Introduction
My name is
Nanabozho and I come from the Ojibway people. Our livelihood
depends on fishing and hunting so we have always stayed close to rivers
and lakes, but also forests so the North has always been our
home. Currently we're living near the five great lakes of the
North.. I live with my grandmother N'okomiss since she seems to be the
only one who understands
me. My three brothers are off doing their own things all over the
country trying to fulfill their own destinies. I don't have any
idea
of what I am supposed to be doing with my life. My
family isn't exactly traditional, but we try to take care of each other
the best we can. My father Ae-pungishimook lives in the
West. He is a
manitou or a supernatural spirit who helps
guide the Ojibway people. My mother is the human Winonah who my
father
fell in love with from afar. It's too hard for her to be around
my
brothers and me, so I rarely see her. In a way, her love for my father
destroyed her. By loving a manitou, she gave up parts of being a
human. My brothers and I seem to be some combination of
human and
manitou. We have gifts and skills that come from both beings. It
seems like no humans understand manitous and they
seem to
understand me even less. Growing up hasn't been exactly easy when
I'm
stuck between two different worlds.
During the next few weeks I'll be
going through training to better
understand my place in the world. Each of my brothers is coming
back
to spend time with my grandmother and share knowledge of the world with
me. I've
heard rumors of their adventures from my grandmother and other people
in the village, but I look forward to hearing about them first
hand.
Each of my brothers is very different and have had many experiences
growing up as half-manitou. My brothers are grown now and have
had
time to learn many of the lessons they hope to share with me. My
brothers are symbols of the Ojibway people in a way because they have
each focused on different aspects of our culture that is most important
to them. I hope that I will be able to find something of my own
to focus
on.
Mudjekeewis is my oldest brother and he has been my mentor when it
comes to being a warrior and hunting. He is famous for his battle
with the great bear of the North. His courage and skill keep us safe as
he guards us against attacks from others. He is the pride of our
people
and I hope to be like him someday. Pau-puk-keewis is my second-oldest
brother
and he has been gone for awhile on a dancing tour. He has always
been
my funniest brother and the one focused on the lighter side of
life. He is the one that brought dancing to our people, but my
father had different expectations for him. I
look forward to hearing how he finally stood up to our father. My
youngest brother is now a ghost, but my grandmother is sure that he
will reveal himself to me in a dream. Him and my oldest brother
had a
horrible relationship and Chibiabos had always been close to the
spiritual side of our world that after his death he was given a special
assignment by the great medicine men of our tribe. He now resides
as Chief of the
Underworld
and I hope he can help me find my place in this world. This
journal will be an account of
their adventures as they tell them to me and I
hope to eventually have an adventure of my own to share with you.