NANABOZHO

NANABOZHO: God of Humanity and Medicine.

He's the Creator Hare of the Abnaki, and seems to be another manifestation of the Great Rabbit MANABOZHO under the name GLOOSKAP which he subsequently changed to NANABOZHO to keep us nicely bewildered.

You may remember him as one of four divine brothers (See CHAKEKENAPOK). He was mostly Mr Nice Guy but he had problems coming to terms with death. First his mother went. Then he had to kill his brother. Then his other brother CHIPIAPOOS became Protector of the Dead when the ice he was walking on was melted by destructive Manitou spirits...

For six years, the mourning NANABOZHO battled with these spirits. Eventually a truce was called and the spirits did everything to make amends. Bribes, gifts, back to their place for refreshments and a full investiture for CHIPIAPOOS as Lord of The Land of The Dead and Guardian of Souls. It didn't bring him back to the surface though.

Meanwhile extra brother WABASSO had been hob-nobbing with the Spirit Magicians of the North and came back laden with handy medical info which NANABOZHO filed away for the benefit of mankind.