![Glooscap turning a man into a cedar tree](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Glooscap_turning_a_man_into_a_cedar_tree.jpg)
Glooscap (variant forms and spellings ''Gluskabe'', ''Glooskap'', ''Gluskabi'', ''Kluscap'', ''Kloskomba'', or ''Gluskab'') is a legendary figure of the
Wabanaki peoples, native peoples located in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Atlantic Canada. The stories were first recorded by
Silas Tertius Rand
Silas Tertius Rand (May 18, 1810 – October 4, 1889) was a Canadian Baptist clergyman, missionary, ethnologist, linguist and translator. His work centred on the Mi'kmaq people of Maritime Canada and he was the first to record the legend of Gloos ...
and then by
Charles Godfrey Leland
Charles Godfrey Leland (August 15, 1824 – March 20, 1903) was an American humorist and folklorist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was educated at Princeton University and in Europe.
Leland worked in journalism, travelled extensivel ...
in the 19th century.
In his role as creator, Glooscap is similar to that of the
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
''
Nanabozho
In Anishinaabe ''aadizookaan'' (traditional storytelling), particularly among the Ojibwe, Nanabozho (in syllabics: , ), also known as Nanabush, is a spirit, and figures prominently in their storytelling, including the story of the world's creat ...
'' and the
Cree
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...
''
Wisakedjak
Wisakedjak (''Wìsakedjàk'' in Algonquin, ''Wīsahkēcāhk(w)'' in Cree and ''Wiisagejaak'' in Oji-cree) is the Crane ''Manitou'' found in northern Algonquian and Dene storytelling, similar to the trickster ''Nanabozho'' in Ojibwa ''aadizookaa ...
''. There are variations to the legend of Glooscap as each tribe of the Wabanaki adapted the legend to their own region. At the same time, there are consistencies in the legend with Glooscap always portrayed as "kind, benevolent, a warrior against evil and the possessor of magical powers".
Abenaki
The
Abenaki
The Abenaki (Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was predom ...
people believe that after
Tabaldak Tabaldak is the androgynous creator among the Abenaki and Algonquian people of northeastern North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the ...
created humans, the dust from his body created Glooscap and his twin brother,
Malsumis. He gave Glooscap the power to create a good world. Malsumis, on the other hand, is the opposite, and seeks evil to this day.
Glooscap learned that hunters who kill too much would destroy the good world he had sought to create. Frightened at this possibility, Glooscap sought Grandmother Woodchuck (
Agaskw
The Abenaki people are an indigenous peoples of the Americas located in the Northeastern Woodlands region. Their religious beliefs are part of the ''Midewiwin'' tradition, with ceremonies led by medicine keepers, called ''Medeoulin'' or ''Mdawi ...
) and asked her for advice. She plucked all the hairs out of her belly (hence the lack of hair on a
woodchuck
The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots.
The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through mu ...
's belly) and wove them into a magical bag. Glooscap put all the game animals into the river. He then bragged to Grandmother Woodchuck that the humans would never need to hunt again. Grandmother Woodchuck scolded him and told him that they would die without the animals. She said that they needed to hunt to remain strong. Glooscap then let the animals go.
Later, Glooscap decided to capture the
great bird that Tabaldak had placed on a mountain peak, where it generated bad weather in the flapping of its wings. Glooscap caught the
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
and bound its wings and the winds ceased. Soon, the air was so hot and heavy that Glooscap could not breathe, so he loosened the bird's wings, just enough to generate enough weather so humanity could live.
Mi'kmaq
![Glooscap monument, Millbrook, Nova Scotia, closeup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Glooscap_monument%2C_Millbrook%2C_Nova_Scotia%2C_closeup.jpg)
In one version of the Mi'kmaq creation story, Glooscap laid on his back, with arms outstretched to the north and south and his head toward the rising sun. He was in this position for 365 days and nights. Then,
Nogami Nogami (written: 野上) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Akira Nogami (born 1966), Japanese professional wrestler and actor
* Hisashi Nogami (born 1971) Japanese video game designer, director and producer
*, Japane ...
, the grandmother, was born as an old woman from the dew of the rock. The next day, Nataoa-nsen, Nephew, was born from the foam of the sea. On the next day was born the Mother of all the Mi'kmaq, from the plants of the Earth.
Glooscap was said by the Mi'kmaq to be great in size and in powers, and to have created natural features such as the
Annapolis Valley
The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy. St ...
. In carrying out his feats, he often had to overcome his evil twin brother who wanted rivers to be crooked and mountain ranges to be impassable; in one legend, he turns the evil twin into stone. Another common story is how he turned himself into a giant
beaver
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
and created
five islands in the
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy (french: Baie de Fundy) is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its extremely high tidal range is the hi ...
,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
by slapping his huge tail in the water with enough force to stir up the earth. His home was said to be
Cape Blomidon
Cape Blomidon ( ) is a headland located on the Bay of Fundy coast of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Cape Blomidon is located in Kings County at the northeast edge of the Blomidon Peninsula. Its geology largely comprises sedimentary sand ...
.
Yet another legend says that when Glooscap finished painting the splendor of the world, he dipped his brush into a blend of all the colors and created ''Abegweit'', meaning "Cradled on the Waves"—his favorite island (
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
). When Glooscap slept, Nova Scotia was his bed, and Prince Edward Island his pillow.
Another legend tells Glooscap saved the world from an evil frog-monster, who had swallowed all the Earth's water. Glooscap killed the monster and the water was released. Some animals, relieved at the resurgence of water, jumped in and became fish and other aquatic animals. Like many legends, this one may have some basis in fact: a massive earthquake converted a mountain on the east side of the stone fort
Norumbega
Norumbega, or Nurembega, is a Legend, legendary Human settlement, settlement in northeastern North America which was featured on many early maps from the 16th century until European colonization of the region. It was alleged that the houses had p ...
into a new channel through a split in that mountain . The eastern side of this mountain became Mi'kmaq island, and the new river channel passed in-between. Later, when explorers asked where Norumbega was, they were told that it lay on the eastern side of the river (which it did prior to the earthquake), and so could never find the new location.
Glooscap is also believed to have brought the Mi'kmaq earthenware, knowledge of good and evil,
fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
,
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
, fishing nets, and
canoes
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the term ...
, making him a cultural hero.
The Mi'kmaq community
Glooscap First Nation
Glooscap First Nation is a Canadian Mi'kmaq aboriginal community located in both Kings County and Hants County, Nova Scotia. Also known as Kluskap, its reserve is located approximately from the Town of Hantsport. Created in 1907 as Horton 35, t ...
is named in honor of Glooscap.
Cultural influence
In addition to being a spiritual figure, Glooscap also became a major figure of regional identity for the
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy (french: Baie de Fundy) is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its extremely high tidal range is the hi ...
region with everything from steam locomotives, the
ship ''Glooscap'', schools, businesses and the
Glooscap Trail
The Glooscap Trail is a scenic roadway in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
It is located in the central and northern part of the province around the Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay, sub-basins of the Bay of Fundy. The route connects Amherst ...
tourism region named after the heroic figure.
See also
*
Glooscap First Nation
Glooscap First Nation is a Canadian Mi'kmaq aboriginal community located in both Kings County and Hants County, Nova Scotia. Also known as Kluskap, its reserve is located approximately from the Town of Hantsport. Created in 1907 as Horton 35, t ...
*
Abenaki mythology
The Abenaki people are an indigenous peoples of the Americas located in the Northeastern Woodlands region. Their religious beliefs are part of the ''Midewiwin'' tradition, with ceremonies led by medicine keepers, called ''Medeoulin'' or ''Mdawi ...
*
Wisakedjak
Wisakedjak (''Wìsakedjàk'' in Algonquin, ''Wīsahkēcāhk(w)'' in Cree and ''Wiisagejaak'' in Oji-cree) is the Crane ''Manitou'' found in northern Algonquian and Dene storytelling, similar to the trickster ''Nanabozho'' in Ojibwa ''aadizookaa ...
*
Nanabozho
In Anishinaabe ''aadizookaan'' (traditional storytelling), particularly among the Ojibwe, Nanabozho (in syllabics: , ), also known as Nanabush, is a spirit, and figures prominently in their storytelling, including the story of the world's creat ...
*
Odziozo Odziozo, also called Oodzee-hozo, is a giant in Algonquin (specifically Abenaki) legend. His name means "He who Created Himself," or "Transformer." He is attributed with the creation of Lake Champlain, Tuxis Island and Pond, Rock Dunder, and Sams ...
*
Tabaldak Tabaldak is the androgynous creator among the Abenaki and Algonquian people of northeastern North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the ...
References
Further reading
* Kay Hill. Glooscap and his magic : legends of the Wabanaki Indians. 1963.
* Kay Hill. Badger, The Mischief Maker. McCulland & Stwart. 1970.
Charles Leland. Algonquin Legends. 1884.* Nowlan, Alden (1983). Nine Micmac Legends, Nova Scotia:
Lancelot Press
Lancelot Press was a Canadian publishing company which operated between 1966 and 1997. It specialized in non-fiction titles, many of which were of a regional nature centered on Maritime Canada, in the fields of local history, spirituality and perso ...
.
*Robertson, Marion (1998). Red Earth: Tales of the Micmacs, Halifax: Roseway Publishing Company Ltd.
*
Silas Tertius Rand ''A short statement of facts relating to the history, manners, customs, language, and literature of the Micmac tribe of Indians, in Nova-Scotia and P.E. Island'' (Halifax, 1850)* Joseph Nicola. The Red Man.
* Silas Tertius Rand ''Legends of the Micmacs'' edited and with a foreword by
Helen L. Webster
Helen L. Webster (August 1, 1853 – January 4, 1928) was an American philologist and educator. She taught at Vassar College, 1889–90, at same time giving a course of lectures on comparative philology at Barnard College. She served as professor o ...
, (New York and London, 1893). Online version with preface by publisher Jacob Rabinowitz
Volume 1Volume 2
* Stanley T. Spicer. "Glooscap Legends" . Lancelot Press. , .
*Whitehead, Ruth Holmes and McGee, Harold (1983). The Micmac: How Their Ancestors Lived Five Hundred Years Ago, Halifax: Nimbus Publishing Ltd .
*Whitehead, Ruth Holmes (1989). Six Micmac Stories, Halifax: Nova Scotia Museum/Nimbus Publishing .
* Whitehead, Ruth Holmes (1988). Stories from the Six Worlds, Halifax: Nimbus Publishing Ltd .
{{Authority control
Abenaki mythology
Mi'kmaq
Penobscot
Creator gods
Groundhogs