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Number of posts : 1193
Location : mother earth
Humor : dry, witty
Registration date : 2009-08-03
 | Subject: The Anishinabe Creation Story  Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:03 pm | |
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By: Basil Johnston in Ojibway Heritage
Kitche Manitou (The Great Spirit) beheld a vision. In this dream he saw a vast sky filled with
stars, sun, moon, and earth. He saw an earth made of mountains and valleys, islands and lakes,
plains and forests. He saw trees and flowers, grasses and vegetables. He saw walking, flying,
swimming, and crawling beings. He witnessed the birth, growth, and the end of things. At the
same time he saw other things live on. Amidst change there was constancy. Kitche Manitou
heard songs, wailings, stories. He touched wind and rain. He felt love and hate, fear and courage,
joy and sadness. Kitche Manitou meditated to understand his vision. In his wisdom Kitche
Manitou understood that his vision had to be fulfilled. Kitche Manitou was to bring into being
and existence what he had seen, heard, and felt.
Out of nothing he made rock, water, fire, and wind. Into each one he breathed the breath of life.
On each he bestowed with his breath a different essence and nature. Each substance had its own
power which became its soul-spirit.
From these four substances Kitche Manitou created the physical world of sun, stars, moon, and
earth.
To the sun Kitche Manitou gave the powers of light and heat. To the earth he gave growth and
healing; to waters purity and renewal; to the wind music and the breath of life itself.
On earth Kitche Manitou formed mountains, valleys, plains, islands, lakes, bays, and rivers.
Everything was in its place; everything was beautiful.
Then Kitche Manitou made the plant beings. These were four kinds: flowers, grasses, trees, and
vegetables. To each he gave a spirit of life, growth, healing, and beauty. Each he placed where it
would be the most beneficial, and lend to earth the greatest beauty and harmony and order.
After plants, Kitche Manitou created animal beings conferring on each special powers and
natures. There were two-leggeds, four-leggeds, wingeds, and swimmers.
Last of all he made man. Though last in the order of creation, least in order
of dependence, and weakest in bodily powers, man had the greatest gift – the
power to dream.
Kitche Manitou then made The Great Laws of Nature for the well being
and harmony of all things and all creatures. The Great Laws governed
the place and movement of sun, moon, earth and stars; governed the powers
of wind, water, fire, and rock; governed the rhythm and continuity of life,
birth, growth, and decay. All things lived and worked by these laws.
Kitche Manitou had brought into existence his vision.
http://www.ottawaalgonquins.com/index_files/Creation%20Story.pdf | |
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