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Native American Legends: Moshup (Maushop)
Name: Moshup
Tribal affiliation: Wampanoag,
Mohegan,
Pequot
Alternate spellings: Maushop, Moshop, Maushup, Mausop, Maushope, Maushump, Moiship, Manshop
Pronunciation: moh-shup or maw-shup, depending on dialect.
Type: Culture hero,
Transformer,
giant,
whale
Related figures in other tribes: Wetucks (Narragansett),
Gluskabe (Abenaki)
Moshup is a giant who is the culture hero of the Mohegan and Wampanoag tribes (sometimes referred to as a
"transformer" by folklorists.) Moshup is strongly associated with whales; in most tribal traditions he would catch
whales to feed the people, and in some stories, Moshup and/or his children eventually transform into whales themselves.
Moshup has a wife named Squannit,
who is a powerful medicine woman of the Little People.
Moshup Stories
Maushop and the Circle of Life:
Wampanoag legend about the culture hero Maushop, and how he left the people to teach them self-reliance.
Moshup the Giant:
Mohegan legend about the transformer giant Moshup creating landmarks.
Moshup:
Wampanoag legends about the giant protector Moshup, including his final warnings about the Europeans.
How Maushop Created the Most Expensive Real Estate in New England:
Article summarizing several Wampanoag and Mohegan legends about the giant Maushop.
Spirit of the New England Tribes:
Collection of Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Mohegan legends and traditional stories, including several about Moshup.
The Good Giants and the Bad Pukwudgies:
Children's picture book based on Wampanoag legends about Maushop's battles with the pukwudgies.
Algonquian Spirit:
Excellent anthology of stories, songs, and oral history from the Algonquian tribes.
Sponsored Links
Additional Resources
Massachusett stories
Wampanoag language
Pequot tribe
Massachusett words
Connecticut Native Americans
Eastern Woodlands region
Algonquian language dictionary
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