Nanahboozhoo, the personage who occupies the principal part in these myths,
is the most widely known of all those beings of supposed miraculous birth
who played such prominent parts in Indian legends. He does not seem to have
been claimed by any one particular tribe. Doubtless legends of him were
transmitted down from the time when the division of tribes had not so
extensively taken place; when perhaps the Algonquin, now so subdivided, was
one great tribe, speaking one language.

The variety of names by which he is known is accounted for by these tribal
divisions and the rapid changes which took place in the language owing to
its having no written form to maintain its unity.

What his original name was, when legends about him first began to be told,
is of course unknown. However, since the white race began to gather up and
record these Indian myths he has been known as Misha-wabus, Manabush,
Jous-ke-ha, Messou, Manabozho, Nanahboozhoo, Hiawatha, Chiabo,
Singua-sew--and even some other names have been heard. We have given him in
this volume the name of Nanahboozhoo as that was the one most frequently
used by the Indians among whom we lived or visited.

There is more unanimity about his origin, among the tribes, than about his
name. The almost universal report is that he was the son of Mudjekeewis,
the West Wind. His mother was Wenonah, the daughter of Nokomis.

The author desires very gratefully to record his indebtedness, for
assistance or hints received in the pleasant work of here clustering these
Indian folklore stories, to many friends, among them such Indian
missionaries as Revs. Peter Jones, John Sunday, Henry Steinham, Allan Salt,
and also to his Indian friends and comrades at many a camp fire and in many