Passamaquoddy and Micmac

Nequt nikt nsapihioak udelabasinia unachihonamihánia Kelhosilichil naga omsnamnia eli-bawatmotit uch negum.

There were three brothers, who Had made the pilgrimage To seek the Lord of Life, And win their wishes. One Was wondrous great and tall, The tallest in the land; Of this he was right proud, For he was one of those Who slyly put soft clay Into their moccasins That they may be admired By folk of lesser size, And win the love of squaws. And his hair was plastered up To stand on high, and on The summit of it was A very long turkey tail; But what this man desired Was to be taller still. The second brother asked That he might ever live Where he might behold the land And all the beauty of it, And do naught else save rest In peace forever more. And the third one asked to live Unto a great old age, And ever be in health Till he should pass away.

Now when they came to the isle They found three lodges there, And in two of them were men Who are not spoken of In any of the tales Which I have ever heard: In one dwelt Kulpujot— A wondrous one indeed! For there is not a bone in him, Yet every spring and autumn He is “rolled over with hand-spikes” By order of the Lord; And this is what his name Means in the Micmac tongue. In the autumn he is turned Over towards the West, But in spring towards the East; And the meaning of it all Is the seasons of the year As they follow in their course.

He with his breath alone Can sweep all armies forth, And with his looks alone Perform most wondrous things; This means what weather can do With sunshine, frost and ice, Which are felt in everything.

And in the other dwelt Kuhkw, which in Micmac means, The Earthquake. This great man Can pass beneath the ground, And make the mountains shake, And tremble by his power.

Now when the Lord had heard What it was that they desired, He bade the Earthquake come And put them with their feet Fast planted in the ground. And when ’twas done, the three At once were turned to trees; To pines, as one tale tells, Or cedars, as some say; In either case each man Received what he required.

Thus, he who would be tall Became exceeding great, For his head rose o’er the wood Even as a giant pine; Nor was the top-feather forgotten; It waves in the wind to this hour. And on a summer day Who listens in a pine wood, May hear the trees a murmuring In the soft Indian tongue All of the olden time: (“Î nĭl etuchi nek mʾkilaskîtap Î nĭl etuchi nek mʾkiluskíjin”) “Oh, I’m such a great man! Oh, I’m such a big Indian!”

And the second brother, who wished To remain in peace in the land, So stays, for while his roots Are in the ground he must do so; And the third, who fain would live To the end in perfect health, Unless they’ve cut him down Is standing as of yore.