Mudjekeewis
Encyclopedia
In Ojibwe mythology, Mudjekeewis (from the Anishinaabe language majiikiwis "first-born son") is a spirit, and figures prominently in their storytelling, including the story of the world's creation. In their aadizookaanan (traditional stories), Majiikiwis is the first-born son of the E-bangishimog, the West Wind, and is cast as the guardian of tradition and ceremonies, symbolized by the bear. Of the medicinal plants, white cedar
is associated with Majiikiwis. He is the eldest brother to Nanabozho
.
However, in The Song of Hiawatha
based on the aadizookaanan, Mudjekeewis is portrayed instead as E-bangishimog himself, ravishing Wenonah
and fathering Hiawatha
. However, even in The Song of Hiawatha, Mudjekeewis is strongly associated with bears as demonstrated in the passage
Thuja
Thuja is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae . There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia...
is associated with Majiikiwis. He is the eldest brother to Nanabozho
Nanabozho
In Anishinaabe mythology, particularly among the Ojibwa, Nanabozho is a spirit, and figures prominently in their storytelling, including the story of the world's creation. Nanabozho is the Ojibwe trickster figure and culture hero...
.
However, in The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha is an 1855 epic poem, in trochaic tetrameter, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, featuring an Indian hero and loosely based on legends and ethnography of the Ojibwe and other Native American peoples contained in Algic Researches and additional writings of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft...
based on the aadizookaanan, Mudjekeewis is portrayed instead as E-bangishimog himself, ravishing Wenonah
Wenonah
- Places :* Wenonah, Alabama, a community of ore mining camps near Birmingham, Alabama* Wenonah, Illinois, a village in the United States* Wenonah, New Jersey, a borough in the United States* Wenonah, Minneapolis, a neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
and fathering Hiawatha
Hiawatha
Hiawatha was a legendary Native American leader and founder of the Iroquois confederacy...
. However, even in The Song of Hiawatha, Mudjekeewis is strongly associated with bears as demonstrated in the passage