Muinji’j Becomes a Man
Page 3
As he paddled along the shoreline, people saw him and pointed at him as they talked to each other. Muinji’j couldn’t hear what they were saying. Finally, he found a quiet cove. A house on top of a high hill overlooked the cove, but it was so far away that Muinji’j didn’t think anyone would mind. He pulled his canoe into the cove before making pitewey and breakfast. While he drank his pitewey, he sat back and relaxed. Muinji’j again thought of his niskamij and wondered how he was doing. Muinji’j then fell asleep again and felt refreshed when he woke up.
Muinji’j knew that now was the time to go and see the trader. He realized, however, that he had no idea how he would get all the furs to the trader. He hoped that his furs would be safe while he was gone.
Muinji’j started up over the bank to the road that would take him into the city. As he walked along, he met people that pointed at him and wondered what he was doing. He was glad his niskamij had taught him the language of the city people, but everything else was unfamiliar. Muinji’j stared back at the people staring at him. ‘Gee, they wear funny clothes,’ he thought. Their shoes were shiny, their hair was short and they wore funny hats on their heads. The girls and the women wore long dresses with big heels on their shoes. Muinji’j was amazed how different the city people looked.
He found the store as his niskamij had described. Muinji’j went through the doorway and there were people all around. He was overwhelmed by the sweet smell of candy. Immediately Muinji’j knew this was the place where he would find his candy and the sugar that his niskamij wanted. Muinji’j was still a little afraid. As he stood there looking around, the trader watched him and finally he said, “What do you want, boy?”
Muinji’j said, “I have furs to sell, sir.”
“You have furs to sell? What kind of furs do you have, boy? You have squirrels? You have rabbit furs?” he asked.
“No, sir,” Muinji’j said. “I have beaver pelts, otter pelts, fox pelts, muskrat pelts and lynx pelts. I have all kinds of furs and they’re good furs, too. My grandfather says they are good furs.”
“Where is your grandfather, boy?” he asked.
“My grandfather is...” Muinji’j didn’t want to tell him that his grandfather was so far away. “My grand father is with the canoe, sir. He’s watching the canoe. He asked me to come and see if you want to buy our furs.”
“Well, I really don’t want any furs. I have lots of furs and the prices are down,” the trader said.
“That’s okay,” Muinji’j said. “My grandfather asked me to find out where the trader named Pierre is set up.”
“Pierre! You don’t want to talk to Pierre about furs; he’ll cheat you, he’ll rob you. Bring your furs here, boy. I’ll give you a good deal even though I don’t want any furs and the prices are down. Don’t go to Pierre,” the trader said.
“How would I get them here, sir?” Muinji’j asked.
“Well, I guess I could get someone with a horse and wagon to pick them up for you if you tell me where you are,” the trader said.
Muinji’j answered, “I’m at the end of the road, in a big cove and there’s a great big house on top of the hill nearby.”
The trader responded, “Oh, good. I’ll send a wagon there later to pick up your furs and talk with your grandfather.’’
“Okay,” Muinji’j said, “I’ll be there waiting.”
Muinji’j turned to leave, but he was in such a hurry that he ran into someone. All he saw was white and fancy ribbons and long hair. Muinji’j fell down and knocked over a pile of apples. He scrambled to his feet and fell backward and landed in a puddle of water. He got up, embarrassed, as the trader came over to pick up his apples.
Muinji’j then noticed the little girl he had run into. She was standing there, mud splattered all over her pretty white dress. Her long hair was full of mud, but Muinji’j was stricken by her beautiful blue eyes. He had never seen eyes like that in his life. He tried to apologize, but all the girl could say was, “You! You! You! Do you see what you’ve done? You’ve ruined my dress!”
Muinji’j tried to apologize again, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Muinji’j stole one last look at those beautiful blue eyes and then he started to run. He didn’t stop until he got back to the canoe. Finally, he sat down and he realized how funny the whole thing was and he laughed and he laughed until he cried. After a while he felt better and he wondered where the girl with the blue eyes had come from. ‘Perhaps I’ll see her again and perhaps this time she won’t be so mad. Maybe she’ll talk to me.’ Then Muinji’j said, “Naa, that probably would never happen. Anyway, I have to get my furs ready.”
He unloaded his canoe and unpacked all his furs. There were a lot of furs and Muinji’j counted how many pelts he had from the different animals. It was then that the horse and wagon the trader had sent to pick up his furs rounded the hill. The man only grunted when Muinji’j spoke to him. “Where’s your grandfather?’ he asked.
“He went into town. He left me here to load the furs. We’ll meet him in town, sir.” Muinji’j didn’t feel good about lying, but if the trader knew he was alone, he would take advantage of it.
As he loaded the furs, Muinji’j looked up at the big house at the top of the hill and saw someone up there looking down at him. He asked the trader’s helper, “Who is that?”
“Oh, you don’t want to go up there, boy. Those people don’t like you,” the trader’s helper replied.
“What do you mean, they don’t like me?” Muinji’j asked in surprise.
“Well, they just don’t like you, so don’t go there. Don’t bother them. Leave them alone,” the trader’s helper curtly replied.
Muinji’j hopped onto the wagon all loaded with furs and rode into the city to the trader’s place. They started to haggle. Finally, Muinji’j got the prices his niskamij had said to ask for. Now, he hauled out the order that his nukumij had given him with all the supplies that she needed. At last, he had his own money that he could spend. He went around and picked out some beautiful fabric for his nukumij, some fancy thread and some new needles. He was very cautious about saving some money to buy his candy.
The candy jar was filled with Sugar Daddies. It was the same kind of candy that Muinji’j remembered. He could feel his jaw tighten. He knew how they were going to taste, how delicious they were. He bought enough candy, he figured, to feed the whole village for a month.
The trader sent the wagon back to the canoe with all the supplies and Muinji’j wondered how he would fit it all in the canoe. However, he knew this was the proper load and that it could be done. The trader’s helper unloaded all the supplies and said, “I didn’t see your grandfather.”
“Oh, he’s around. He’s probably visiting his friends,” Muinji’j said.
The trader’s helper left and Muinji’j was standing there with all the supplies scattered all over the place. Right in the middle of all the supplies, he sat down and opened his first Sugar Daddy. Muinji’j felt like he was in heaven. The taste was unbelievable and he ate his fill before he went to sleep.
Just before dark he woke up. Standing there on the beach looking at him was the same girl he had splashed with mud and water earlier. She said, “What are you doing here?”
“I came for supplies,” Muinji’j answered.
“Supplies for whom?” she wanted to know.
“These supplies belong to my grandfather,” he answered.
“Where do you come from?” the girl asked.
“It’s a long way away from here,” he replied.
“But how did you get here? Who brought you here?” she continued.
“I brought myself,” Muinji’j said. Suddenly he felt brave and he said, “Do you want a candy?”
“No, I don’t want a candy,” she said, “I’m not allowed to eat those sugary things; they’re not good for you.”
“Oh, I think they’re good,” Muinji’j said. “I’ve never tasted anything like them in my life.”
The girl came closer and
said, “You smell funny.”
He looked at her and walked around her before saying, “So do you.”
She asked, “What do you mean, I smell funny?”
He said, “Well, you don’t smell like the woods and you don’t smell like you’ve got beaver pelt on you. You don’t smell like the smoke and you don’t smell like the ocean. You have a different smell and that’s funny.”
The girl said, “You smell stinky.”
Muinji’j said, “Well, so do you. You don’t smell as good as me. I’ve got beaver pelt on me. I’ve got bear fat in my hair. I’ve got wood smoke all over me. I smell good. You smell funny. But I like your eyes. Your eyes are blue, just like the sky.”
The girl’s mood softened a little and she said, “You haven’t told me what you’re doing here.”
“I told you I came to pick up supplies. These are my supplies for my grandfather and my grandmother,” Muinji’j explained. “My grandfather is sick so I had to come here alone.”
“How many days did it take you to get here?” she asked.
Muinji’j tried to figure out how many days the trip took and he said, “Well, I think it was about five moons to get here.”
“That’s a long time,” she said.
“Oh, it was lots of fun with my grandfather. He is very smart and he knows all kinds of neat stuff. We live on the land and off the land,” Muinji’j said.
“We live in that big house up on the hill,” the girl said, “and we have servants to take care of us.”
“What are servants?” Muinji’j asked.
“They’re people who cook our food, clean our clothes, that kind of stuff,” the girl answered.
“Oh, well, we don’t have servants. All we have is my grandmother who takes care of us. I don’t wash my clothes. I only have one set of clothes,” Muinji’j said.
The girl said, “Yeah, I know. It smells like that too.”
“You keep talking about my smell,” Muinji’j said. “What’s wrong with my smell?”
“Well, you smell funny. You smell different. Your hair is long. Has no one ever told you to cut your hair?” she asked.
“I can’t cut my hair,” Muinji’j said. “That would mean that I lose my strength. Then the spirits would stay away from me.”
Muinji’j sat back and looked at the girl. He thought to himself, ‘She reminds me of a little deer, the way she moves her head. Her eyes are so shiny and bright.’
The girl said, “I have to go. I have to go home.”
Muinji’j said, “Maybe I’ll see you next year?”
“Very unlikely,” she replied. “Very unlikely.” With that she turned and went back up the hill. Muinji’j watched her go, then turned back to his big load of supplies. He opened another Sugar Daddy and settled down for a long night.
North
In the morning, Muinji’j had been up for a while when the sun came up. He was all excited and had loaded his canoe and was ready to leave. He had to get back to his niskamij. He was so pleased with what he had done. He had made a good deal. He had gotten the supplies. He had been to the city.
Muinji’j didn’t particularly care for the city and its funny smells, but he liked the girl. Maybe he would see her again.
Muinji’j pushed his canoe out into the bay and once he passed the city, he didn’t look back. His only concern now was his niskamij and how he was feeling. Muinji’j paddled hard all day. Soon he would see his niskamij again. He rounded a point and pulled onto the sandy beach where he had stopped on his way up.
Muinji’j was so tired he couldn’t unload his canoe. He lay on the beach and slept for a while. When he woke up, it was dark and Muinji’j knew he couldn’t travel in the dark because it was too dangerous. He had to stay the night. He made a fire, some pitewey and something to eat and sat on the beach, looking into the fire for the rest of the night. He dreamed about the things he would do when he got home. He would be a hero. His people would be proud of him. His niskamij would be proud of him. ‘I hope my niskamij is okay,’ he thought to himself.
When daylight came, Muinji’j didn’t waste any time. He pushed into the bay and started paddling. He paddled hard all day. He knew he was getting close to the mouth of the river. He knew he would see his niskamij soon. He was excited. His heart was beating faster and faster.
As Muinji’j rounded the point he saw the camp that he had left, but he couldn’t see his niskamij. His heart was sad. ‘Where are you Niskamij? Where are you?’ he thought.
When Muinji’j got closer to the shore he saw his niskamij standing by the mouth of the river with a large fish in his hand and a smile on his face. He was okay. Muinji’j was relieved. He was so happy to see his niskamij.
His niskamij met him at the shore and held onto the canoe. He looked at the load of supplies Muinji’j had brought. “You did good. You did good, Muinji’j. Come ashore and have some fish. I’ve caught lots of fish. Your medicine was good. Your nukumij will be pleased we’re okay.”
With that, Muinji’j ran up to his niskamij and hugged him. For the longest time, they held each other tightly and both felt that everything in the world would be fine.
Glossary
Saqamaw Chief
Muinji'j Little Bear
Niskamij Grandfather
Nukumij Grandmother
Kitpu Eagle
Qalipu Caribou
Ti'am Moose
L'mu'ji'i'j Little Dog
Pitewey Tea
Lu'skinikn Fried Bread
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank all of those who helped and encouraged me to write and publish this book.
May the Great Spirit grant you
the strength of Eagles Wings,
the faith and courage to soar to new heights,
and the wisdom of the ancients to carry you there.
Saqamaw Mi’sel Joe
March 2003
SAQAMAW MI’SEL JOE
Saqamaw Mi’sel Joe was born in Miawpukek on June 4, 1947 into a strong Mi’kmaq family; both his grandfather and uncle have held the office of hereditary Saqamaw. He has been educated in all the Mi’kmaq ways and traditions.
Currently, Mi’sel Joe is in his fourth consecutive two year term as Administrative Chief. He is also the spiritual leader of his people. In this capacity he has gained recognition provincially, nationally and internationally, particularly in the area of spiritual healing.
Saqamaw Mi’sel Joe is committed to preserving the language, culture and traditions of his people. He plays a very public role in presenting a better understanding of the Mi’kmaq people of Miawpukek to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador and all of Canada.
He lives together with his wife Colletta and granddaughter Ansalewit at Miawpukek First Nation.