Gichi-Oogaa

“Gchi-Ogaa: Great Pickerel”

Told by Lewis Debassige, January 16, 2004

Transcribed and Translated by Ted and Alan Corbiere

Mii ko wi gii-…gii-…gii-dbaadang wi nahaa, wa Niibaakhom ezhnikaazod, miinwaa Gchi-Ogaa,
So he used to talk of that, um, that person called Niibaakhom, and Great Pickerel,

mii go bezhgod go ngii-zhi-noondam -- yaawid wa nishnaabe.
That’s the same person, I heard -- that guy is.

Gii-gchi-miigaadim giiwenh; gii-gchi-miigaadim.
There was a big war then, I hear; there was a big war [the War of 1812].

Gchi-mookmaanag gii-gweji-nsigonaanig.
The Americans tried to kill us.

Kina go Nishnaaben aani…aanwi-maawndoonaawaan wii-nsaawaad.
They tried…tried [but failed] to round up all the Nishnaabeg in order to kill them.

Mii-sh giiwenh maaba – nahaa -- Gchi-Ogaa gii-naakwiid.
So I guess then this – um -- Great Pickerel fought back.

Gii-bi…gii-bi…gii-bi-dkamaa…gii-bi-dka…gii-bi-tkambowewaan-sh niwi ya’aa wiiji-nishnaaben.
He…he…he came across…he came…he led those*, um, fellow Nishnaabeg of his across to escape*. {Note: Alan, I know there’s a word for this – taking someone to escape – but I just can’t think of it at the moment. I’ll call you if I think of it later.}

Mii-sh gaa-bmi-zhi-dkonigaazod.
Then he ended up getting captured.

Gchi-mookmaanan gii-dkonigoon --
The Americans captured him.

gchi-jiimaan… bemaasing, gchi-jiimaan --
a large boat…one that sails, a large boat.

Gii-dkobjigaaza-ash.
So he was tied up.

Gii-dkobjigaaza nihiin biiwaabkoon; btaakbijgaaza.
He was bound in, um, shackles; he’s tied up.

Mchi…mchisag maa gii…gii…gii-dkobjigaaza gchi-jiimaaning.
To the..to the floor there, he was tied up on the big boat.

Mii-sh giiwenh gii-bi-waabmigod – mii giwi…maa naagaanzijig…
So they came to see him, those are the guys…that are in charge there…

Mii go giiwenh emaawnji-shpiming goojing wa giizis,
Then, it is said, when the sun is at its highest,

mii ji-mmigaadegin shkiinzhigoon,
his eyes will be taken out,

“ga-shamgoo-sh niwi,” gii-jigaaza giiyenh.
“and you’ll be fed those,” he was told.

Mii-sh maaba nahaa, gewii Ogaa-ba, gii…giinaa…gii-bgosenmaan giiyenh mindooman.
Then this, um, Ogaa, he…he...he prayed to his spirit.

Getin go gii-bgosendam.
He prayed fervently.

Mii yaazho-waabang, mii go jibwaa-naawkwemgak, maanda shpiming wii-goojing wa giizis --
The next day, this was just before noon, when the sun is about to hang high.

niizhing maanda ngii-zhi-noondam --
I heard two versions of this --

mii go gaa-zhi-paksegin niwi biiwaabkoon.
those shackles just broke away.

Mii-sh…mii’sh giiwenh gii-googiid.
Then he dove into the water, they say.

Mii go gaa-zhi-niibde’aabiigmok nahaa shkode, gii-kidwag, baashkzignan,
The fire was just blazing in a row, they said, [from] the guns,

gweji-nchigaazod maaba gchi-nishnaabe.
[them] trying to kill this big man.

Gchi-nini gewe gii-aawi.
And he was a big man [physically].

Miinwaa-sh go ngoding aanind gii-kidwag, gii-gdisksenoon maa…
And others have said, they [the shackles] fell away there...

Giigoonh gii-bi-yaawi maa…Gchi-ogaa…gii-bi-yaawi maaba.
He became a fish, thi…A giant pickerel…this person became.

Mii-sh gaa-zhi-gdisksegin niwi biiwaabkoon, mii-sh gii-googiid.
Then those shackles just came undone, then he dove.

Gii-niibde’aabiigmod shkode aanwi-gweji-nsigaazod.
Fire just blazed in a line from them trying to kill him.

Naami-jiimaan ooshto oodi, aa’aazhoog oodi gii-naadge.
Under the boat over there, he swam back and forth there.

Gmaapii-sh go jibwaa-…jibwaa-dbikak – mii wa giizis maawaanji-dbashiish go goojing --
Eventually before…before it got dark – when the sun hangs the very lowest,

aapji maa go naa zaasaabzom maa gnawaamjigaadeg wi, --
after all, it’s really blinding there when that’s looked at --

mii giiwenh oodi gaa-ni-naadiged, zhi-gwek oodi giizis yaad.
that’s the direction he swam off, straight towards where the sun is.

Mii-sh giiwenh gii-zhaabwiid.
And so he survived, they say.

Pii gaa-gwaayaadiged oodi, gii-ndawaamdaan waa-zhi-…waa-zhi-…waa-zhi-zhaabwiidzod.
When he went ashore there, he searched for a way…a way…a way to save himself.

Nahaa-sh giiwenh gii-mkaanan gwinan goodegin,
So, um, supposedly, he found clothes hanging [on a line],

waya gaa-shkwaa-gziibiigniged. Mjigoodenh -- gchi-mjigoodenh…
from someone having finished doing laundry. A dress – a big dress…

Mii-sh giiwenh gaa-ni-biiskang; gii-biiskaanan niwi kwe-gwiwnan -- gchi-mjigoodenh.
So that’s what he wore [as he escaped]; he wore those women’s clothes -- a big dress.

Aapji giiyenh maanaadzi kwe…kwe gaa-bbaayaad -- gchi-kwe.
The woman’s really ugly, they say…the woman that went about -- a big woman.

Mii-sh go wi gaa-ni-zhi-gshkitood wi, naa…neyaab wii-bskaabiid neyaab wii-aanji-naadmawaad niwi wiiji-nishnaabeman.
And so he actually succeeded in that, to…to go back, to return and help those fellow Nishnaabeg of his again.

Mii wa Ogaa, Gchi-Ogaa gaa-zhin’kaajgaazod.
That’s Pickerel, the man who was called Great Pickerel.