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USES OF PLANTS BY THE CHIPPEWA INDIANS [bth. ann. 44 



washed ashore. One day when doing this she had a strange feeling 

 as though the wind were blowing underneath her clothing. She 

 looked around her but saw no signs of anyone. After a while she 

 went home. 



As soon as she entered (he bouse her mother saw that she looked 

 troubled and bewildered. Her mother asked, "Did you see anyone? 

 Did anyone speak to you? " The girl replied, "I saw no one and 

 heard no one speak to me." After a time the mother noticed that the 

 girl was pregnant and questioned her again but the girl replied as 

 before, that she had seen no one. The only thing strange to her was 

 the sensation of the wind blowing about her which she had described 

 to her mother. When the time came for her to be delivered there was 

 a sound as of an explosion and the girl disappeared, leaving abso- 

 lutely no trace. The old woman threw herself on the ground and 

 wailed because her daughter had disappeared. She searched every- 

 where but could find no trace of her. Finally, in looking among the 

 leaves, she saw a drop of blood on a leaf. She picked it up carefully 

 and put it beside her pillow. After a while, as she lay there,, she 

 thought she heard some one shivering and breathing near her head. 

 She lay still, not knowing what to do. She heard the breathing near 

 her head constantly. As she lay there wondering what it could be 

 she heard a sound like that of a human being. She said, " I guess I 

 am going to be blessed." 12 As she lay there a voice spoke and said, 

 " Grandmother, get up and build a fire. I am freezing." The old 

 woman arose and looked around, and there beside her lay a little boy. 

 She took him up and caressed him. She got up and made a fire to 

 warm him, and behold the child was Winabojo. All the spirits that 

 roam the earth were frightened at the birth of Winabojo, for they 

 knew his power. Throughout his human life he was a mysterious 

 being with miraculous powers. He grew rapidly in strength and 

 soon began to help his grandmother. He dug potatoes and brought 

 fish and berries for her. 



One day, when he had grown to be almost a man, he asked his 

 grandmother what was the largest fish in the lake. She replied, 

 "Why do you ask? It is not good for you to know. There is a 

 large fish that lives over by that ledge of rock, but it is very powerful 

 and would do great harm to you." Winabojo asked, " Could the 

 great fish be killed?" His grandmother replied, "No; for he lives 

 below the rocks and no one could get down there to kill him." 



Winabojo began to think about this and he made up his mind that 

 he would learn to fight so that he could kill the great fish. He got 

 some wood and began to make bows and arrows. Theu he asked his 



u ' This phrase is commonly used to designate a supernatural visitation or other direct 

 evidence of supernatural favor. 



