--- title: I. Menabozho and His Three Brothers — Wigwam stories told by North American Indians · full text with trees description: I. Menabozho and His Three Brothers, «Wigwam stories told by North American Indians» by Mary Catherine Judd: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: The Indians tell that, in a time so long ago no one can tell when, four brothers were born on this earth. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/70/) [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/) / [Wigwam stories told by North American…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/) / I. Menabozho and His Three Brothers # I. Menabozho and His Three Brothers I. Menabozho and His Three Brothers of «Wigwam stories told by North American Indians» by Mary Catherine Judd: the whole text, 44 sentences and 660 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. The Indians tell that, in a time so long ago no one can tell when, four brothers were born on this earth.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") The first was Menabozho, who is the friend of all the human race.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") The second was Chibiabos, who cares for the dead and lives in the Country of Souls.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") The third was Wabose.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") He ran far away to the north and was changed into a rabbit, but is still very powerful.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") The fourth was Chokanipok, the Man of Flint.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") Menabozho did not love his fourth brother, the stone man, and had many battles with him.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") These battles were long and terrible.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Traces of them can be found to this day.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") Chokanipok’s body was as large as a mountain.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") In one of these battles Menabozho’s arrows tore off many pieces of flesh from him.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") These changed into flint stones when they touched the earth, and men made fire by striking two of them together.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") At last Menabozho conquered, for he had more love for man in his heart than had his brother, and the great firestone giant fell, and his pieces are scattered everywhere.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") This gave Menabozho courage, and he traveled all over the earth teaching men how to use stone and bone.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") He taught them how to make stone axes.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") He showed them how to make snares and traps so as to catch fishes and birds.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") He taught the women how to weave mats and beautiful baskets.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") While he traveled he saw the huge creatures whose bones are now dug up from far under the ground.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") Menabozho slew these animals himself and hid them away.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") He opened the pathway for the rivers between the hills and mountains.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") He made the earth ready for the Indian.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") Menabozho placed four spirits at the four sides of the heavens.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") The spirit which he put in the north sends snow and ice so that the Indian may hunt during the cold moons.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") The spirit in the south sends the warm wind and gives the red man corn, melons, and tobacco.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") The spirit that stands in the west sends the rain, and the spirit in the east gives light to the earth.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") Some Indian legends say that Menabozho now lives on an ice mountain in the great sea.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") If he, by any chance, were driven from his home all things would burn if he should touch his feet to the ground to spring into the air.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") The end would come, for the sun could never shine again without Menabozho to guide it from the east to the west.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") When this great manitou walked on the earth his steps measured as long as the steps one tribe would take in one day.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") He could step over mountains and think they were only ant-hills.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") He could step over a large lake.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") If he wished, he could make himself as short as a man.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") He had great power.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") It is told that a little child once outwitted him.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") The boy was playing outside his mother’s lodge and dared the manitou to do as he did.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") The manitou loved the child and waited to see what it did.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") The boy lay down and put his toe into his mouth.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") Menabozho tried to do this same thing and could not.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") He told the boy to wish for anything and that he should have it.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") The boy wished for long life.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") Menabozho changed the child into a white-cedar tree, and the tree stood for hundreds of winters in the place where the child had stood when he wished for long life.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") It was not far from where he lay by his mother’s wigwam when he dared the great Menabozho to a deed the manitou could not perform.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") It was in this way the wise manitou punished the boy.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") It is not well for any one to be wiser than a manitou, for even the flint stones show that these spirits are very powerful.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [Menabozho, or the Great White Hare](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/69/) - next →: [II. Story of the Deluge](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/71/) - ↑ back to [Wigwam stories told by North American Indians](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/)