Nenebojo