hoffman] MENOMINI GENESIS 87 



is indicated by the translations, and as this duplication doubled the 

 time, the several chants covered a period varying from twenty minutes 

 to three-quarters of an hour. In the following" translation the original 

 phraseology has been followed as closely as possible, so as to maintain 

 intelligible sequence without additional explanation. 



After Shu'nien had tapped the drum sufficiently to attain the proper 

 time to suit his chant, he began with the following traditional history 

 of Menomini genesis: 



"The daughter of Noko'mis, the Earth, is the mother of Ma'niibush, 

 who is also the Fire. The Flint 1 grew up out of Noko'mis, and was 

 alone. Then the Flint made a bowl and dipped it into the earth ; slowly 

 the bowlful of earth became blood, and it began to change its form. 

 So the blood was changed into Wabus, the Rabbit. The Rabbit grew 

 into human form, and in time became a man, and thus was Ma'niibush -' 

 formed. Ma'nabush was angry because he was alone on the earth ; and 

 because his enemies, the ana'maqki'u, who dwelt beneath the earth, 

 were constantly annoying him and trying to destroy him. 



"Then Ma'nabush shaped a piece of flint to make an ax, and while he 

 was rubbing it on a rock he heard the rock make peculiar sounds, 

 'Ke kit', ke kii', ke kii', ke kii', goss, goss, goss, goss.' He soon under- 

 stood what this signified, that he was alone on the earth and that he 

 had neither father, mother, brother, nor sister. This is what the Flint 

 said while Ma'nabush was rubbing it upon the rock. 



"While he was meditating on this, he heard the sound of something 

 approaching, and when he looked up he beheld Moqwai'o, the Wolf, who 

 said to Ma'nabush, 'Now you have a brother, for I too am alone; we 

 shall live together and I shall hunt for you.' Mii'nabush replied, 'I am 

 glad to see you, my brother. I shall change your form and make you 

 like myself;' and in a short time Moqwai'o became as a man. Mii'na- 

 bush and his brother then moved away to the shore of a lake, where 

 they built a wigwam. Ma'niibush told his brother that the ana'maqki'u 

 dwelt beneath the water of the lake, and that he should never go into 

 the water nor cross the ice. 



"One day the brother of Ma'niibush was out hunting, and it was late 

 in the day when he started to return to his wigwam. He found him- 

 self on the shore of the lake, just opposite to where the wigwam stood, 

 and could easily see it; and as he did not want to make a long journey 

 around by the lake shore, he hesitated awhile, but at last decided to 

 cross over on the ice. When he reached the middle of the lake the ice 

 broke, and the ana'inaqki'u. pulled him under, and he was drowned. 



'Tht.' Abnaki Indians of Canada, a tribe linguistically allied to tin- Menomini, also believe the first 

 man and the first woman to have been created of a stone. Tin- Abbfe Maurault remarks: " IN cro- 

 yaient que le premier hommc et la premiere fern me sauvages avaient fete crfefes d'nne pierre; quele 

 Grantl-Esprit, non satisfait de ce premier coap-d'essai. avail detruit ce premier couple, ei en ;i\:iit 

 crfefe nn autre d'un arbre; que ce second couple etait presqu'aussi par fait que le Grand-Esprit, et que 

 lea sauvages en descendaient." — Uistoire dea Abenaki* depuis 1605 .jusqu a nos jours, Qufebec, 1806, 

 pp. 19,20. 



2 From Maska', great: and wabns . rabbit. 



