MYTH-601 Lessons

Professor Morgan smiles as the students hurry into the classroom and take their seats, seemingly eager to continue their studies in Mythology.

Hello again, my dears! I am glad to see that our discussions of the Qalupalik last class did not scare you away! We will be discussing more magical creatures in class today, but our focus is turning to the Mi’kmaq culture. Though the Mi’kmaq are found much further south and east than the Inuit, they can still be found in modern day Canada - although a few tribes are found in the extreme north east of the United States.

Before we delve deeper into the magical creatures found in Mi’kmaq mythology, I’d like to briefly speak about their creation myth, as it differs greatly from the creation myths of civilizations that we have studied in previous years, such as the ancient Egyptians and the Greco-Romans.

Do watch out for number references in this myth as well as throughout the lesson as there is a connection to arithmancy that we will touch upon later in our discussions.

The Mi’kmaq Creation Story

The story of creation begins with Gisoolg, the creator. Gisoolg is neither male nor female, Gisoolg simply is. It is not known where Gisoolg came from, only that this entity made everything.

The second entity in existence, and the first that was made by Gisoolg, was Nisgam, or the sun. The third entity, Ootsitgamoo, the earth that the Mi’kmaq can walk on followed shortly after. Ootsitgamoo was placed in the middle of Nisgam’s path, so the sun would watch over it.

The fourth entity, both the most significant creation in terms of humanity, and the one on whom we will focus much of our lesson today, is Glooscap (or Glooskap, among other spellings). Glooscap was created by a bolt of lightning smashing into Ootsitgamoo, which formed the ground into a humanoid shape. A second bolt of lightning gave him life, and a third allowed him to walk freely about the earth. Now, Glooscap may have looked like a human, but in the myth, he is said to have been incredibly tall - even taller than a giant.

Glooscap and his family 
Artist: Gerald Gloade

The fifth entity in the story was born from a rock covered in dew. Together they were heated into existenceby Nisgam, taking the form of an old woman. Her name was Nogami and, although created after Glooscap, she was his grandmother. Nogami was born with great knowledge and was created to teach Glooscap respect for his elders, respect for living creatures, and the secret of fire. From this point on, Glooscap referred to the creatures of the sea and forest as his brothers and sisters.

The sixth entity, Netaoansom, appeared by Glooscap’s fire one evening, announcing himself as Glooscap’s sister’s son, effectively his nephew. The myth never explains who Glooscap’s sister is, nor does she make an appearance, however it is the nephew that is of significance in this story. To Netaoansom came the responsibility of teaching Glooscap about strength, hunting, and how the world around him worked from the view of a hunter.

The seventh and final entity in the creation myth was Neganogonimgosseesgo, Glooscap’s mother. Yes, it’s a bit of a mouthful, but she did play a crucial role. You will just have to buck up and commit it to memory! She began life as a leaf that had fallen to the ground and was covered with morning dew. Nisgam rose in the sky, shining light on the leaf, and at midday, Neganogonimgosseesgo was given life and human appearance. With her arrival, Glooscap’s family was complete.

The role of Neganogonimgosseesgo in Glooscap’s life was no less complex than that of a human mother to her child. She was said to have brought colour to the world, and was tasked with teaching Glooscap the strength to survive in the world around him, as well as an understanding of the world and the concept that its creatures have the same rights to live upon this earth as Glooscap, and their role as his companions and friends. Perhaps the most critical role she played was to teach Glooscap that mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation are the keys to living peacefully and harmoniously.

His education complete, Glooscap then proceeded to create mankind - specifically the Mi’kmaq people - from the sand of the earth. He lived with his family (which included the animals as well as the humans that he had created) on Mi’kmaq lands for many years, until he felt the people were ready to guide themselves. At this time, he and Nogami traveled far from the Mi’kmaq lands, leaving his mother and nephew to guide the Mi’kmaq people. His instructions upon leaving, however, were quite detailed and full of references to the number of entities involved in the creation story (seven):

Seven winters after Glooscap’s departure, seven sparks would fly from the Great Fire (which was created by Glooscap and never allowed to go out). From these sparks, seven people would be born, then seven more, then seven women, and seven men. They would form seven families, which would disperse to seven different areas surrounding the Great Fire. Once in their new areas, each group would further subdivide into seven groups, meaning 49 tribes in total. Each tribe would be a sufficient distance from the others so they could easily share in the natural resources of the earth.

After seven more winters, each of these groups would return to the Great Fire for a time of celebration of Gisoolg and all that was created. The celebration would signify all of the lessons that Glooscap had been taught by his family, and would be a time to honour their civilization’s place in the world.

This gathering had great traditions that needed to be followed to honour the creation of their world. Seven, fourteen, and twenty-one rocks would have to be heated over the Great Fire, then placed inside a wigwam, which was made with the saplings of seven alders, seven wild willows, and seven beeches.

Once completed, seven men from the seven original families would enter the lodge - after fasting for seven days - to give thanks and honour the seven directions, seven stages of creation, and to continue to live in good health. The steam from the rocks would clean their spirits.

A great many other pieces to the celebration were handed out, but lastly, and perhaps most interestingly from our perspective, was the recipe that Glooscap gave to his mother to create “ektjimpisun,” a remedy that could cure almost every kind of illness. It was made from seven plants that had to be collected in the correct order, at the correct time of day. These plants include alum willow, wild black-cherry, ground hemlock, and red spruce. Some of these plants you may already be familiar with - if you’ve taken herbology - as they do indeed have magical properties.

With the imparting of knowledge and practices completed, Glooscap and his grandmother left the Mi’kmaq lands, but swore to always watch over their people.

What differentiates this creation story from others we have studied throughout Europe and the Middle East is, first, its length and detail. I have heard the argument from young colleagues that the Sumerian myths must be more detailed and that the myth is only so well recorded because the Mi’kmaq civilization is so young. What they fail to remember is that the Mi’kmaq civilization dates back 10,000 years ago, which pre-dates the Sumerian empire. What the evidence leaves me to believe in this case is that the Sumerians wrote down their myths, thus they were destroyed by man or time after their civilization ended. The Mi’kmaq, on the other hand, have always used an oral tradition for teaching and telling myths and legends - there was never anything written down to be lost. As a species, the stories we are told when we are children stay with us, and we tell them to our children. As such, the Mi’kmaq stories were never lost throughout the generations.

Another differences between the Mi’kmaq creation myth and others around the world is the nonlinear nature of the creation of Glooscap’s family. He was created before his grandmother and mother were. In fact, his family was created for a very specific purpose - not to lord over a certain realm or element like the Greco-Roman gods, but to teach Glooscap very specific values, ethics, and knowledge that he in turn imparted to the Mi’kmaq people.

One other point to make before we look at a couple of other Mi’kmaq myths is the prevalence of the number seven in the creation myth. There are seven stages of creation, seven winters between gatherings at the Great Fire, seven tribes, seven ingredients in the potion that cures almost every illness, and many other references as well. No doubt the references to that specific number are due to the original seven stages of creation, however it is interesting to note that, in general, witches and wizards of Mi’kmaq descent are exceptionally skilled in arithmancy. Their innate knowledge of the significance of numbers aids them quite well in their studies at Ilvermorny.

Muin, the Child of the Bear

While Glooscap is the central figure in many Mi’kmaq myths, there are several in which he is a minor character, such as the story of Muin. This story is particularly interesting as it seems to have some reference to magic use.

The myth begins with a boy named Sigo whose father had died. His mother remarried to provide for her son, however her new husband was spiteful and disliked the child. One day, he took Sigo into the forest and had him crawl into a cave to practice his hunting skills. Once the boy had entered the cave, the stepfather rolled a giant stone across the opening and left the boy behind to die of starvation. He ran to a cliff near the ocean to celebrate his victory.

As you may recall, Glooscap swore he would watch over his people long after he left them. Upon seeing this act of treachery by the stepfather, Glooscap threw a great thunderbolt at the ground near where the stepfather was standing. So great was its impact on the earth that area shattered to pieces all the way up to the ocean, burying the stepfather in the rubble. The area was called Blomidon Cape, which still exists in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia today.

Blomidon Cape

It does look like a giant pile of rubble, does it not?

But let us not forget about poor Sigo still trapped inside the cave.

Determined to save the boy, Glooscap called on his faithful friend Matues, which means porcupine in English (and that is what Matues was). Matues was sleeping in the cave, and Glooscap asked him to calm poor Sigo and help him get out of the cave, for Matues was also inside. Matues and Sigo tried to move the boulder, but were not strong enough to move it.

Matues called out to the forest for all of the forest creatures to help. A great many came and pushed and pulled, but for all their combined strength, they could not move the boulder. When hope was all but lost, Muin’iskw, the mother bear, emerged from the forest, drawn by all of the commotion. When she learned what had happened, she immediately went to the boulder and pushed it out of the way.

The animals were then left with the predicament of what to do with the small child. Fearing that he was not safe with his people, the animals brought their favourite foods to the boy to see who would be able to feed him. Leaves, raw fish, and bugs were all refused by the boy, despite his hunger. It was only when Muin’iskw brought him blueberries that his hunger was satiated. At this, it was decided that Sigo would be raised by Muin’iskw along with her cubs.

And so it came to pass that Sigo was raised by the bear. In time, he forgot his old life and lived quite happily in the forest, all the time being kept away from other humans by Muin’iskw.

Bear Woman Artist: Jordan Thompson

Of course, nothing can remain hidden forever, and one day hunters discovered the cave where Sigo and his family were sleeping. The hunters lit a fire to smoke out the bears in order to catch them more easily. Sensing the danger, Muin’iskw sacrificed herself by distracting the hunters while Sigo and her cubs escaped.

During the chaos, two of the cubs escaped, but the littlest cub was scared and moved too slowly. Seeing that the hunters had already killed Muin’iskw, Sigo threw himself upon his little sister and begged the hunters not to kill her. Astonished at the appearance of the boy, the hunters ceased and brought both Sigo and the cubs safely back to their people.

Reunited with his mother, Sigo and the cubs were in turn taken care of by the Mi’kmaq people. Sigo grew to be a great hunter in the tribe, however he refused to hunt bears in honour of Muin’iskw to whom he owed his life.

This myth certainly shows the connectivity of the Mi’kmaq to the animals, however there are versions of this myth that are quite fascinating from a magical perspective. According to some variations of events, the hunters who killed Muin’iskw swore to their leaders that there were four bear cubs that came out of the cave - not three cubs and a boy. They said that Sigo had transformed from a bear into a boy in front of their eyes.

Now, we know that it takes years to learn the type of transfiguration required to perform this feat, not to mention the aptitude and determination it takes to become an Animagus. Before we dismiss these possibilities, however, it is interesting to note that the aboriginal peoples of North America have the highest per capita ratio of animagi. Their myths - just as in the story of Sigo - are filled with references to people turning into animals, and vice versa. It was a well known, accepted talent that many of their people possessed. Whether a boy of about 10 years could perform such a feat, well, I will let you and the scholars discuss that to your heart’s content.

Jipijka'm - The Great Horned Serpent

Our final myth for today is quite brief - almost as short as the Inuit mosquito myth from our previous lesson. It is simply a description of a magical creature said to live in the coastal waters surrounding the Mi’kmaq homelands. Jipijka’m is described as a worm-like creature, approximately one inch long. It can, however make itself into a terrifying creature larger than a deer. These changes happen quite rapidly, as if by magic.

Jipijka’m: from a cave painting

There are rare sightings of this creature to this day, which magizoologist have decided defines the Jipijka’m as a magical cryptid. If the creature does in fact exist and is not purely a myth, it would seem to be a creature of an amphibious nature - able to live on land and in the water - that has many characteristics similar to that of an Occamy. I do love the unsolved mysteries of our magical world!

There are a great many other Mi’kmaq myths about Glooscap’s adventures, his encounters with the dark wizard, Winpe (which were discussed in Ancient Studies, Year Five), and the significance of living creatures to the Mi’kmaq people. I will leave these for you to discover on your own time.

Your homework before the next lesson includes a quiz on today’s material, and an essay on stories from your childhood. Our next lesson will find us across the continent on the west coast of Canada as we discuss the myths of the Salish peoples.