Kluskap also calls upon the wind to fan the sparks left by the first bolt of lightning. In the Mi'kmaq language, several words are directly related to the word for "Earth." Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters is a traditional sky story which has been handed down from generation to generation as part of the rich oral history of the Mi’kmaq First Nation. Mi’kmaq and Abenaki people use their creation stories to tell how things came to be in the world. This is part of the Mi'gmaq creation story. Oral traditions can be loosely placed in three types: myths, legends, and folklore. Nisgam is the sun which travels in a circle and owes its existence to Isoolg. Now, for the first time, it was possible for large numbers of settlers and sportsmen to have quick access to the huge interior caribou herds. This process occurred in seven stages or levels of creation and is described as follows: Level 1: The sky represents the Giver of Life, Gisoolg, who creates everything. The surface skin of Mother Earth gives rise to life, including people, and this is reflected in the word Oosgitjinoo which means �the person who has peeled himself off the surface of the Earth and is standing erect.� Oosgitjinoo is a word used to refer to the Mi�kmaq people. With the help of the Giver of Life, Grandfather Sun and Mother Earth, the nephew was created. This story summary is also available as a downloadable PDF by clicking on the Get Activity button at the bottom of this page. All rights reserved. Glooscap gives thanks to Mother Earth and Grandfather Sun for his creation, and pays his respects to the South, the West, the North and the East directions. You know — Glooscap, the animals, and his stories that … Level 4: The first man, Glooscap, is created from a bolt of lightning. Again they feast, and continue to learn from Grandmother. their elaborate and colorful beadwork and quillwork (designs made with porcupine quills), which they used Aboriginal Mi'kmaq clothing was made from the skins of the animals they killed. Heritage Canada. Nisgam is … He brings strength and can see into the future. When the lightning meets with the elements of the Earth that make up Glooscap�s body, a life force is created. This bolt of lightning caused the formation of an image of a human body. The Creation Story Summary. The first of Kluskap family to arrive is the Grandmother, Nukumi. She is formed from a leaf. Mi’kmaq, also spelled Micmac, the largest of the North American Indian tribes traditionally occupying what are now Canada’s eastern Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island) and parts of the present U.S. states of Maine and Massachusetts. The next day, Nataoa-nsen, … A story that completely subverts the role of women and her role in the creation of the world. � The Nephew is the sixth level of creation. Under potential siege, in May 1722, Lieutenant Governor John Doucett took 22 Mi'kmaq hostage at Annapolis Royal to prevent the capital from being attacked. For example, the word for the skin of a drum and the word for the Mi'kmaq people are related to each other and to the Mi'kmaq word for Mother Earth. This feather gives him strength and serves as a symbol of connection between his people and the Giver of Life, Grandfather Sun and Mother Earth. Jane Meader, Elder, BACS & MEd, discusses the Mi'kmaq creation story and how this relates to the venerated place of women in their culture. Thus, the oral traditions of the Mi'kmaq differ from those of any other people in the world, and help to keep the Mi'kmaq unique. And the best sticks for this new game came from the carvers of the Mi’kmaq.”(Figure 2.1) Hockey.indd 48 18-03-14 16:30 Re-Imagining the Creation: Popular Mythology, the Mi’kmaq, and the Origins of Canadian Hockey 49 Origins of the Game––Widening the Lens The family squabble over hockey’s origins has run its course. Mi'gmaq Mi'kmaq MicMac Online Talking Dictionary. Population figures for the caribou stocks can only be approximati… The story links the annual cycle of the seasons as observed by the Mi’kmaq with the movement of stars about the North Celestial pole. To tell how things came to be in the Mi'kmaq belief that animals willingly sacrifice themselves to become food feather! To isoolg, a life force is created from a bolt of lightning caused the formation an! Describes how life began for all things who they are as a unique group of.... Earth, the First-One-Who-Spoke fire and land upon the wind to fan the sparks left by the of... 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