






































OCR Document


 

BOOK REVIEWS 

Running Wolf, Michael B. and Patricia Clark Smith. On the Trail  
of Elder Brother: Glous'gap Stories of the Micmac Indians. Illus-
trations by Michael B. RunningWolf. New York: Persea Books, 
2000. $16.95 hc. 160 pages 

From the inside cover: "Michael B. RunningWolf grew up in Maine 
and in Canada, a direct descendant of Beminuit, the Grand Chief of the 
Micmac Nation. A master storyteller, he tells Micmac tales in libraries, 
schools, parks, and museums. He lives in Los Lunas, New Mexico. 
Patricia Clark Smith is of Irish, French-Canadian, and Micmac descent.  
She is the author of two volumes of poetry and many essays and stories. 
She teaches Native American literature and creative writing at the 
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque." 

Each of the sixteen tales included in this refreshing collection begin 
with the ancient words: "Wodin'it atog'agan" (woh-DEHN-eet ahtoog-
AH-gahn) –"This is a story." The authors gave their readers "the Micmac 
words for things as often as possible," (xii), and pronouncing aloud the 
soft sounding words helps to draw the reader into a distant time and place 
The Micmac, which means "allies," are part of the Eastern Algonquin 
nation and live in Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward 
Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Maine. They once fought as allies 
to the French in the French and Indian Wars. In earlier days, their 
explorations and wanderings took them as far south as Delaware and as 
far west as Minnesota and the Great Lakes. Sometimes called "keepers of 
the Sunrise" or "Children of the Dawn," a portion of their traditional 
stories has been shared here by RunningWolf and Smith. Pen and ink 
illustrations by RunningWolf at the beginning of each story include 
"traditional designs and symbols from Micmac quill and bead work, hide 
paintings, and writings on rock and birchbark" (xii). 

The narrators have selected stories which connect us to a far-away 
past by using complex twists and unexpected continuities. We are led 
along the knowledge path by Glous'gap - the Micmac embodiment of 
god's power. A spiritual trickster, the ultimate warrior, and a medicine 
person, he leads us through woodland forests to bubbling waters. Then 
we are transported to soaring bluffs and chilly ocean depths. The reader 
meets young wolf, pine marten, Mrs. Bear, Grandfather Turtle, and 
others. Glous'gap's actions and words are models for the Micmac people, 
and we learn consequences, the way things 

112 



 

BOOK REVIEWS 

are, from the experiences Glous'gap has with other creatures including 
wa'sis (wah-seez) - a baby and tji'nou (Jee-noo) - a cannibal. Laws, 
morals, and wisdom are presented in action stories like "The Boy in the 
Birchwood Box." When he was a man, he remembered his experiences as 
a boy, and "If ever he felt a little impatient or dissatisfied with his lot, he 
always recalled the time he had spent as a boy in a birchwood box, and 
he shuddered and gave thanks for his life" (91). 

The stories give answers to questions you perhaps have not asked. 
Have you ever wondered why a bullfrog's skin is wrinkled, or where the 
painted turtle came from? Have you ever thought about why turtles lay 
their eggs in sand, or why the gopher has a handprint at the end of its 
tail? Or even why the stones are red at Pipestone National Monument in 
Minnesota? It was Glous'gap in his wisdom, the lord of men and beasts, 
who helped the animals and plants evolve and made the earth the way we 
know it. These are more than simple origin myths. The stories reflect the 
human condition and what it is to learn to survive emotionally and 
physically in a vast, mysterious, and often threatening world. The tales 
are narrative forms that link the reader to ancient belief systems among 
the Micmac. Annette Kolodny said of this book: "Through these stories 
the general reader will enter a world of monsters, magic, sorceresses, 
spring flowers, irascible porcupines, and troubling prophecies. . . . For 
the scholar," she continued, "this collection provides invaluable lessons 
about the persistence of narrative forms, aesthetic codes, and inherited 
belief systems among the Eastern Algonquin peoples." 

It is a good collection for almost any age and would be particularly 
useful for reading aloud. The stories are complete in themselves but have 
linking threads that create a continuing saga. The Micmac language 
sprinkled throughout the book provides an interesting challenge but not a 
stumbling block. There is a glossary which includes pronunciation guides 
in the back of the book as well as a map of Glous'gap's trail. The stories 
take the reader into an unfamiliar world that is sensitively rendered. I 
would recommend it for ages ten through adult. 

JACQUELINE THURSBY, Ph. D. 
Brigham Young University, 
English Department, Assistant Professor 

113 




