Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

mythology, Mudjekeewis (from the

Anishinaabe language Ojibwe ( ), also known as Ojibwa ( ), Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algon ...

''majiikiwis'' "first-born son") is a spirit, and figures prominently in their

storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...

, including the story of the world's creation. In their ''

aadizookaan Anishinaabe traditional beliefs cover the traditional belief system of the Anishinaabeg peoples, consisting of the Algonquin/ Nipissing, Ojibwa/Chippewa/Saulteaux/Mississaugas, Odawa, Potawatomi and Oji-Cree, located primarily in the Great Lakes ...

an'' (traditional stories), ''Majiikiwis'' is the first-born son of the ''E-bangishimog'', the West Wind, and is cast as the guardian of tradition and ceremonies, symbolized by the

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

. Of the medicinal plants,

white cedar White cedar may refer to several different trees: * Bignoniaceae ** '' Tabebuia heterophylla'' - native to Caribbean islands and also cultivated as an ornamental tree * Cupressaceae: ** ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' – Atlantic white cypress ** ''Cup ...

is associated with ''Majiikiwis''. He is the eldest brother to

Nanabozho Nanabozho (in syllabics: , ), also known as Nanabush, is a spirit in Anishinaabe ''aadizookaan'' (traditional storytelling), particularly among the Ojibwe. Nanabozho figures prominently in their storytelling, including the story of the world's ...

. However, in ''

The Song of Hiawatha ''The Song of Hiawatha'' is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his lo ...

'' based on the ''aadizookaanan'', Mudjekeewis is portrayed instead as ''E-bangishimog'' himself, ravishing Wenonah and fathering

Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwatha or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and cofounder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some accounts, he ...

. However, even in ''The Song of Hiawatha'', Mudjekeewis is strongly associated with bears as demonstrated in the passage:

References

* Benton-Banai, Edward. ''The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway''. Hayward, WI: Indian Country Communications, 1988. * Johnston, Basil. ''The Manitous: the spiritual world of the Ojibway''. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.

External links

A site with information about Mudjekeewis
{{Anishinaabe Anishinaabe mythology