--- title: Myths and Folk-lore of the Timagami Ojibwa., part 5 — Myths and Folk-lore of the Timiskaming Algonquin… · full text with trees · page 2 description: Myths and Folk-lore of the Timagami Ojibwa., part 5, «Myths and Folk-lore of the Timiskaming Algonquin and Timagami Ojibwa» by Frank G. Speck: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: So one time the Beaver sent a man to invite all the people to another f --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66509/15/page/2/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Myths and Folk-lore of the Timiskaming…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66509/) / Myths and Folk-lore of the Timagami Oj… # Myths and Folk-lore of the Timagami Ojibwa., part 5 · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66509/15/) **2** (9) The Man Who Transformed a Doll into a Woman and Followed Her into the World Above.[106](../../106/ "tree and pragmatics") There was once a man.[107](../../107/ "tree and pragmatics") He was hunting.[108](../../108/ "tree and pragmatics") He had his own wigwam, where he lived with an old man and an old woman who called him grandchild.[109](../../109/ "tree and pragmatics") He did not even know his father and mother.[110](../../110/ "tree and pragmatics") He had never seen young people, so when he became about twenty years old, he began to think that he ought to get himself a wife.[111](../../111/ "tree and pragmatics") So he started out and travelled all over, but could not find one.[112](../../112/ "tree and pragmatics") At last, one day, he took a piece of wood and tried to carve for himself a big doll.[113](../../113/ "tree and pragmatics") He worked hard and after a while he made it so nearly perfect that it could speak a little.[114](../../114/ "tree and pragmatics") It was a female, but it did not seem to be complete quite yet.[115](../../115/ "tree and pragmatics") Said the doll to him, “Put me in your wigwam, cover me up, and do not look at me for three days.[116](../../116/ "tree and pragmatics") Be sure not to look, because if you do, I won’t be here.”[117](../../117/ "tree and pragmatics") “All right,” said he; and placed his doll in his wigwam.[118](../../118/ "tree and pragmatics") To remove himself from the temptation of breaking her rule he went away by himself and stayed the first night.[119](../../119/ "tree and pragmatics") The next afternoon he came back and began wondering to himself.[120](../../120/ "tree and pragmatics") “If I sleep here,” thought he, “I might, indeed, be tempted to look.”[121](../../121/ "tree and pragmatics") The more he pondered, the more he weakened.[122](../../122/ "tree and pragmatics") At last, he decided to take a little look.[123](../../123/ "tree and pragmatics") He peeped inside the wigwam and saw a very nice-looking young girl seated there.[124](../../124/ "tree and pragmatics") Then, gaining control of himself, he hurried away and camped again that night alone.[125](../../125/ "tree and pragmatics") The third day he came back again to look at his wife.[126](../../126/ "tree and pragmatics") When he came near the camp, he went to the water-hole.[127](../../127/ "tree and pragmatics") \[37\] There he saw a woman’s track going away from the water-hole.[128](../../128/ "tree and pragmatics") Thought he to himself, “Alas! my wife has gone.”[129](../../129/ "tree and pragmatics") He walked up to the wigwam, looked in, and found that the woman had actually gone.[130](../../130/ "tree and pragmatics") \[38\][131](../../131/ "tree and pragmatics") He now decided to follow her.[132](../../132/ "tree and pragmatics") He went to the woods, cut a piece of cedar, and made himself a bow and a lot of arrows.[133](../../133/ "tree and pragmatics") The next day he started—this was two days after the woman had left.[134](../../134/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he walked very fast, starting early in the morning.[135](../../135/ "tree and pragmatics") Soon he came to a small lake lying still and frozen.[136](../../136/ "tree and pragmatics") When he reached the edge of the ice, he shot an arrow across, then he sped so fast that he reached the other side of the lake before the arrow got there.[137](../../137/ "tree and pragmatics") Before noon-time he came to where a camp was located, and going up to it, beheld an old woman cooking there.[138](../../138/ "tree and pragmatics") “Oh, my grandchild,” said she, “don’t stand there looking in the door.[139](../../139/ "tree and pragmatics") Come in and eat.”[140](../../140/ "tree and pragmatics") So he went in.[141](../../141/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he asked her whether she had seen a woman pass there.[142](../../142/ "tree and pragmatics") She answered, “Yesterday, about noon.”[143](../../143/ "tree and pragmatics") And the old woman gave him a mess of corn and said, “My dear grandchild, it is very hard where you are going.[144](../../144/ "tree and pragmatics") Many people have tried to go where your road leads; but they have never gotten there, for many creatures are seeking their lives.[145](../../145/ "tree and pragmatics") But I will help you.”[146](../../146/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she gave him a leg-bone of a lynx.[147](../../147/ "tree and pragmatics") “When you are in trouble, you may need this,” she told him.[148](../../148/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he started on, following the tracks of his woman.[149](../../149/ "tree and pragmatics") Every time he came to a lake, he shot an arrow across and sped before it as he had done at first.[150](../../150/ "tree and pragmatics") He was fast indeed.[151](../../151/ "tree and pragmatics") Soon he came to another wigwam and peeped into this as he had done into the first.[152](../../152/ "tree and pragmatics") An old woman who was cooking inside spoke to him, as had the first, and invited him to come in and eat.[153](../../153/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he asked her when she had seen the woman pass by.[154](../../154/ "tree and pragmatics") “A little after noon time,” she replied.[155](../../155/ "tree and pragmatics") Now, by this, he knew that he had not gained very much.[156](../../156/ "tree and pragmatics") As before, he ate a little snack of corn and the old woman said to him, “Where you are going will be a very hard trip for you.[157](../../157/ "tree and pragmatics") Many people try it, but never succeed.[158](../../158/ "tree and pragmatics") They die.”[159](../../159/ "tree and pragmatics") And she, too, gave him a lynx bone and told him, as the other had done, that it would help him in time of need on his journey; and he started on again, doing the same at every lake, until it began to grow late in the day.[160](../../160/ "tree and pragmatics") He had been going so fast that he felt very tired.[161](../../161/ "tree and pragmatics") By and by he came to another camp and peeped in, as before, asked the same question, and was received in the same way.[162](../../162/ "tree and pragmatics") After he had eaten here, the old woman gave him a squirrel’s tail to help him overcome the dangers which she warned him against.[163](../../163/ "tree and pragmatics") Said she, “From now on you won’t see any more camps.[164](../../164/ "tree and pragmatics") Walk very fast now.[165](../../165/ "tree and pragmatics") Soon you will see a big tree with a square trunk, which will reach very far up into the sky.[166](../../166/ "tree and pragmatics") Now you won’t see any trail, but look carefully around.[167](../../167/ "tree and pragmatics") That is where your wife climbed up.[168](../../168/ "tree and pragmatics") There are, indeed, steps cut into the trunk, but you will not be able to see them.[169](../../169/ "tree and pragmatics") To you it will look smooth.”[170](../../170/ "tree and pragmatics") So he proceeded on his way and soon came to the place she had spoken about.[171](../../171/ "tree and pragmatics") There was the big tree, but no tracks were in sight.[172](../../172/ "tree and pragmatics") Around the base he saw lots of bones, bones of people who had tried to climb but had fallen down and died.[173](../../173/ "tree and pragmatics") He was bewildered.[174](../../174/ "tree and pragmatics") Then suddenly he recollected the bones the old women had given him.[175](../../175/ "tree and pragmatics") Taking one in each hand, like a pick, he began climbing up the great tree.[176](../../176/ "tree and pragmatics") At last he ascended so high that the bones began to wear away.[177](../../177/ "tree and pragmatics") When they were so short that he could hardly use them, he looked down.[178](../../178/ "tree and pragmatics") He had gone so high that he could neither see the world beneath nor the end of the tree in the sky above.[179](../../179/ "tree and pragmatics") Now his bones were too short to help him, but he had his bow on his back.[180](../../180/ "tree and pragmatics") He could hardly hold on any longer, so he cried and yelled for help, but nobody could hear him.[181](../../181/ "tree and pragmatics") Soon he heard a spirit nearby which murmured to him, “Close your eyes and look through the tree.[182](../../182/ "tree and pragmatics") You will see steps to climb on.”[183](../../183/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he did as the voice said and perceived steps.[184](../../184/ "tree and pragmatics") He placed his feet in them and started running up.[185](../../185/ "tree and pragmatics") But now he made another mistake, he did not keep his eyes closed.[186](../../186/ "tree and pragmatics") When he looked, lo! he found himself back to where he had begun to climb the steps, holding on with his worn-out bones.[187](../../187/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he bethought himself of the squirrel’s tail, and at the same moment found himself transformed into a squirrel.[188](../../188/ "tree and pragmatics") He found that he could run up the great tree by tapping his tail on the trunk at each step.[189](../../189/ "tree and pragmatics") At last he came to a hole in the sky, in the middle of which the great tree protruded.[190](../../190/ "tree and pragmatics") A wide space, however, surrounded the tree, separating it from the edge of the sky.[191](../../191/ "tree and pragmatics") It would be necessary for him to jump across from the trunk to this edge.[192](../../192/ "tree and pragmatics") He made a great effort and sprang for the edge, but he just managed to catch on at the line of his waist; his upper parts, which reached above the edge, at once became human; his lower parts, extending below the edge, remained in the form of the squirrel.[193](../../193/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66509/15/) **2** - ← previous: [page 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66509/15/) - next →: [Myths and Folk-lore of the Timagami Ojibwa., part 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66509/16/) - ↑ back to [Myths and Folk-lore of the Timiskaming Algonquin and Timagami Ojibwa](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66509/)