Conte Ojibwé : Princess of the mist

Le terme Ojibwé vient de Outchibou, nom donné au XVIIe siècle à un groupe qui vivait au nord de ce qui est aujourd’hui Sault Ste. Marie, en Ontario.Voici un de leur conte : Princess of the mist (en anglais).

Les Ojibwés faisaient partie d’une série de groupes très proches, mais distincts, occupant un territoire situé entre le nord-est de la baie Géorgienne et l’est du lac Supérieur. Ces peuplades qui se rassemblent près de la ville actuelle de Sault Ste. Marie sont aussi appelées Saulteaux, un terme qui désigne aujourd’hui principalement les peuples ojibwés du nord-ouest de l’Ontario et du sud-est du Manitoba.

Ojibwé Princess of the mist

Princess of the mist

More enchanting, than the rushing, swirling water, and the crystal
Studded mist rising from the great gorge, is the story of a lovely Indian princess.

A peace-loving- chieftain, White Bear, of the Ojibway encampment,
learned the Sioux were about to destroy his tribe. Too old to go
to battle himself, the old chief’s distress led his daughter, Princess
Green Mantle, to devise a plan.

The Princess paddled her canoe up the Kaministiquia, to a point
well above the waterfall. She Walked boldly into the camp of her
enemies and at once they captured her and planned to put her to
death. Pretending to be lost and frightened, she bargained with
them to spare her life in return for leading them to her father’s camp.

The Sioux agreed and the following morning the young princess was
placed in the lead canoe and the great band of Sioux, with their
canoes tied together, set out for the Ojibway camp. Green Mantle
did not tell them of the falls, and as they swiftly turned the bend
of the river, they plunged into the great gorge. Along with the
Sioux warriors, the Princess lost her life, but her tribe was spared
the torture of the most feared of all the tribes. The Great Manitou
looked kindly upon the brave deed of the Princess.

Today, if one walks along the river bank to the point of the falls,
the figure of Green Mantle can be seen in the mist, standing as
a monument to the memory of the courageous Princess who gave her
life for her people.