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SHINGEBISS
A Chippewa Indian Tale
In his lodge on the shores of the great Lake Huron
lived Httle brown duck, Shingebiss. When the
fierce North Wind swept down from the white and
glittering Land of Snow, four great logs for firewood
had little brown duck, Shingebiss; one for each
month of the winter.
Brave and cheery was Shingebiss, and no matter
how the North Wind raged, he waddled out across
the ice and found what food he needed. With his
strong bill he pulled frozen rushes up from the
pond, and dived down through the holes they left,
to get his fish for supper. Then away to his lodge
he went, dragging a string of fish behind him. By
his blazing fire he cooked his supper and made him-
self warm and comfortable.
So at last the North Wind shrieked angrily:
“Woo-oo-oo! Woo-oo-oo! Who dares to brave
Big Chief North Wind? All other creatures fear him.
But little brown duck, Shingebiss, heeds Big Chief
North Wind no more than Minnewawa, little,
gently blowing squaw-breeze.”
So the North Wind sent out cold, icy blasts, and
made high drifts of snow, till not a bird or beast
dared venture forth — save Shingebiss. Shingebiss went
out the same as before and paid no heed to the
weather. He got his fish every day and cooked
his supper every night and warmed himself by his
glowing fire.
“Ah!” raged the North Wind “Little brown duck,
Shingebiss, cares not for snow or ice or wind! Big
Chief North Wind, will freeze his holes, so he gets
no food and then Big Chief will conquer him.”
So he visited the holes in the ice where Shingebiss
fished, breathed into them and froze them up tight:
then he heaped up over the pond a mighty mound
of snow.
But when Shingebiss came and found his holes
all closed so he could not reach the water, he did
not even murmur. He went cheerily on till he found
a pond that was free of snow and had more rushes.
Then he pulled up the rushes and made new holes
through which he could do his fishing.
North Wind grew angrier still.
“Brown duck shall know who is Big Chief!” he
howled, and for days he followed close on the little
duck’s footsteps, froze up his holes in the ice almost
as soon as he made them and covered his ponds
with snow. But Shingebiss walked fearlessly forth
as before, and always managed to get a few fish
before each hole was frozen, or found some other pond
that was free and made new holes. So he still went
cheerily home every night dragging his fish behind him.
At last the North Wind roared in a fury!
“Woo-oo-oo! Woo-oo-oo! Big Chief go to brown
duck’s lodge, blow in at his door, sit down beside
him, and breathe icy breath till he freezes.”
Now Shingebiss had just eaten his supper, his
log was burning bright, and he sat cozily warming
his little webbed feet by the blaze.
Carefully North Wind crept up to his door,
holding his breath, so Shingebiss should not know
he was coming. Quietly, quietly he crept along over
the snow. But Shingebiss felt the icy cold come in
through the cracks of the door.
“I know who is there” he thought. And he
began to sing sturdily:
“Ka neej, ka neej,
Bee in, bee in,
Bon in, bon in,
Ok ee, ok ee,
Ka weya, ka weya!”
Now the North Wind knew this was his way of saying:
“North Wind, North Wind,
Fierce in feature,
You are still my
fellow creature;
Blow your worst,
You can’t freeze me;
I fear you not,
and so…”
Then North Wind was angrier than ever.
“Little brown duck to sing so boldly! Big Chief
can bite him, sting him, freeze him!”
So North Wind crept in under the door,
slipped up behind Shingebiss and sat down by the
fire. Now Shingebiss knew he was there, but he paid
no heed. He kept on singing louder than ever.
“Ka neej ! ka neej !
Bee in, bee in.”
“Big Chief stay here till he freezes,” whistled
North Wind, and he tried to breathe more fiercely
than ever. But at that moment Shingebiss stirred
his fire till the sparks leaped up the smoke-flue
and the log glowed ruddy gold. Then all at once
North Wind’s frosty hair began to drip, his icy
beard began to drip, the
tears ran down his cheeks,
and his breath came
puffing more and more
faintly. Still Shingebiss
warmed his little webbed
feet by the blaze and sang:
“North Wind, North
Wind, Fierce in feature,
You are still my
fellow creature”
At length North Wind
gave a shriek.
“Big Chief is melting”
And he rushed headlong
through the doorway,
fled out into the darkness, and fell upon a
snowbank.
“Strange little brown duck, Shingebiss,” he mur-
mured weakly. “Big Chief North Wind, can’t starve
him, can’t freeze him, can’t make him afraid ! Ugh !
Ugh! North Wind will let him alone. The Great
Spirit is with him.”
