Legendary Native American Figures: Moskim (Moshking)
Name: Moskim Tribal affiliation:Lenape, Munsee, Mohican Alternate spellings: Mooshkiingw, Mooskim, Moshkim, Moshking, Mo'skem Pronunciation: Varies by dialect: usually moh-skeem, moh-shkeeng, or moo-shkeeng Also known as: Tschimammus (pronounced chuh-mah-muss), Hare Type:Hero, rabbit Related figures in other tribes:Glooskap (Wabanaki),
Nanabozho (Anishinabe),
Wesakaychak (Cree)
Moskim (also known as Tchimammus) is Rabbit, the benevolent culture hero of the Lenape tribes
(sometimes referred to as a "transformer" by folklorists.)
Not many stories about Moskim are still told today, but he seems to have shared some similarities with
other Algonquian heroes such as Nanabozho and
Glooskap. In some legends Moskim is even referred to by the Ojibwe name "Nanapush," although this
may have been a case of the white folklorist
confusing different tribal traditions rather than an actual cultural borrowing. Like other culture heroes
of the Northeast Woodlands, Moskim was sometimes
said to have had a deadly younger brother named Flint who killed their mother in childbirth and remained
adversarial to Moskim thereafter.
Legends of the Delawares:
Collection of Delaware Indian folktales including four in Lenape (with English translation.)
Mythology of the Lenape:
An overview of the Lenape worldview and belief system including several legends and traditional stories.
Algonquian Spirit:
Excellent anthology of stories, songs, and oral history from the Delaware and other Algonquian tribes.
American Indian cultures
Legends of the Delawares:
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