Star Stories, part 46: The Children Who Walked Upon the Water
- zhaawano
- Feb 6
- 5 min read
Makwa-giizis (Bear Moon)/Namebini-giizis (Suckerfish Moon), February 6, 2026
Boozhoo, aaniin! Biindigen miinawaa nindaadizooke wigamigong; enji-zaagi'iding miinawaa gikendaasong. Ninga-aadizooke noongom giizhigad! "Greetings, my relatives. I welcome you warmly. Welcome once more to my Storytelling Lodge, a place of love and knowledge. Let's share a story today!"
Jiingwan, the protagonist of our tale, had a vision. In this vision, he traveled for days through a mysterious celestial realm among the stars. After crossing a vast barren plain, he reached its edge. There, at the very boundary of this land, he encountered a gookominaan (elderly woman) whose face was blackened, and her eyes were filled with deep sorrow. She was kneeling next to what seemed to him like a massive mishiginebig (Horned Underwater Snake). This river carried dark, ominous water that spanned wide and far across the Galaxy, so wide that he couldn't see the opposite shore! Jiingwan instinctively understood it was the same haunting river he had come across before: it was Jiibay-ziibi, the river of souls!
The elderly woman was rocking slowly back and forth and wailed with sorrow and despair. After Jiingwan had greeted her with what he thought to be the proper deference and protocol, he asked her in a soft voice, aaniin dash wenji-mawiyan, nooko? Why are you crying, grandmother? After a long silence, her blank gaze — obviously caused by a terrible pain — directed at the cold river, the grandmother started to speak in a quavering voice. She told Jiingwan about the Wiindigoo ogimaa who had wiped out the Fish Clan People.
“Ever since the Wiindigoo ogimaa annihilated all the fish clan members in his community, we, the survivors, have been on the run. They vowed to eradicate all our other doodemag as well! Once, there were numerous villages filled with many Anishinaabeg, but now only I and a few abinoojiinyag (children) remain! We had to escape to this land beyond the sun, moon, and stars, and we run, and we run, and we run, yet there is no hope for us. The Galactic River of Souls is the original home of the Wiindigoo Nation, and the chief of the Wiindigoo Nation, capable of moving through time and space to reach his prey, has found us and arrived at this sky land where we hide. Now he continues to prey upon us. I am merely a mindimooyens, an old woman; what can I do? Soon our People will be extinct, but until then, we must engage in the ritual of makadekewin (fasting) and waaseyaabindamowin (questing for dream). Until that day comes, we have no choice but to seek solace and relief from the aadizookaanag (spirit helpers) and bawaajiganag (dream visitors), and just keep running. I will be the last of my People, and this knowledge weighs heavy on my old heart.”
Jiingwan, still in a dream-like state, noticed movement in the river from the corner of his eye. He heard faint cries that he believed were from abinoojiinyag, and upon closer inspection, he was startled to see eight small ghostly figures, their tiny feet running across the river's surface. Like the grandmother before him, their hollow-eyed faces were painted black, the color of death! The echoes of their tiny footsteps on the river, bouncing between its misty banks and dark sandbars, sent chills down his spine!
“Aaniishnaa! Awenen igiwe abinoojiinhyag nookoo?” he asked the old woman. “What in the world! Who are those children, grandmother?” The old woman explained to Jiingwan that, in an effort to prevent her people from becoming extinct, she had gathered about forty children who had survived the massacre by the wiindigoog and taken them to the land beyond the sky dome. There, she had them practice running on the black river bank where she now stood, back and forth, all day, every day, to prepare for the return of the fearsome wiindigoo. When that day arrives, she said, one of the remaining children will need to outrun this wiindigoo. Many children had perished during previous encounters with the cannibal, and now only eight abinoojiinyag were left. She explained to Jiingwan that with each race, another child died. She was the last one to race the monster…
After a prolonged silence, during which he contemplated gookominaan’s tale, Jiingwan inquired of the old woman how the children managed to run on water without sinking. The grandmother then explained that water is fundamentally a healing source. However, due to the trauma they had endured, the children could only run on the water's surface. The old woman, having gathered them from different parts of Anishinaabe Aki at a young age to hide them from the wiindigoog, noted that they were unaware of their doodem or who their parents were. They couldn't even recall their own names! They were entirely lost and nameless to themselves, to one another, and to the old woman, who felt deep compassion for them. This is why she understood the vital importance of them undergoing the ancient healing ceremonies of their People.
Grandmother explained to Jiingwan that participating in healing ceremonies is akin to delving into one's subconscious, and that entering the healing water is analogous to this process. She noted that as children, we develop in our mother's womb, enveloped by water, which is a safe environment for most of us to grow and thrive. With a deep sigh, she added: “But nowadays, the world children are born into is not a safe place. Wiindigoog, in various forms, threaten them and harm their bodies and souls. Both the ceremonies and the water assist in healing these wounds and restoring their emotional balance. It is only when these unfortunate children partake in the ceremonies that they learn to submerge in the water once more, and only then can they begin to heal their spirits and emotions.”
“I understand what you’re saying, nookoo,” Jiingwan replied, “but why do you make them run constantly instead of holding a ceremony with them?” The old woman, with deep sadness in her hollow eyes, explained that she had no choice because the wiindigoo that emerged from the earth would only cease killing the Anishinaabeg if one of them could defeat it in a race. “This, ningwiise, is why we keep running and running, until we can run no more…”
With a deep sigh, she continued, “Only after they have defeated this wiindigoo will the abinoojiinyag be permitted to enter the ceremony and heal. It is only then that they will no longer be condemned to walk on the water's surface; only then will they be able to swim in it rather than having to walk above it…”
Illustration: "Wiindigoo and the Children of the Fish Clan" ©2026 Zhaawano Giizhik
Comments