Nanabozho
Nanabozho, also known by various names such as Nanabush and Manabozho, is a significant cultural figure among the Ojibwe or Anishinaabe peoples, embodying both a culture hero and a trickster. Frequently depicted in stories and myths, Nanabozho plays a crucial role in Ojibwe creation narratives and is characterized as having the best interests of humanity at heart, in contrast to some trickster figures known for immoral behavior. He is often portrayed in male form, though he can take on both masculine and feminine roles, as well as the forms of different animals, with rabbits and hares being the most common representations.
The origins of Nanabozho are varied, often depicted as half-spirit and half-human, with a spirit father linked to the Sun or the West Wind and a mother who dies shortly after his birth. Raised by his grandmother, Nokomis, Nanabozho is seen as a teacher sent by the Great Spirit, Gitche Manitou, imparting essential knowledge about nature and survival to the Ojibwe people. His contributions include naming plants and animals, introducing the practice of fishing, and establishing the Midewiwin society, which encompasses spiritual wisdom and practices.
Nanabozho is central to the creation story where he helps form land after a great flood, illustrating his vital role in the natural world. This character has also influenced broader cultural narratives, appearing in works such as Longfellow's "Hiawatha" and contemporary literature like Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass." Through these stories, Nanabozho continues to be a symbol of resilience, humor, and the importance of living harmoniously with nature.
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Nanabozho
Nanabozho, also called Nanabush, Wenabozho, or Manabozho, among a wide variety of other spellings, is both a culture hero and a trickster among the Ojibwe, or Anishinaabe, people. Nanabozho is often featured in stories and myths these Native American people tell, including in their story of creation. While some trickster figures act inappropriately or do harm, Nanabozho has the best interests of people at heart. Nanabozho appears in stories in both male and female roles, though the pronouns “he” and “him” are usually used. He can take the form of both humans and animals. The form the character takes often depends on the specific tribe telling the story and their location, as well as the animals they most often encounter. Nanabozho is most frequently associated with the rabbit or the hare, though he can also show up as a raven, coyote, spider, wolverine, or jay.
Background
Stories about Nanabozho vary widely. In most stories, he is half-spirit and half-human. His spirit father is either the Sun or the West Wind, and most versions of the story say that his mother died while he was an infant. This left him to be raised by Nokomis, his ancient and wise grandmother. Sometimes, Nanabozho is the brother of Jiibayaabooz (or Chibiabos). They are alternately portrayed as twins, as brothers with Nanabozho being older, or with Jiibayaabooz being the adopted brother of Nanabozho. In most of these stories, Jiibayaabooz is killed by water spirits who then flood Earth, destroying it. Jiibayaabooz ultimately begins ruling the dead and their world. In still other stories, Nanabozho is an only child.
Most stories portray Nanabozho with a constant friend or companion, which is usually a wolf. Sometimes, this is Jiibayaabooz taking that animal form. In other stories, the animal companion is simply an animal or another transformed human with whom Nanabozho has chosen to travel.
Nanabozho’s job on Earth is to instruct the Ojibwe people. He was sent by Gitche Manitou, the Great Spirit, with this task in mind. Nanabozho is believed to have named all of the plants and animals, invented fishing, and innovated a system of hieroglyphics to communicate language through written means. He passed all of this knowledge onto the Ojibwe so they could survive and thrive.
Nanabozho is also the founder of midewiwin, which includes wisdom and ways to worship Gitche Manitou and other spirits. A loose translation of this term, which refers to a male follower of these practices, is “medicine man” in English. While midewiwin is considered a religion, Ojibwe people caution that this is only an approximate understanding of what Nanabozho is believed to have given them.
Nanabozho has some similarities to tricksters of other Indigenous cultures. However, some of these figures regularly participate in immoral activities and stories about them seem to instruct people in what not to do. Nanabozho, on the other hand, acts in the peoples’ favor and his antics usually help them or are at least comical, instead of negative.
Overview
The most famous and most consistently told story of Nanabozho is the story of creation. In this story, the land has been flooded after the last ice age and the creatures are facing death. They call for Nanabozho, who calls for the great turtle. All living things climb up on the turtle, but he struggles to carry them despite his size. Nanabozho and the animals dive into the water, searching for something to support the turtle. No one has any luck, until a muskrat floats to the surface, dead. Nanabozho revives him and he reveals what he has found: a tiny ball of dirt. Rolling this ball, Nanabozho stuffs it into the center of the turtle and begins to breathe on it. It expands with every breath until it forms enough land for all of the animals to live on. This is why North America is called Turtle Island in many Indigenous cultures.
Nanabozho has also shown up in European and Western culture in several places. It is believed that he is the main figure called Hiawatha in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem of the same name. It is unclear whether the poet changed the name of the character on purpose or if that is how Nanabozho was known in some tribes at the time. However, the story told closely mirrors a traditional Nanabozho tale.
Nanabozho is also the name of a trickster figure in a comic series originating in Belgium, called Yakari. Nanabozho is a positive figure in the series, engaged in educating a Sioux boy named Yakari, often taking them on wildly imaginative escapades where they learn about the past.
Nanabozho later showed up in the award-winning book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The author is Potawatomi, a nation that is closely related to the Ojibwe, and a botanist. She tells of learning about her native heritage, including stories about Nanabozho. Because her book became well-known, more people have been introduced to Nanabozho.
Nanabozho stories have also made their way into American mythology, though these began as Ojibwe tales that Americans adopted as their own. One such story tells of him confronting and defeating Paul Bunyan. Bunyan is a mythic logger, known for tearing down trees across North America, moving from east to west. In the story, Nanabozho confronts Bunyan in Minnesota, after he has already deforested much of the eastern part of the country. He tells Bunyan to stop logging immediately because of the damage he is doing to the country. Bunyan refuses, and they remain at an impasse, fighting for forty days and forty nights. Eventually, Nanabozho takes Bunyan down by swinging a Red Lake walleye at him, which causes him to stumble and fall. Nanabozho then takes him by the whiskers, pulling at them until Bunyan agrees to stop logging in the area. This is why the statue of Paul Bunyan in Lake Bimijee does not have a beard and looks westward. There is a statue of Nanabozho across the street.
Bibliography
Buck, Christopher, and Kevin Locke. “Nanabush, the Anishinaabe (Ojibway) Sacred Teacher and Trickster.” Bahai Teachings, 18 Feb. 2021, bahaiteachings.org/nanabush-anishinaabe-ojibway-sacred-teacher-trickster/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.
“Creation of the Turtle Mountains.” Mikinaakode Shelter, mikinaakodeshelter.org/our-stories. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.
Keeler, Kasey, and Ryan Hellebrand. “Paul Bunyan and Settler Nostalgia in the Northwoods.” 2 Dec. 2021, Edge Effects, edgeeffects.net/paul-bunyan-narratives/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.
Magoulick, Mary. “Trickster Lives in Erdrich: Continuity, Innovation, and Eloquence of a Troubling, Beloved Character.” Journal of Folklore Research, Sept.–Dec. 2018, www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/jfolkrese.55.3.04. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.
“Meeting Nanabozho.” Madeline Island Museum, 15 Apr. 2022, madelineislandmuseum.wisconsinhistory.org/explore/meeting-nanabozhoo/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.
“Native American Legends: Nanabozho (Nanabush).” Native Languages, www.native-languages.org/nanabozho.htm. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.
Rice, Waubgeshig. “Stories in the Scars and the Markings.” Humans and Nature, 19 July 2021, humansandnature.org/stories-in-the-scars-and-the-markings/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.