Native Languages of the Americas: Manabozho Stories and other Anishinabe Stories
This is our collection of links to Anishinabe folktales and traditional stories that can be read online.
We have indexed our Native American legends section
by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same
legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to
each other. On this page, we have included myths and legends from the
Ojibway Tribe,
Algonquin Tribe,
Ottawa Tribe, and
Potawatomi Tribe,
four related tribes of the eastern woodlands who speak similar languages
and share many cultural similarities, including much of their folklore.
Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend an Anishinabe legend for this page or think one of the ones on here
should be removed, please contact us and let us know.
˜Manabozho (also spelled
Nanabozho, Wenabozhoo, Nanabush, and several other ways.)
Manabozho is the benevolent culture hero of the Anishinaabe tribes (sometimes referred to as a "transformer" by folklorists.)
His name is spelled so many different ways partially because the Anishinabe
languages were originally unwritten (so English speakers just spelled it however it sounded to them at the time), and partially because the Ojibway and
Algonquin languages are spoken across a huge geographical range in both Canada and the US, and the name sounds different in different dialects.
Not only that, but some Algonquin and Oji-Cree people call the same character by the name Wisakedjak instead, which is a name that
comes from Cree folklore. The correct pronounciation here in Minnesota is similar to
way-nuh-boo-zhoo, but in other places in the Anishinabe world it is pronounced mah-nah-boh-zho, mah-nah-boo-zhoo, nah-nah-boh-zho,
nay-nuh-boo-zhoo, nain-boo-zhoo, or nay-nuh-boash. Nanabozho shares
some similarities with other Algonquian heroes such as the Wabanaki
Glooscap, Blackfoot
Napi, and Cree
Wisakechak, and many of the same stories
are told in different Algonquian tribes with only the identity of the protagonist differing.
˜Gitche Manitou (also spelled
Gichi Manidoo, Gitchie Manitoo, Kitche Manido, Kihci Manito, Chi-Mnidoo, and several other ways.)
This means "Great Spirit" in the Ojibwe, Algonquin, and Ottawa languages, and is the name for the Creator (God) in the Anishinabe tribes.
Gitche-Manitou is a divine spirit with no human form or attributes (including gender) and is never personified in Anishinabe folklore. The name
is pronounced similar to gih-chee muh-nih-doh or gih-chee muh-nih-doo, depending on which language is being spoken.
˜Nokomis (also spelled Nookomis, Nukomis and other ways.)
Manabozho's wise old grandmother, who raised him. Pronounced noh-koh-miss, noo-koh-miss, noke-miss or nook-miss, depending on which language
is being spoken.
˜Windigo (also spelled Wendigo,
Windago, Windiga, Witiko, and other ways.)
An evil man-eating spirit. Windigos play the roles of monsters and bogeymen in some legends; in others, Anishinabe people who commit sins
(especially selfishness, gluttony, or cannibalism) are turned into a Windigo as punishment. It is pronounced ween-dih-goh, ween-duh-goh, or ween-dih-goo.
Native American cultures
Nanabozho:
Ottawa Flood Myth 
