Lesson Three
Traditional Stories of Michigan Indians
UNIT THREE: THE HISTORY OF MICHIGAN
The BIG Ideas
Stories were an important part of the cultures
of Michigan Indians.
Stories were used to teach lessons, to explain
things and to pass along history.
Stories were passed down through time.
People of the Three Fires
An alliance of three similar Native
American groups in Michigan
Example: The Ottawa, the Potawatomi,
and the Ojibway are three groups that are
known as the People of the Three Fires.
culture
the way of life of a group of people
Example: The People of the Three Fires
had cultures that were much alike.
Cultural Components Include
 Housing styles
 Foods
 Objects they made
 STORIES they told
Stories had many PURPOSES
 Stories were often designed to teach a lesson.
 Stories often explained things people didn’t understand
such as why there was thunder, or why the leaves changed
colors.
 Stories were created to help people remember important
historical events.
 Stories helped pass time on long winter nights.
legend
a story from long ago that is passed down
through time
Example: Legends of Michigan Indians
can help us understand more about their
cultures.
Lady Slipper Flower
Where do you think
this flower got its
name?
Source: http://www.send-flowers-online.ws/images/minnesota-ladys-slipper.jpg
“The Legend of the Lady Slipper”
by: Lise Lunge-Larsen and Margi Preus
 How did natural things like the snow and the ice help
her on her journey?
 What does this tell us about how Indians viewed the
relationship between people and nature?
 What parts of the story seem realistic? What parts
seem like fantasy?
 What does the story explain in the end?
Story Elements of__________________
Main Characters
Setting
What is the story
about?
What was the
lesson of the story?
What does it tell us
about the people
who told the story?
Story Elements
Sample Chart for: Legend of the Lady Slipper
A young girl
Main
Characters
Setting
What is the
legend about?
What was the
lesson of the
story?
What does it
tell us about the
people who told
the legend?
Her brother
An old woman in another village
A northern area with two Ojibwe villages
It’s about how a young girl makes a dangerous journey to get medicine for the
people of her village.

Courage is often rewarded.

Help others when you can.

Family and your village are worth sacrificing for.

They believed courage was important.

They believed you should respect and help take care of your family and village.

They believed you can learn from nature around you.
“The Legend of the Lady Slipper”
by Kathy-Jo Wargin
Story Elements of__________________
Main Characters
Setting
What is the story
about?
What was the
lesson of the story?
What does it tell us
about the people
who told the story?
Do you think the legend of the lady slipper
may have been based on true events?
This story may have told of a real village in
which many people became ill.
The main character may have been based on
a young girl who actually lived in the past.
“Shingebiss”
This story is a very different type of story.
This legend is about a special kind of duck,
a merganser duck, which dives under water
to catch fish.
Glossary of Ojibwe
Words
“Shingebiss”
 What were some of the ways the duck managed to
survive winter?
 What kind of things did Winter Maker do to defeat
the duck?
 Why do you think Winter Maker was so angry when
the duck kept finding ways to survive?
 Do you think this story really happened in the past?
Why or why not?
 Why do you think the picture of the people ice
fishing was included as the last picture in the book?
Story Elements of “Shingebiss”
Main Characters
Setting
What is the story
about?
What was the
lesson of the story?
What does it tell us
about the people
who told the story?
Story Elements
Sample Chart for: Shingebiss
Main
Characters
Setting
What is the
legend about?
What was the
lesson of the
story?
What does it
tell us about the
people who told
the legend?
Shingebiss, the duck
Winter Maker
Along
It is about how the duck survived winter by learning to adapt.

It pays to be resourceful.

Little creatures can defeat big ones if they try hard.


Learn from nature around you.
They believed courage was important.

They believed that being resourceful was a good trait.

They believed all living things have lessons to teach.

They believed that some people are helped by a manitou, or great spirit.
Stories
Stories can help us understand about the cultures of the
people who passed the stories along.
They can help us understand what people valued and
what their beliefs were.
Stories can also be clues to the past.
For example, the “Legend of the Lady Slipper” probably
tells the story of a real village of the past.
Using Stories as Historical Clues
Strengths
Weaknesses
Using Stories as Historical Clues
Sample Answers
Strengths
Weaknesses
 They can help us understand
what people of the past
believed.
 Stories and legends get changed
over time as they are passed from
one person to another.
 They can help us understand
how people viewed nature.
 Stories often have exaggeration
in them.
 They can help us understand
some things about the culture
of people such as the kinds of
villages they lived in.
 Stories often have many made-up
parts.
How the Beaver Got His Tail
An Ojibwa Legend
Once upon a time there was a beaver that loved to brag about his tail. One day
while taking a walk, the beaver stopped to talk to a bird. The beaver said to the
bird, "Don't you love my fluffy tail?"
"Why, yes I do little beaver," said the bird.
"Don't you wish your feathers were as fluffy as my tail? Don't you wish your
feathers were as strong as my tail? Don't you wish your feathers were just as
beautiful as my tail?" the beaver asked.
"Why do you think so much of your tail, little beaver?" asked the bird. This made
the beaver mad and he walked away.
After walking for a while, he stopped for a drink by the river and saw a muskrat.
He walked to the muskrat and said, "Hello little muskrat. What do you think
about my tail?"
"Well, it is very beautiful and big and fluffy," answered the muskrat. "Is it also a
strong tail?"
"Why, yes it is," the beaver answered. "Do you wish you had a tail like mine?"
"I didn't say I wanted a tail like yours. I just asked if it was strong," the muskrat
said with a disgusted voice.
The beaver quickly turned and began walking back to his home. He was angry
because he felt that the animals were being rude to him. He was very upset and
decided to take out his anger by cutting down trees.
After cutting down a couple of trees, he came to a very large one. He knew that it
would be a great challenge for him. So he went to it. But as he was cutting, he kept
thinking about his tail. He didn't notice that he was cutting at a bad angle. Before
he knew what was happening, the tree began to fall toward him.
He jumped to get out of the way, but he didn't jump fast enough. The huge tree
fell on his beautiful tail! He tugged and pulled and finally dug away the earth to
free himself.
When he finally pulled his tail from under the tree, he saw that it was flat. The
beaver was very sad and started to cry. As he was crying he heard a voice. It was
the Creator.
"Why are you crying?" asked the Creator.
"A tree has crushed my beautiful tail," the beaver cried. "Now no one will like
me.“
The Creator told him that a beaver is not liked for his tail but for his kindness and
wisdom. He also told him how to use his flat tail. "Now your tail will help you
swim rapidly," the Creator said. "And when you want to signal a message to a
friend, all you have to do is slap your tail on the water."
Hearing this made the beaver happy again. When the animals saw his flattened
tail they were shocked! But the beaver said, "It is better this way."
From that day on, the beaver never bragged about his tail, and all the animals
liked him.
That's how the beaver got his flat tail.
How Beaver Got His Tail. http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/HowTheBeaverGotHisTail-Ojibwa.html
How the Beaver Got His Tail
An Ojibwa Legend
Story Elements Chart
Main Characters
Setting
What is the story
about?
What does it tell
us about the
people who told
the story?
How the Beaver Got His Tail
An Ojibwa Legend
Story Elements Chart
Main Characters
Setting
What is the story
about?
What does it tell
us about the
people who told
the story?
•A beaver
•A muskrat
•A bird
•The Creator
A forest area
It is about a beaver that brags about his tail and ends up
with a flat tail because he isn’t watching what he is doing
when he tries to cut down a big tree.
They believed you should not brag too much.
They believed it was good to take on a challenge.
They believed wisdom and kindness were good traits.