Star Stories, part 44: Wenabozho, Mighty Shapeshifter of the Night Sky

zhaawano
2 hours ago
7 min read

Makwa-giizis (Bear Moon)/Namebini-giizis (Suckerfish Moon), February 3, 2026

"In a village across the Gichigami-ziibi,1 within a beautiful land of cascades and rapids, there lived a man who possessed the gift of inaabandamowin (dreaming). His name was Jiingwan (Stone Falling out of the Sky), and he was part of the waabizheshi doodem (the Marten Clan).

One day, Jiingwan (pronounced: gene-GUN) took his drum and pipe bag and climbed a bluff that overlooked the river. Upon reaching the top, he played his hand drum and sang a sacred song:

Nin debaab aazhawi-anangoong,
Giga gikinoowezhigoog jiingwanan.
Nin debidan aazhawi-anangoong,
Giga noondagoog aadizookaanag.
Gaagige gidebitaagooz.
Nizoongitaagozi, niminowe.
Baashkanang giga mizhinawe-ig.
Ji-mino-dodoman, nibawaajige.

'I can see beyond the stars
The meteors will guide.
I can hear beyond the stars.
The spirit helpers will hear.
Your voice is without time.
My voice is strong and good.
Through a Shooting Star will you speak
And I will have good dreams.'

He sat there for three days, and on the following night, he dreamt of leaving aki (our world). Like a meteor, he soared through the giizhigoon (skies), circling the sun four times. His spirit journey then took him onto the Thunderbird Path, a shadowy, winding road lined with countless ode’iminaganzhiin (strawberry bushes) and boodawaan (campfires).
The beings he encountered on this road were gray, shapeless, and silent, seemingly intent on avoiding him. Some danced slowly as if in a trance, each following their own rhythm. To his left, a ghastly river with still waters, smelling and appearing like death, flowed sluggishly alongside the road. Various creatures of the water clans sat silent and still on its barren banks, as if awaiting something or someone. "What are they waiting for?" he wondered. He traveled past countless planets and stars, with the river's dark shimmer always on his left. In the distance, he observed turtles leaving a shimmering trail of cedar leaves behind them, and suddenly he grasped the sacred connection between the cedar trees and the Anishinaabe people...which reminded him of how intricately the physical and spiritual worlds,  the earthly and the celestial, are linked. 2 Then, four namewag (lake sturgeons), seemingly composed of stardust and each carrying a pipe, appeared from the corner of his right eye and danced before him in a single line, and from his left eye, he noticed several nigigwag (otters) with silverly pelts swimming and sliding up and down the river shore. It seemed as though they were guiding him somewhere... 

Then, in the corner of his right eye, he noticed the Wenabozho constellation drawing near. He perceived what resembled a hunter to him, his long arms encompassing the entire sky, aiming his bow toward a vast opening in the sky, a bagonegiizhig (hole in the sky) surrounded by seven twinkling stars....3 Suddenly, the gap engulfed him, and he was transported to another world, vibrant with colors and harmonious sounds..."

– A passage from the tale "Jiingwan and the Blood Star"

WHAT'S THE STORY OF THE WENABOZHO STAR?

Anishinaabe Aki, the land of the Ojibwe peoples, encompasses a vast area extending from Quebec in the east to British Columbia in the west, and from Oklahoma in the south to Ontario in the north. This extensive range leads to a wide variety of dialects and traditional stories. Consequently, it's not surprising that the tales of the night sky also have multiple variations. This explains why there are at least two different versions of the Wenabozho Anang, the Wenabozho star constellation that can be observed on clear nights during the summer moons.

Though commonly linked to the constellation Scorpius, particularly the "curly tail," some traditions associate Wenabozho with the character of Gaa-biboonikaan ("He Who Brings Winter"), depicting him in the Night Sky as he chases the Moose and other Hoof Clans with his Bow.

Who is Wenabozho? Known also as Nanabush or Nanabozho, Wenabozho is a cherished trickster and transformer, frequently depicted as a hare. He is the elder brother and mentor to the Anishinaabeg and is closely related to Ma’iingan, the Wolf. Numerous stories about Wenabozho exist, and by tradition, these tales are shared orally when snow covers the ground.

According to the most common tradition, Wenabozho has a counterpart in the night sky, where he can be seen in the southeast during the Ode’imini-giizis (Strawberry Moon; June). The Wenabozho constellation corresponds to the star formation known as Scorpio in Western astronomy. This constellation is often illustrated as Wenabozho aiming an arrow at the Mishibizhiw Gaa-ditibaanowe’ (Great Lynx, the Curly Tai; also known as Leo and Hydra in Latin and Greek). The Wenabozho constellation is situated at the end of Binesiwi-miikana, “the Thunderbird’s Path,” which is also referred to as Jiibay-miikana/zibii, “the Path/River of Souls” (the Milky Way).

In some regions, the Anishinaabeg link the Gaa-biboonikaan constellation with Wenabozho Anang (Nanabozho Anang) during the summer months. The earlier story about Jiingwan traveling along the Path of Souls is connected to this specific representation of Wenabozho in the sky. In this narrative, Wenabozho is portrayed as a summer constellation that indicates the path to the celestial origin of the Anishinaabe Peoples.

In this ancient Anishinaabe tradition, Gaa-biboonikaan guides the jiibayag (soul-spirits of the deceased) toward our source and origin, known as Bagoni-giizhig or the "Hole in the Sky," which is a constellation the ancient Greeks called the Pleiades. Through this Hole in the Sky, the jiibayag (spirits) of the departed Anishinaabeg journey home along the Trail of Spirits. As spring nears, the winter constellation descends, and the great hunter Wenabozho rises to take its place. When the first snowfall arrives, Wenabozho and the Winter Bringer switch places once more. This cycle will continue as long as stars illuminate the Forever-Sky. Even today, Anishinaabe Elders and community members recount to the children, through song, the story of how these celestial hunters exchange positions in the night sky. Sharing these tales in winter represents the life cycle throughout the year.

For the Anishinaabeg, the sighting of the Wenabozho figure in the night sky signals ecological transitions, like the thawing of ice and the onset of warmer temperatures. Tales of Wenabozho are integral to a broader, dynamic celestial narrative that educates the Anishinaabeg about their history, spiritual beliefs, and the cycle of life.

In the upper left corner of the illustration at the top of the page, the great hunter and shapeshifter Wenabozho is shown inside a star with long arms that stretch across the night sky. Wenabozho is depicted aiming his bow at the Bagonegiizhig star formation. The Bagonegiizhig, known as the Hole in the Sky star cluster and called Pleiades by the ancient Greeks, consists of seven stars and serves as a celestial gateway for spirits to travel. In addition to acting as an entrance to the Jiibay-miikana, the Path of Souls, intended for the soul-spirits of the deceased to journey to their final resting place among the stars, it was through Bagonegiizhig that Giizhigookwe (Sky Woman) descended to the Earth in order to lower the anishinaabeg (first humans) to the earth. The otter in the painting, outlined by stars and depicted with a miigis (cowry shell) in its belly, symbolizes the sacred connection between Wenabozho, the night sky, and the Midewiwin, the Medicinal Society of the Anishinaabe Peoples on earth.

Haw sa. The Anishinaabe star stories, like those of Wenabozho Anang and the Gaa-biboonikaan, illustrate that although the star constellations and asterisms in these tales might not always align with Western astronomical maps, they represent a metaphorical night sky filled with stars that express a profound truth. This truth pertains to our shared understanding of our roles and responsibilities as Anishinaabeg in the world...

>To read more about the Midewiwin, Wenabozho, and the otter, please refer to: Dance of the Otter.