According to Native American Algonquin myth, Michabo is the “Supreme deity, Creator of the human race. He was a shape changer who created man by mating with a muskrat" (Miller & Taub, pg 169). His messengers were the Gijigouai, the sun deities. Michabo was derived from missi, meaning great and wabos meaning rabbit; also known as Giant Rabbit, Great Hare, Messibizi, Messon, Missabos, and Missiwabun.
"Spirit of the eastern light; dispeller of darkness. Lord of winds, prince of air, his voice was thunder; his weapon was lightning" (Jobes, pg 1098). Michabo’s grandmother was the moon, his father the west wind, and his mother was the Virgin of dawn. Born fully-grown and mighty in strength, Michabo had all the knowledge possible to obtain, a characteristic of sun deities.
Michabo was in on-going conflict with his father, Kabun, who lived in the realm of darkness. Michabo married muskrat, who journeyed to the bottom of the sea and returned with a speck of mud out of which Michabo created the earth. Michabo is the originator of religious rites, interpreter of dreams, and the inventor of picture writing. He provided maize and spoke to hunters in their dreams to direct them to fish and game. He is the prototype of Brer Rabbit in Uncle Remus stories.
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