Nanabushu and the Moose-Head

Mii dash gii-ani-maajaad.

Mii dash gii-nagishkawaad ininiwan, aapiji onizhishiwan.

Aa, miigwana’ oshtigwaaning!

Nenaboozhoo oganoonaan: “Aa, niijii, aaniindi ezhaayan?”


“Aa, anishaa sa go nimbabaamaadis; giin idash, aaniindi ezhaayan?” (1)

“Gaa, anishaa go naa gaye niin nimbabaamaadis.”

Mitigwaabiin odakonaan a’aw inini, Nenaboozhoo dash oganoonaan: “Daa, niijii geget sa onizhishi gi-mitigwaab.


Shkomaa biish, ninga-gagwedaagibiinaa.”

“Aa, gaawiin! Gaa wiikaa awiya nindawi’aasii.”

“Aa, maanoo, niijii, gaa na gegoo ajina!”

Ginwenzh ogii-dashimaan.

Gegapii ogii-miinigoon iniw mitigwaabiin, Nenaboozhoo dash ogagwedaagibiinaan mitigwaabiin.

“Taa geget sa minwaagizi.

Shkomaa wiin i’iwe gidasawaan.”

Ginwenzh aanawi ogii-saagitaagoon, gegapii ogii-miinigoon.


Mii idash gaa-izhi-naabisidood i’imaa ajaabiing; mii idash gagwedaagibiinaad Nenaboozhoo mitigwaabiin, mii iw gaa-izhi-bimwaad iniw iniwan gaa-nagishkawaapan.

Moonzong gii-izhinaagoziwan apii gaa-nisaad; aapiji wiininoowan.

Gichi-minwendam Nenaboozhoo gichi-wiisinid.


Mii idash gaa-izhi-pi-gishkizhwaad iniw moozoon, aapiji dash wenizhishing wiiyaas ogii-kiizhizaan waa-miijid; bimide gaye.

Gaa-giizhidenig, mii dash gii-agwaa’izekwed.

Zhigwa wii-maadanjiged, giziibaakwad.


“Ji’iin, ji’iin,” inwenig.

Gaawiin ominotanziin.

“Ishte, bizaan daga!”

Eshkam igo gizhiiwe i’iw giziibaakwad.

Nenaboozhoodazh gii-pasigwii, ogii-manizhaan bangii ozhoobiin.

Mii dash edang i’iw giziibaakwad: “Geget sa gidoombiigis.


Gii-wanishkwem wii-wiisiniyaan.

Owe gaye giin miijin.”

Mii dash Nenaboozhoo atood i’iw bimide giziibaakwad ogii-dakwamigon.

Mii imaa gii-agoojing gichi-ginwenzh, biinish anooj awesiiyag – ma’iinganag; gwiingwa’aageg, ojiigag, waagoshag – gii-dagwishinoog gii-amwaawaad moozoon; gaagaagiwag gaye.

Baanimaa gakina gaa-gidamond a’aw mooz mii iw bijiinag, gii-pagidamigod Nenaboozhoo i’iw giziibaakwad.

Aapiji wii-wiisini gii-izhaa i’imaa abinipan iniw moozoon.


Mii eta okanan etenig, oshtigwaanigegan gaye ateni.

Mii dash ezhi-waabamaad wawaabiganoojiiya’ biindigenid imaan mooz oshtigwaaning.

Owaabandaan bangii atenig wiinindib.

“Apegish miijiyaan!” inendam mii dash ezhi-ganoonaad waawaabiganoojiiya’: “Gidaa-gashkitoonaawaa na gaye niin i’iw ji-iniginiyaan eyaniginiyeg?”

“Aa, gaawiin!” odigoon.

“Ozaam gi-mindid,” odigoon.

“Aa, maanoo gaye niin niwii-piindige imaa mooz oshtigwaaning!”

“Ahaaw isa,” odigoon.  

“Omaa eta gi-shtigwaaning giga-dagaashiiniy”

Mii dash waawaabiganoojiiying gii-inikogo ishtigwaaned.


Mii dash gii-piindikwenid, “Bekaa go wiisinin,” odigoon.


“Gego ombikweniken,” odigoon.

Ozaam idash Nenaboozhoo gii-ombikweni, mii dash gaa-izhi-michaanig oshtigwaan.

Gaawiin gii-gashki’osii ji-giichigotaad.

Mii dash gaa-izhi-maajaad dibi e-zhaagwenh, gaawiin owaabandanziin e-zhaad.

Gakina mitigoon betaakoshing ogagwejimaan: “Awenen giin?”

Mina’ig naaningodinoo; wiigwaas naaniingodinoo; azaadiwan ningoding.

Miinawaa mitigoon obitaakoshkawaan, “Awenen giin?” odinaan.

Giizhik sa.

“Mii sa besho jiigibiig indayaamidog,” inendam.


Wiipago geget nibi odakogaadaan.

Mii dash igo gwayak gaa-ani-izhi-niiminaasiid, gii-ani-bimaadage gwayak igo e-zhaad.

Awiya onoondawaan biipaaginid anishinaaben: “E’ii, nashke gosha, mooz bemaadaged!  Aaw! Mawinanaadaa!”

Mii dash geget ezhi-pooziwad anishinaabeg wii-nisaawaad moozoon.

Nenaboozhoo dash gii-washkibagizo.

“E’ii! Aazha washkaadage!”

Nenaboozhoo enigok bimaadage.

Anishinaabeg zhigwa besho bi-ayaawag.

Mii dash Nenaboozhoo zhigwa debakiinang, mii dash ezhi-maajiibatood bagwana, gaawiin owaabandanziin e-patood.


Mii dash gii-ozhashaabikishing, mii idash gii-paasesing i’iw moozoo-shtigwaanish.

Mii idash bijiinag gii-waabid.

Mii iw gii-ani-maajiibatood.

Nenaboozhoon wiin gaa-izhinaagozinid; mii apane dibi e-patoogwen Nenaboozhoo.

Mii sa ekoozid.
Thereupon he started on his way.

And then he met with a man, very handsome was he.

Ah, the feathers upon his head!

Nanabushu spoke to him, saying: "Well, my friend, whither are you bound?"

"Oh, I am just simply travelling about; and you, where are you going?"

"Oh, I too am simply wandering aimlessly about."

A bow the man held in his hand, and Nanabushu addressed him, saying: "Why, my friend, truly handsome is your bow.

Just you hand it over to me, I want to see how it pulls."

"Ah, no! never do I turn it over to any one."

"Oh, please, my friend, just only for a moment!"

A long while, he coaxed him.

At last he was given the bow, and Nanabushu tested the spring of the bow.

Why, to be sure, it pulls finely.

Just (hand me) over that arrow of yours."

With all his pleading, yet a long while was it withheld from him, but finally it was given to him.

Thereupon he fitted it in place on the bowstring ; and when Nanabushu pulled upon the bow, he thereupon shot the man whom he had met.

Like a moose he looked, after (Nanabushu) had slain him ; he was ever so fat.

Highly pleased was Nanabushu to have a great heap of food.

Accordingly he cut the moose up into pieces, and very nice was the meat he cooked to eat ; and the grease too (was savory).

When it was done, he accordingly took it out of the kettle.

Just as he was on the point of eating, there was a creaking noise.

"Tci?n, tci?n!" was the way it sounded.

He did not like the sound.

"Now, do you keep silent !"

Still louder grew the noise of the creaking.

Nanabushu rose to his feet, sliced off a little bit of (fatty) tenderloin.

And then he said to the creaking noise : "Really, too much of a noise are you making.

You are annoying me when I want to eat.

This too do you eat."

And when Nanabushu placed the fat in where the creaking noise was made, he was caught fast.

Accordingly there he hung for a great while, until all sorts of game-folk – wolves, martens, fishers, foxes – arrived to eat the moose; ravens too (arrived).


Not till the whole of the moose was eaten up, was Nanabushu freed from the grip of the creaking place.

Very eager was he to eat, and he went over to where the moose had been.

Only its bones were left, its skull was there too.

Thereupon he saw some mice (2) go into the head of the moose.

He saw that a little bit of the brains was left.

"Would that I might eat it !" he thought. Thereupon he spoke to the mice, saying : " Could you bring it about so that I might be of the same size as you ?"

"Ah, no!" he was told.

"Of too large a size are you," he was told.

"Ah, please let me go into the head of the moose too!"


"All right, then," he was told. 

"Only here at your head will you be made small."

Thereupon like unto the head of a mouse was the size of his head.

And so when he stuck his head in, "Slowly do you eat," he was told.

"Do not lift your head," he was told.

Now, too high Nanabushu lifted his head, whereupon the size of his head enlarged.

He was unable to get (his head) free.

Thereupon he started off, not knowing whither he was going ; he did not see whither he was bound.

Every tree he bumped against he asked of it : " Who are you ?"

A tamarack (it was) sometimes ; a birch (it was) sometimes ; a poplar once.

Another tree he bumped against. "Who are you?" he said to it.

A cedar (it was).

"Then close to the edge of the water I must be," he thought.

Soon then really into the water he stepped.

Thereupon, when straight into the water he went, off he went swimming towards the way he was bound.

Some people he heard calling aloud : " Hey ! Just look ! a moose is swimming by ! Come on ! Let us go for him !"

Thereupon truly into their canoes went the people, in the hope of killing the moose.

Nanabushu then quickly turned about.

"Hey! He is turning back!"

Nanabushu was swimming fast.

The people now were coming close.

And when Nanabushu touched bottom, then off he started running without knowing where ; he did not see whither he was running.

And then he stumbled and fell, where upon he cracked that wretched head of the moose.

And that was when he could see.

Accordingly away he started running.

Nanabushu then took on his own form ; and off he ran, no one knew where.

And that is the end of (the story).