--- title: The Creation of Man. — Ojibwa myths and tales · full text with trees description: The Creation of Man., «Ojibwa myths and tales» by Geo. E. Laidlaw: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Told by Ben Simcoe, Chippewa (Ojibwa), of Rama Reserve, Ontario County. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76755/30/) [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/) / [Ojibwa myths and tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76755/) / The Creation of Man. # The Creation of Man. The Creation of Man. of «Ojibwa myths and tales» by Geo. E. Laidlaw: the whole text, 49 sentences and 744 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. Told by Ben Simcoe, Chippewa (Ojibwa), of Rama Reserve, Ontario County.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") He (the Creator) took some clay and made a man.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") He baked it; it was not done enough.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") He threw it away; it was no good.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") This was the white man.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") He took some more clay and made another man and baked it.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") This one was baked too much, and was burnt.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") It was no good.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") He threw this away.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") This was the negro.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") He took another bit of clay and made a third man.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") He baked this and it came out all right.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") It was just right.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") This was the Indian, better than the white man or the negro.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") THUNDERBOLT.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") This story was told to Wash-a-ghe-zik by his father, and was told to his father by his grandfather.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") A young Indian, many years ago, went out to hunt early one morning, and coming on noon he got hungry and started back to camp.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") In passing a pine stub that had been struck by lightning he saw “something” sticking in the tree where the lightning hit.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") He pulled this “something” out and looked at it.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") It was about two fingers broad, and about one hand long.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") He put it back again in the tree exactly like he found it, and went on.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") When he came to camp he told his father about it, and his father and several other men, together with the young man, went back to examine it.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") Neither his father or the men with him could pull this “something” out, but the young man could; so he pulled it out, wrapped it up and took it to camp.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") This “something” would tell the young man some hours before a storm came up that the storm was coming, so that the Indians could make camp.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") The young man used to dream that he could split trees by pointing this “something” at them, but never tried it.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") He kept this for many years.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") He was about eighteen years old when he found it, and lived to be forty-seven.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") He died unmarried and his name was forgotten.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") The “something” was shiny and quivering, and nobody knew what it was made out of.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") It was lost shortly before the man died.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") Wash-a-ghe-zik had no name for this “something,” and said the Indians could not make up a name for it.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") NIM-MAH-KIE.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") Once, a long time ago, before the white man came to Canada, an Indian struck out through the bush to hunt.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") It came on a storm and he took a line for camp, which was by a little lake away up north.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") It came on worse, and the Indian crawled under a projecting pine tree.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") He saw the lightning strike several trees, and looking very closely at one tree that was struck he saw a little man (about two feet high) standing by one side of the tree, and looking again at the tree he saw another little man standing at the other side of the struck tree.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") Both these men were fine little fellows, all black and shining, and are called Nim-Mah-Kie (Thunder).[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") They climbed up in the air like they were climbing ladders, and disappeared.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") After they went up more lightning came down.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") These little men set the lightning at the trees and make the thunder.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") Thunder and lightning keep the monsters down on the land and in the lakes.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") MONSTERS.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") These monsters, which are about twelve feet long and about one and one-half to two feet thick, and which have long jaws full of teeth, and look like half fish and half snake, live in hills near lakes.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") They have underground passages from the hills to the water, and can sometimes be seen early in the morning.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") In small lakes and bays of larger lakes they move around with great swiftness, forcing the weeds and floating sticks, etc., up high on the shore, similar to swirling your hand around in a wash basin.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") Sometimes they do this with so much force that they leave the small lakes partially dry.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") One of these monsters lives in the hill just north of where the old Indian portage from Lake Simcoe enters West Bay, Balsam Lake (now Portage Road).[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") Another lives in the hill at Atherley, Rama Reserve, Lake Couchiching, and another lives up north in a lake the name of which is now forgotten.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") Thunder and lightning kill these monsters.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [John York’s Own Story.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76755/29/) - ↑ back to [Ojibwa myths and tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76755/)