{"id":15248,"date":"2021-11-13T20:39:45","date_gmt":"2021-11-13T20:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/?page_id=15248"},"modified":"2022-12-03T22:12:13","modified_gmt":"2022-12-03T22:12:13","slug":"conte-ojibwe-in-the-beginning-4","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/mythology-anichinabians\/ojibwe-tale-in-the-beginning-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Ojibwe story: In the beginning"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"15248\" class=\"elementor elementor-15248\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4088bcd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4088bcd\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ec84f0a\" data-id=\"ec84f0a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-17b8076 elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"17b8076\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/mythology-anichinabians\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Anichinabe mythology<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-351d5bd\" data-id=\"351d5bd\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f57a6b6 elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"f57a6b6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca\/fr\/article\/ojibwes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Wiki<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2d32e17 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2d32e17\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e5a69b9\" data-id=\"e5a69b9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f86fdb8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f86fdb8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The term Ojibwe comes from <em>Utchibou<\/em>, name given to the XVII<sup>e<\/sup> century to a group who lived north of what is now Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Here is one of their tales: In the beginning (in English).<\/p><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/mythology-anichinabians\/\">Ojibway<\/a> were part of a series of very close, but distinct groups, occupying a territory located between the northeast of the bay <a href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/georgian-mythology\/\">Georgian<\/a> and eastern Lake Superior. These peoples who gathered near present-day Sault Ste. Mary are also called <a href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/mythology-anichinabians\/\">Saulteaux<\/a>, a term that today refers primarily to the Ojibway peoples of northwestern Ontario and southeastern Manitoba.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9347 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/cropped-AlphaOmega-e1602613368367.png\" alt=\"Ojibwe In the beginning\" width=\"25\" height=\"25\" title=\"\"><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-62db4e1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"62db4e1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-231d90b\" data-id=\"231d90b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b1adaa4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b1adaa4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/mythology-anichinabians\/ojibwe-tale-in-the-beginning-4\/#In-the-beginning\" >In the beginning<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In-the-beginning\"><\/span>In the beginning<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2e63144 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2e63144\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b7436fc\" data-id=\"b7436fc\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b565ab3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b565ab3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the beginning there was nothing but soft darkness, and Raven<br \/>beat and beat with his wings until the darkness packed itself down<br \/>into solid earth. Then there was only the icy black ocean and a<br \/>narrow strip of shoreline. But people came soon to live along the<br \/>coast. And Raven felt sorry for them, poor, sickly things, who never<br \/>had any sunshine. They lived by chewing on nuts and leaves, and<br \/>crushed the roots of the alder trees for something to drink.<\/p><p>\u201cI must help them,\u201d thought Raven; and he flew down to<br \/>Earth, calling, \u201cGa, ga, ga!\u201d \u00bb and gathered the people<br \/>together. Like ghosts, they were, shadowy and pale in the misty darkness.<\/p><p>\u201cRaven has come!\u201d \u00bb they told each other. \u201cIt is Raven-Who-Sets-<br \/>Things-Right. \u00bb<\/p><p>The poor things were encouraged, and they gathered round to see<br \/>what he would do.<\/p><p>Raven plucked a branch from an alder, and scattered the leaves<br \/>on the surface of a pool. At once the leaves were sucked under,<br \/>and the water started to bubble. After the pool had boiled for a<br \/>moment, the surface cleared and fish began to jump there. So that<br \/>was how Raven gave the people fish.<\/p><p>But now that they had fish to eat, they were thirstier than ever.<br \/>They called on Raven, and down he came, and the people said, \u201cHere<br \/>is Raven-Who-Sets-Things-Right. \u00bb<\/p><p>Raven knew that there was only one spring of fresh water in all<br \/>the world. A man named Ganook had built his house around it, and<br \/>refused to give anything away.<\/p><p>\u201cMaybe,\u201d thought Raven, \u201cI can drink enough to carry<br \/>some back to the people. \u00bb<\/p><p>So he went to the house and asked to come in, and Ganook was very<br \/>glad to have his company. Raven sat down and made polite conversation,<br \/>and pretty soon he asked for a drink of water.<\/p><p>\u201cVery well,\u201d said Ganook grudgingly, and showed him the<br \/>spring, a crystal pool welling up in a basin of rock.<\/p><p>\u201cDon\u2019t drink it all!\u201d \u00bb Ganook warned him. \u201cYou know<br \/>that&#039;s the only fresh water in all the world. \u00bb<\/p><p>Raven knew it well; that was what he had come for. But he said,<br \/>\u201cJust a sip!\u201d \u00bb and drank until he staggered.<\/p><p>\u201cHold on there, Raven!\u201d \u00bb cried Ganook. \u201cAre you trying<br \/>to drink the well dry? \u00bb<\/p><p>That was just what Raven was trying to do, but he passed it off<br \/>lightly. He made himself comfortable close to the fire and said,<br \/>\u201cGanook, let me tell you a story. \u00bb<\/p><p>Then Raven started out on a long dull story about four dull brothers<br \/>who went on a long dull journey. As he went along he made up dull<br \/>things to add to it, and Ganook&#039;s eyelids drooped, and Raven spoke<br \/>softly, and more and more slowly, and Ganook&#039;s chin dropped on his chest.<\/p><p>\u201cSo then,\u201d said Raven gently, with her eyes on Ganook,<br \/>\u00ab on and on through the long gray valley through the soft gray<br \/>fog went the four tall gray brothers. And now, snore! \u00bb And<br \/>Ganook began to snore.<\/p><p>Quick as a thought, Raven darted to the spring and stuck his beak<br \/>into the water. But no sooner had he lifted his head to swallow<br \/>than Ganook started up with a terrible snort, and said, \u201cGo<br \/>on, go on, I&#039;m listening! I&#039;m not asleep. \u00bb Then he shook his<br \/>head and blinked his eyes and said, \u201cWhere are you, Raven?\u201d<br \/>What are you doing? \u00bb<\/p><p>\u201cJust walk around for exercise,\u201d Raven assured him,<br \/>and back he went, and in a low, unchanging voice he went on with<br \/>the dull story of the four brothers. No sooner had he started than<br \/>Ganook began to nod, and his chin dropped down, and he jerked it<br \/>back and opened his eyes and scowled at Raven, and nodded his head<br \/>and said, \u201cGo on!\u201d What next? \u00bb and his head dropped down<br \/>upon his chest.<\/p><p>\u201cSo on and on,\u201d said Raven slowly, \u201cover the hills,<br \/>went the four tall gray brothers. The air was thick and gray around<br \/>them. Fog was stealing gently over the mountains. Fog before them,<br \/>fog behind them, soft, cloudy fog. And now, snore! \u00bb And Ganook<br \/>began to snore.<\/p><p>Quietly Raven slipped to the spring, and, glub, glub, glub, he<br \/>drank up the water until the pool was dry. But as he lifted his<br \/>head for a last long gulp, Ganook leaped up and saw what he was doing.<\/p><p>\u201cSo, Raven!\u201d \u00bb shouted Ganook. \u201cYou think you can<br \/>lull me to sleep and steal my water! \u00bb<\/p><p>He picked up his club and started to chase Raven round and round<br \/>the fire. Raven would run a few steps and flap his big wings and<br \/>rise a few inches off the floor. Then with a last tremendous flap<br \/>he went sailing towards the open smoke hole. But he had swallowed<br \/>so much water that he stuck quickly in the opening, and there he struggled,<br \/>while Ganook shouted, \u201cYou squint-eyed Raven, I\u2019ve got you<br \/>Now, Raven! You miserable thief! \u00bb And Ganook threw green alder<br \/>logs on the fire and made a great smoke which came billowing up<br \/>and almost choked Raven to death.<\/p><p>Raven hung there, strangling and struggling, until at last he pulled<br \/>free with a mighty wrench and went wobbling heavily across the sky.<br \/>He was so heavy he flew in a crooked line, and as he flew he spurted<br \/>little streams of water from his bill. These became rivers, first<br \/>the Nass and the Sitka, then the Taku and the Iskut and the Stikine.<br \/>Since Raven flew in a crooked line, all the rivers are crooked as<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/digital-mythology-north-and-west\/\">snakes<\/a>. Here and there he scattered single drops, and these became<br \/>narrow <a href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/creek-seminole-mythology\/\">creeks<\/a> and salmon pools.<\/p><p>And so Raven brought fresh water to the people but he bore the<br \/>mark of that smoke hole ever after. He had gone to Ganook as a great,<br \/>white, snowy creature, but from that day on, Raven was black, as<br \/>black as the endless sky of the endless night.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anishinabe Mythology Wiki The term Ojibwe comes from Outchibou, a name given in the 17th century to a group that lived in \u2026 <\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3405,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15248","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15248"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25289,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15248\/revisions\/25289"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}