The Origin of Likeness of Nenabosho

Mii dash imaa gchi-gbeyiing gii-yaad wa Nenabosho.

Ngoding dash gii-aanjiiwag Nenaboozhoo wiidgemaagnan, gookmisan dash ogii-wiijii’aagoowaan.


Pane gii-ndawenjige.

Nenaboozhoo, amikwan gaye gii-nooj’aan; naab’gan gii-zhitoon Nenaboozhoo mii wi gaa-aabajtood mikwan gii-bjibwaad; michigiw(1) zhinkaade wi okan gaa-zhitood.


Ngoding dash gii-mkawaan gchi-amikwan daanid mii owe gchi-gaming, aapji maangmingizwag.

Mii dash e-naad wiidgenmaagnan: “Nga-nooj’aag giwi amikwag.”

Niizhinoon niwi amikwag endaawaad, mii iwe bezhig Minong(2) miinwaa dash Mishibiigwadoo-mnising.(3)


Mii iwe gaye amikwag gaa-daawagbanen.

Ogii-biig’aanan niwi amik-gamgoon.

Mii dash gii-bbaamaazhgaamed owe gchi-gami; aanind gii-nsaan amikoonsan bezhig gaye gchi-amikwan; bezhig dash gchi-amikwan gaawiin mkawaasiin.

Gegpii dash gii-nendam: “Indawaa nga-biig’aan wi gbaakwignan,(4) maanoo dash da-skate maanda gchi-gami, mii wi ji-mkawag wa amik.”

Mii dash gaa-zhi-wiijiiwaad gookmisan widi gbaakwigning.


Pii dash gaa-biig’ang gbaakwigan, “Mii maa yaan, ga-kwaabmaa wa amik jibwaa-bmaaboozod wa amik,” dinaan.


Aa! Mii dash gii-zaagjiwang wi nbi.

Miinwaa dash Nenaboozhoo gii-maajiiyaazhgaame naagdood maanda gchi-gami.

Mii dash maa Mishibigwadoo-mnising gaa-aazhigwaashkonid; megwaa dash imaa naaniibwid waabmaan ngigwan eni-skatenig.

Mii dash gaa-ni-bskaabigwaashkonid, mii dash imaa gii-zhaazh’shing zhashkiikaang, gii-zhaashkjiishkweshing.

Mii dash gaa-bzigwiid, gii-baaptoon imaa gaa-mzinaakdiyeshing; myaa go e-zhinaagzid zhinaagwadni.


“Maanoo, noozhshenyag(5) bjiinag ge-ni-bmaadziwaad oga-baaptoonaawaa.”

Mii dash gaa-zhi-noopnanaad niwi ngigwan gii-bjibwaan wi mchigiwanit.

Wii-wiisni giiwenh.

“Indawaa kawe nga-mwaa wa ngig(6),” gii-nendam.


Mii dash gaa-zhi-bkonaad, gii-boodwe; mii dash ezhi-bwed.


Pii dash gaa-giizhizwaad, gii-bdakinaan. 


Mii wi ezhi-wawenabid.

Zhigwa dash gaa-giizhkizhang bezhig wi ngig-otawag,(7) mii wi noondwaad gookmisan mdwe-gwiishk’zhinid widi Baawting.

Mii dash gaa-zhi-bzingonjised, gii-maajiibtood.


Pii dash begmabtood widi Baawting, “Aaniin?” dinaan gookmisan.

Mii dash ekidod wa magkii-mdimooye;(8) “Zhaazhi go gii-bmaaboozo wa amik.”

Epiichi-nshkaadzid dash wa Nenaboozhoo mii wi gaa-zhi-naaniimadwaad niwi gookmisan.

Mziwe dash gii-mskwiiwaabkaa wi wajiw.

“Magkiiwaabkong da-zhinkaade,” gii-kido Nenaboozhoo.

Mii dash widi aano-gii-bbaa-ndawaabmaad niwi amikwan, gaawiin dash ogii-mkawaasiin.

Miinwaa dash gii-bi-giiwe, geyaabi gii-bbaa-ndawaabanjiged geyaabi ji-yaanid amikwan; gaawiin dash wiya gii-mkawaasiin.

Mziwe aano-gii-bbaa-zhaa; imaa amik-gamgoon gaa-nji-biig’ang, mii eta mtigoon gaa-biingdamwaad amikwag gaa-waabandangin.


Miinwaa dash gii-ni-giiwe’aazhgaame.

Pane dash go enso-waamdang eni-piiskaad oodi gaa-nji-mzinaakdiyeshing, gchi-baaptoon.

Mii dash imaa Mishibiigwadoo-wiikwedong mii maa gaa-zhi-wenabid.

“Giishpin anishnaabeg ge-bmi-waabmiwaad giishpin bangii semaan miizhwaad nendawendmowaad ji-naam’amwaad, mii wi negaaj ji-boodaajgeyaan.”

Mii dash go imaa pane nmadbid, anishnaabe gii-nmadbid, mii wi ezhinaagwag wi asin(9).

Mii dash go geget e-zhwebag; giishpin wiya bngii bgidnaad semaan, “Nenaboozhoo! G-biindaakoonin ga-bgosenmin ji-mnowaanmak,” mii go geget ezhi-mnowaanmak.


Mii sa ekoozid, binewidis gii-agoode.
And so there for a long while continued Nanabushu.

Now, once on a time to another place moved Nanabushu and his wife and by his grandmother were they accompanied.

Ever was Nanabushu in quest of game, 

For beavers too he hunted; a harpoon Nanabushu made, and that was what he used when he speared the beaver; spine-of-a-pickerel-fin is the name of the bone (point) which he made.

Now, once he found a place over here in the sea where the giant beavers dwelt, they were very huge.

Thereupon he said to his wife: “I am going after these beavers.”

Two were the places where those beavers dwelt, one was over here at Isle Royal, the other was at Michipicoten Island.

Now, those were the places where the beavers dwelt.

He destroyed the beaver dwellings.

Thereupon he wandered away, following the shore of this sea; some of the small beavers he killed, one large beaver too; but one other large beaver he did not find.

So at last he thought: “Therefore I will destroy the (beaver) dam, no matter if this sea should go dry, for then I shall find the beaver.”

Thereupon he had his grandmother go with him to yonder (beaver) dam. 

And when he demolished the dam, “In this place do you remain, do you watch that the beaver does not float by with the current,” he said to her.

Ah! And then out the water flowed.

So once more Nanabushu set out, following the shore of this sea.

And then across to Michipicoten Island he leaped; and while he was standing over there, he saw an otter where the water was running low.

Accordingly back across he leaped, whereat he slipped and fell in the mud.

And so, when he rose to his feet, he laughed at the spot where he had left an imprint of his bottom; precisely like the form on him was the way it looked.

“No matter, let my grandchildren that shall live hereafter have it to laugh at.”

And when he pursued the otter, he pierced it with the fin spine of his harpoon.

He was eager to eat, they say.

“Accordingly before (proceeding further) I will eat the otter.” He thought.

And so, when he had flayed it, he built a fire; thereupon he roasted it on the spit.

And when he had finished cooking it, he stuck (the spit into the ground) with (the otter still) on it.

Then he sat down.

And when with a knife he sliced off one of the otter’s ears, he then heard the sound of his grandmother whistling off yonder at the Sault.

Mii dash gaa-zhi-bzingonjised, gii-maajiibtood.Thereupon leaping to his feet, he started off a-running.

And when he came running up to yonder Sault, “What (is it)?” he said to his grandmother.

Thereupon said the old Frog-Woman: “It is gone, floating with the current went the beaver.”

And so angry was Nanabushu, that he then smote his grandmother (till she was dead).

And everywhere was the mountain reddened with blood. 

“Frog Mountain shall it be called,” said Nanabushu.

Thereupon off yonder he wandered, looking in vain for the beaver, but he did not find it.

So again he turned his way homeward, still yet was he roaming from place to place to find if yet there were any beavers; but he found none.

Everywhere he went wandering, but without success; there where he had broken up the beaver dwellings, all that he saw were the logs which the beavers had gnawed to pieces.

So again he turned back home, going by way of the shore.

As often as he beheld the places on the way where he had slipped and fell, heartily he laughed at them.

And so yonder at Michipicoten Bay was where he sat down.

“If people behold me when passing by, if they should give me a little tobacco in their wish for a fair wind, then gently would I blow (with my breath).”

And so there he still sits, like a person sitting is the way the rock looks.

And that, sure enough, is what happens; if any one offers a little tobacco (with) “O Nanabushu! I come with an offering to you, we wish for a fair wind,” verily there comes up a fair wind.

That is as far as the story goes, the gizzard of the ruffed grouse now hangs aloft.