Native Languages of the Americas: Koluskap Stories and other Maliseet Legends
This is our collection of links to Maliseet 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, so you may also want to visit our page comparing
the stories from the Wabanaki tribes (which
include the Micmac, Passamaquoddy, Abenaki, Penobscot, and Maliseet Indians), since the traditional stories of those
tribes are very similar.
Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Maliseet legend for this page or think one of the ones on here
should be removed, please contact us and let us know.
˜Kluskap (also spelled
Koluskap, Glooskap, Glooscap, Gluskabe, and several other ways.)
Kluskap is the benevolent culture hero of the Wabanaki tribes (sometimes referred to as a "transformer" by folklorists.) His name is spelled so many different ways because
Maliseet and the other Wabanaki languages were originally unwritten, so English speakers just spelled it however
it sounded to them at the time. The correct Maliseet pronounciation is similar to klue-skopp,
but with very soft k and p sounds. Kluskap shares
some similarities with other Algonquian heroes such as the Anishinabe
Manabozho, Blackfoot
Napi, and Cree
Wesakechak, and many of the same stories
are told in different Algonquian tribes with only the identity of the protagonist differing.
˜Kci Niwesq (also spelled Kihci Niweskw, Kichi Niwaskw,
and several other ways.) This means "Great Spirit" in the Maliseet language, and is the Maliseet name for the Creator (God,) who is sometimes
also referred to as Keluwosit. Kci Niwesq is a divine spirit with no human form or attributes (including gender) and is rarely personified in Maliseet folklore.
The name is pronounced similar to kih-chee nih-wehskw.)
˜Loks (also spelled Luks or Lox.)
Wolverine, a malevolent Maliseet animal spirit. He usually demonstrates inappropriate behavior like gluttony,
rudeness, and bullying, but in some stories he also plays the role of a dangerous monster to beware of. Rhymes with "blokes."
˜Malsum (also spelled Malsumsa or Malsumis.) This name
is sometimes given as belonging to an evil wolf who is Kluskap's twin brother. However, this is probably not an
original Maliseet myth -- the character does not appear in older Maliseet texts, "Malsum" is not a Maliseet word, and the wolf
is not a malevolent figure in Maliseet tales. It's likely that Passamaquoddy and Maliseet stories with "Malsum" in them were originally about Loks
and that the name Malsum was borrowed back from English anthropology texts about other tribes. Here is an
academic article about the possible origin of this confusion.
˜Grandmother Woodchuck (Nuhkomoss Munimqehs.) Kluskap's wise old
grandmother, who raised him.
˜Chenoo or
Kewahqu. Giant cannibal monsters, similar to the Windigo of the Cree and other northern tribes.
The name "Chenoo" comes from the neighboring Micmac tribe and is pronounced cheh-noo. "Kewahqu" is pronounced similar to keh-wah-kwoo.
˜Little People (Mikumwesuk, Wunagmeswook, Geow-lud-mo-sis-eg)
Known by a variety of names, the Little People of the Maliseet and Passamaquoddy tribes can be dangerous if they are disrespected but are generally
benevolent nature spirits.
Native American culture
Koluscap 
Gluskab 
