Reflections of the Great Lakes, part 21: Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe and the Gift From the Great Lake

zhaawano
Apr 26
8 min read

Updated: May 2

Iskikamizige-giizis (Boiling Sap Moon) / Namebin Giizis (Suckerfish Moon)—April 25, 2026

Audio recordings and phonetic transcriptions of Ojibwe words are available at the bottom of this page.

Gichigami Miigiwewin ("Gift From the Great Lake") Painting by Zhaawano Giizhik

Boozhoo! Biindigen miinawaa nindaadizooke wigamigong ji-maamawoo-nanda-gikendamang. Hello! Welcome once again to my Storytelling Lodge where we can learn together.

From the first snowfall to the initial clap of thunder, it is believed that our Elders pass on history, traditions, and life lessons to the younger generations through aadizookewin, or traditional, sacred storytelling. For us, the aadizookaanan, or sacred narratives, filled with allegories and imagery, along with the gikinoo'amaagoowinan (lessons) they impart, forge deep connections to our identity as Anishinaabeg. They remind us of our individual and collective relationships with aki (the world), bimaadiziwin (everyday life), and gimanidookewininaanin (our ceremonies).

Ahaaw! Ningad-aadizooke noongom giizhigad! Alright then! Let’s tell a sacred story today!¹

(Audio recordings and phonetic transcriptions of Ojibwe words can be found at the bottom of this page!)

Many strings of lives ago, an abinoojiinyens (baby) vanished into the dense forest near a bay filled with many spirits.² Her grieving parents aged and eventually lost hope of ever seeing her again. Ten summers later, to their amazement, the child returned to the lakeside camp where her people spent their summers. Now a young girl, she communicated to her parents using bear gestures and language, explaining that she had been raised by makwag, the black bears! Not used to human company, she spent her time playing by the waters of the nearby bay. The villagers at the summer settlement, recognizing her uniqueness, left her undisturbed.

One day, the girl became friends with a spirit that rose from the bay's waters. She spent a lot of time with this being, which lived in an underwater cave, and they became very close. As time passed, she grew into an oshkiniigikwe (young woman). Her community began calling her Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe,³ meaning “Middle of Lakeshore Standing Woman,” because she was always seen by the bay and sometimes seemed to vanish into the lake behind it. A young man, observing her from afar, noticed she returned his glances, and they soon decided to marry.

After Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe and her husband settled into a wiigiwaam at the summer camp and hung their garments together, she went to the bayshore to bid farewell to the underwater cave spirit she had come to know. The spirit, feeling her sorrow, reassured her, telling her she could rely on it if she ever needed help; she only had to call its name into the wind, and it would rise from the lake's depths to assist her.

As time went by, Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe, who had left behind her bear habits and learned to speak her people's language, had many children. She became an important ogimaakwe (female leader) in her community, and her renown spread far and wide. One spring day, a mizhinawe (messenger) came to her village, announcing that she and her entire community were invited to a ceremony in a large village located in the heart of a beautiful area of rapids and waterfalls, a few weeks' journey to the east.⁴

After loading the jiimaanan (canoes) with items for the ceremony, the villagers set out onto Anishinaabewi-gichigami, the Great Ojibwe Lake (Superior). The fleet included at least thirty canoes! They had only been paddling for a brief period when atayaa! a massive storm erupted on the bay, and in an instant, the sky and water transformed from blue to black! In the distance, haunting calls of maangwag (loons) mingled with the sounds of thunder and lightning! The Anishinaabeg, witnessing fierce swirling water and waves forming before them, quickly tossed handfuls of asemaa (tobacco) to appease the sky spirits—but it was too late!

Incident at Thunder Bay painting by Zhaawano Giizhik

A tremendous thunderclap resounded from the storm, and the frightened travelers saw the animikiiwag, the winged thunder beings, fighting against the mishi-ginebigag—huge horned reptiles living at the lake's depths. The mishiginebigag appeared to outnumber the thunder beings, driving them back to their sanctuary on Thunder Mountain,⁵ and pursued Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe's fleet, pulling several jiimaananan (canoes) underwater. Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe, aboard one of the jiimaanan, managed to rescue her children from the water and lift them into a remaining canoe. The serpents, however, continued their assault, prompting her to call out her spirit-friend's name into the wind: "Mishibizhiw! Mishibizhiw!" In the blink of an eye, ahaawa! a shadow with spikes and horns charged across the waves toward the menacing snakes! Instantly, the serpents turned to confront the approaching water lynx, leading to a fierce battle in the turbulent waters. When the battle concluded, the Anishinaabeg were horrified to see that the mishibizhiw had been pulled under...

Then, suddenly, the storm cleared, and the Anishinaabeg paddled their canoes to the nearest shore. As soon as she pulled her jiimaan onto the land, Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe knelt on the beach. She cried for her friend, the spirit lynx, who had sacrificed itself to save her and her people...but, ahaawa! unexpectedly, her thought-to-be-lost friend emerged from the bay, holding mishi-ginebig ogimaa (the chief of the water serpents) in its mouth. After dropping it on the sand, Mishibizhiw repeatedly dove under the water until it had placed all the dead serpents before Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe's people. Then, atayaa! The dead snakes transformed into copper! Mishibizhiw spoke to the Anishinaabeg: "Indinawemaaganidog! My relatives! I brought you these gifts from the depths of the lake. Remember this moment and ensure you honor them as long as the sun rises in the east and there is water in the lake!"

Giiwenh. This is the story of how the Anishinaabeg came to possess miskwaabik, the sacred ore known as copper. And Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe? She is still honored as the courageous woman who was deeply connected to the lake and the introduction of copper to the Anishinaabe people. Because of this, I like to think of her as the first nibi-ogichidaakwe: warrior of the water. One might say that, being the pioneer in a lineage of water protectors, a movement that gained prominence with the Annual Women’s Water Walk,

Geget sa go, Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe, She-Who-Stands-in-the-Middle-of-Lakeshore, was indeed the forerunner of its founder, the late Josephine Mandamin, the Thunder Mountain-based Mother Earth Water Walker and Water Warrior...

FOOTNOTES:

¹ "Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe and the Gift from the Great Lake" is a free adaptation of an Ojibwe aadizookaan (a ceremonial narrative of a sacred nature), as recounted by Ogimaawab Sutherland from Pagwachuan (Pagwa River), Ontario. The tale emphasizes a mutual and respectful relationship between the Anishinaabe people and the water spirits. The author chose to set his narrative against the backdrop of Animikii-wiikwed, known today as Thunder Bay in Ontario, the legendary home of, among others, Animikii-binesiwag (the Thunderbirds); mishibizhiwag (horned underwater spirits); and nibaad-misaabe (the rock formation called Sleeping Giant). ^

² A bay that harbored many spirits: Animikii-wiikwed, present-day Thunder Bay in Ontario. This bay in Lake Superior, which derives its name from the presence of amimikii-binesiwag (Thunderbirds) in the area, holds a deeply spiritual meaning for the local Indigenous people as the dwelling place of mishibizhiwag, powerful cat-like water spirits that control the moods and tides of the water. Mishinizhiwag are often depicted with copper horns, which are symbols of great power, and with palmed paws that enable them to swim fast; their backs and long tails are believed to be covered with scales, often made of pure copper as well, which is a sacred metal in Ojibwe and Ininew (Cree) culture. The Ojibweg, Odaawaag, and Bodewadmik as well as the Ininewak honor the Mishibizhiw as one whose long, slashing tail controls the moods of the Lakes and as a (potentially) dangerous guard of rapids and swift or troubled waters. Yet, no matter how scary and potentially dangerous mishibizhiwag are to Anishinaabe and Ininiw peoples, they love and respect them greatly because they provide them with protection and medicine and secure successful hunts and an abundance of food.

Besides the mishibizhiwag, Thunder Bay is also known for harboring Wenabozho, the long-time friend and teacher of the Anishinaabeg peoples, who rests in the bay in the shape of rock formation called nibaad-misaabe (the Sleeping Giant).Tradition has it that one day Wenabozho was turned into stone to act as a guardian of sacred silver and copper deposit in the bay. ^

³ Pronounced: nahw·a-gahm·ih-gah-baw'ick-KWEH. "Naawagaamigaabawi'ik" ([nahw·a-gahm·ih-gah-baw-'ICK]) was the the vocative form (the name used when directly addressing her). Refer to Phonetic Writing Chart #1 for pronunciation guidance. ^

⁴ A beautiful place adorned with numerous rapids and waterfalls: Baawiting, "the Place at the Rapids," the area around Baawitigong (present-day Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario and Michigan)). ^

⁵ Thunderbird Mountain: Animikii-wajiw in the Ojibwe language, is a table mountain situated south of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, on the First Nation Reserve of the Fort William First Nation.

It is the highest, northernmost, and most renowned of the Nor'Wester Mountains. It was formed during a period of magmatic activity linked to the extensive Midcontinent Rift System about 1,100 million years ago. The local Anishinaabeg, who have used the mountain for sacred ceremonies since time immemorial, refer to it as Animikii-wajiw because it is flanked by steep cliffs rising 900 feet above Thunder Bay, where the wintering Thunderbirds reside in large nests of stone. In the illustration titled "Incident at Thunder Bay," the author portrayed Animikii-wajiw as a lodge with pine trees atop it; within, there is a fire and a thunderbird symbol releasing lightning. ^

ILLUSTRATIONS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

Gichigami Miigiwewin ("Gift From the Great Lake") ©2025-2026 Zhaawano Giizhik
Maji-izhiwebad Animikii-wiikwedong (Incident at the Bay of Thunder) ©2026 Zhaawano Giizhik

THE LINKS:

Reflections of the Great Lakes: The Lake is Singing My Song

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Nibi, Source of Life

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Look into the Water of a Clear Lake

Reflections of the Great Lakes: We Are Still Here!

Reflections of the Great Lakes: The Spirit of Manoomin

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Mishi-ginebig, Patron of Healing and Wisdom

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Mishi-name, The Great Sturgeon

Reflections of the Great Lakes: A Good Way of Life

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Earth Song

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Sunset at Gichigami

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Encounter with a Black Bear

Reflections of the Great Lakes: The Lake Remembers

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Tobacco, Sacred Gifts of the Thunderbirds

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Zhingibis and the Spirit of the North Wind

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Zhingibis and the Heart Berry

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Why I Use Silver in My Wedding Rings

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Animosh and the Twins

Reflections of the Great Lakes: They Speak From a Great Distance

Reflections of the Great Lakes: Song of the Sturgeon

Reflections of the Great Lakes: The Great Battle Between Wenabozho and Mishibizhiw

Reflections of the Great Lakes; Naawagaamigaabawi'ikwe and the Gift From the Great Lake

PRONUNCIATION DICTIONARY*

aadizookaanan: sacred (traditional) stories