THE MOOSE IN INDIAN MYTH 247 



and who reduced the stories for the first time to 

 writing. 



The central figure of Abnaki mythology was the 

 demigod Glooskap, the giant guardian of the 

 Indian race. Glooskap created men, and all 

 the animals. He made them at first very large. 

 Then he said to Moose, the great Moose who was 

 as tall as Ketawkqu's, 'What would you do should 

 you see an Indian coming.^'" Ketawkqu's was a 

 giant, taller than the tallest trees. " Moose replied, 

 *I would tear down the trees on him.' Then 

 Glooskap saw that the Moose was too strong, and 

 made him smaller, so that Indian could kill him."^ 

 The short body, humped back, and bulging nose 

 of the moose are due to the awful squeeze he 

 received in the hand of Glooskap when the Master 

 reduced him to his present size. Similarly other 

 animals were transformed by the benevolent 

 Glooskap, to protect the Indians from injury. 



Glooskap it was who taught the use 



Of the bow and the spear, and sent the moose 



Into the Indian hunter's hands; 



Glooskap who strewed the shining sands 



•Charles G. Leland, Algonquin Legends of New England, page 19. 

 This version of the creation is attributed to the Passamaquoddies. 

 With incidental variations most of the myths are commoa to many 

 tribes of the great Algonquin family. 



