Michael Cook
Description
The Micmac, Penobscot, and other Wabanaki ("children of the light/dawn") tribes share a common ancestry but "The Passamaquoddy narrations are invariab
...
ly more spirited and humorous than the Micmac" or other tribes. Like most preliterate cultures, the Passamaquoddy maintained their rich cultural heritage via oral traditions and expressions including songs, poems, prayers, and dances. Like all myths and legends, the American Legends of Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, and Pecos Bill attempt to explain how something happened. My intent is not to subjugate the culture of the first inhabitants of my Downeast homeland nor artificially elevate these Passamaquoddy Legends above others but rather to advocate for equal status to both American and Canadian Eurocentric Folklore. Glooskap, Lox, Master Rabbit, and the others are American stories and should be proudly included in the tapestry of North American Folklore.
Read more