Glooscap turning a man into a cedar tree

Glooscap (variant forms and spellings ''Gluskabe'', ''Glooskap'', ''Gluskabi'', ''Kluscap'', ''Kloskomba'', or ''Gluskab'') is a legendary figure of the Wabanaki peoples, native peoples located in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Atlantic Canada. The stories were first recorded by Silas Tertius Rand and then by

Charles Godfrey Leland Charles Godfrey Leland (August 15, 1824 – March 20, 1903) was an American humorist and folklorist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was educated at Princeton University and in Europe. Leland worked in journalism, travelled extensivel ...

in the 19th century. In his role as creator, Glooscap is similar to that of the

Ojibwa The Ojibwe (; syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and thro ...

'' Nanabozho'' and the

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

Wisakedjak Wisakedjak (''Wìsakedjàk'' in Algonquin language, Algonquin, ''Wīsacaklesss(w)'' in Cree and ''Wiisagejaak'' in Oji-Cree language, Oji-cree) is the Crane (bird), Crane ''Manitou'' found in northern Algonquian peoples, Algonquian and Dene storyt ...

''. There are variations to the legend of Glooscap as each tribe of the Wabanaki adapted the legend to their own region. At the same time, there are consistencies in the legend with Glooscap always portrayed as "kind, benevolent, a warrior against evil and the possessor of magical powers".

Abenaki

The

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...

people believe that after Tabaldak created humans, the dust from his body created Glooscap and his twin brother, Malsumis. He gave Glooscap the power to create a good world. Malsumis, on the other hand, is the opposite, and seeks evil to this day. Glooscap learned that hunters who kill too much would destroy the good world he had sought to create. Frightened at this possibility, Glooscap sought Grandmother Woodchuck ( Agaskw) and asked her for advice. She plucked all the hairs out of her belly (hence the lack of hair on a woodchuck's belly) and wove them into a magical bag. Glooscap put all the game animals into the river. He then bragged to Grandmother Woodchuck that the humans would never need to hunt again. Grandmother Woodchuck scolded him and told him that they would die without the animals. She said that they needed to hunt to remain strong. Glooscap then let the animals go. Later, Glooscap decided to capture the great bird that Tabaldak had placed on a mountain peak, where it generated bad weather in the flapping of its wings. Glooscap caught the

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

and bound its wings and the winds ceased. Soon, the air was so hot and heavy that Glooscap could not breathe, so he loosened the bird's wings, just enough to generate enough weather so humanity could live.

Mi'kmaq

In one version of the Mi'kmaq creation story, Glooscap laid on his back, with arms outstretched to the north and south and his head toward the rising sun. He was in this position for 365 days and nights. Then,

Nogami is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Akira Nogami (born 1966), Japanese professional wrestler and actor * Hisashi Nogami (born 1971) Japanese video game designer, director and producer *, Japanese long-distance runner ...

, the grandmother, was born as an old woman from the dew of the rock. The next day, Nataoa-nsen, Nephew, was born from the foam of the sea. On the next day was born the Mother of all the Mi'kmaq, from the plants of the Earth. Glooscap was said by the Mi'kmaq to be great in size and in powers, and to have created natural features such as the

Annapolis Valley The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a Trough (geology), trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the B ...

. In carrying out his feats, he often had to overcome his evil twin brother who wanted rivers to be crooked and mountain ranges to be impassable; in one legend, he turns the evil twin into stone. Another common story is how he turned himself into a giant

beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

and created five islands in the

Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy () is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its tidal range is the highest in the world. The bay was ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

by slapping his huge tail in the water with enough force to stir up the earth. His home was said to be

Cape Blomidon Cape Blomidon ( ) is a headland located on the Bay of Fundy coast of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Location Cape Blomidon is located in Kings County at the northeast edge of the Blomidon Peninsula. Its geology largely comprises sedi ...

. Yet another legend says that when Glooscap finished painting the splendor of the world, he dipped his brush into a blend of all the colors and created ''Abegweit'', meaning "Cradled on the Waves"—his favorite island (

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

). When Glooscap slept, Nova Scotia was his bed, and Prince Edward Island his pillow. Another legend tells how Glooscap saved the world from an evil frog-monster, who had swallowed all the Earth's water. Glooscap killed the monster and the water was released. Some animals, relieved at the resurgence of water, jumped in and became fish and other aquatic animals. Like many legends, this one may have some basis in fact: a massive earthquake converted a mountain on the east side of the stone fort Norumbega into a new channel through a split in that mountain. The eastern side of this mountain became Mi'kmaq island, and the new river channel passed in-between. Later, when explorers asked where Norumbega was, they were told that it lay on the eastern side of the river (which it did prior to the earthquake), and so could never find the new location. Glooscap is also believed to have brought the Mi'kmaq earthenware, knowledge of good and evil,

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, fishing nets, and

canoes A canoe is a lightweight, narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ''canoe'' ca ...

, making him a

Culture hero A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group (Culture, cultural, Ethnic group, ethnic, Religion, religious, etc.) who changes the world through invention or Discovery (observation), discovery. Although many culture heroes help with ...

. The Mi'kmaq community Glooscap First Nation is named in honor of Glooscap.

Cultural influence

In addition to being a spiritual figure, Glooscap also became a major figure of regional identity for the

region with everything from steam locomotives, the ship ''Glooscap'', schools, businesses and the Glooscap Trail tourism region named after the heroic figure. The animated series '' Lil Glooscap and the Legends of Turtle Island'' premiered in 2022 on APTN.Alyson Samson
"N.B. Maliseet artist creates animated show to correct misconceptions of Indigenous culture"

CTV Atlantic CTV Atlantic (formerly known as the Atlantic Television System, or ATV) is a system of four television stations in the Maritimes, owned and operated by the CTV Television Network, a division of Bell Media. Despite the name, it is not available ...

, May 10, 2022.

Abenaki

Mi'kmaq

Cultural influence

See also

References

Further reading