The Mishipeshu

Welcome back to Supernatural Park! It's a new season at The Park and with it comes new creatures and new stories.  Today we're sticking close to the shores of Lake Superior to talk about the Mishipeshu, a creature from Anishinaabe culture.  Did you know before Pressie, there was the Mishipeshu? The underwater panther guards the Lake to stop humans from taking too many natural resources. Be advised to not get greedy or you'll make it angry. And remember-do not feed the wildlife! 

Today's Lunch Break is brought to you by Karen Pierce Gonzalez and Tinamarie Cox. You can follow their work on Instagram at @KarenPierceGonzalez and @tinamariethinkstoomuch respectively.

If you want to learn more about the Great Lakes Compact, the challenges of defending the Great Lakes, and ways you can help advocate, please visit greatlakes.org and cleanwater.org/greatlakescompact. 

Sources:

“Anishinaabe Timeline | American Indian Resource Center | Bemidji State University.” Www.bemidjistate.edu, www.bemidjistate.edu/airc/community-resources/anishinaabe-timeline/.

“Cree History.” Cree Nations Heritage Centre, www.creenationsheritagecentre.ca/cree-history.html.

“Cryptid Profile: A Lake Superior Cave Monster.” THE PINE BARRENS INSTITUTE, pinebarrensinstitute.com/cryptids/2019/11/11/cryptid-profile-lake-superiors-tentacled-monster.

“The Cree Indians - Their Native History and Culture.” Www.native-Net.org, www.google.com/url?q=www.native-net.org/tribes/cree-indians.html&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1677636972395574&usg=AOvVaw2vF34S4zx02Psa2oWNV0vc. Accessed 1 Mar. 2023.

“Great Lakes Region Tribes.” Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, www.nafws.org/about/member-tribes/great-lakes-region-tribes/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2023.

Hardin, Garrett. “Tragedy of the Commons - Econlib.” Econlib, 2018, www.econlib.org/library/Enc/TragedyoftheCommons.html.

“The Great Lakes Compact and the Dangers of Water Diversions from the Lakes.” Clean Water Action, cleanwater.org/great-lakes-compact-and-dangers-water-diversions-lakes-0.

“Ojibwe Oral Tradition | Milwaukee Public Museum.” Www.mpm.edu, www.mpm.edu/content/wirp/ICW-141.

Osborne, Lindi. “Meet Mishipeshu, the Underwater Panther in Lake Superior.” Great Lakes Guide, greatlakes.guide/ideas/meet-mishipeshu-the-underwater-panther-in-lake-superior.

Spiliakos, Alexandra. “Tragedy of the Commons’ Impact on Sustainability Issues.” Harvard Business School Online, 6 Feb. 2019, online.hbs.edu/blog/post/tragedy-of-the-commons-impact-on-sustainability-issues.

“The Underwater Panther (Great Water Lynx, Night Panther, Mishibizhiw).” Native-Languages.org, 2015, www.native-languages.org/water-panther.htm.

Transcript

It can take up to 80 years for a forest to fully regenerate from a fire. It can take up to 1 year for a starfish to regrow its limb. The process of recovery is different for everyone. How much time and patience do you give yourself? I’m Park Ranger Amy. Welcome to Supernatural Park. 

Why hello visitor! I must say it’s so good to see you. And I believe the park is happy to see you too. The park is feeling better, after it’s much needed long break. From what I understand, when we went to visit the Australia bush and the park wasn’t able to call us back right away, the park just gave too much of itself; too much of its time, resources, and effort without taking time for it to recharge. 

We have to  remember that we are like that as well. Within us lie the same components that make up the stars in the sky, we share a symbiotic relationship with plants, and our bodies, much like the rivers and streams of this world, hold the tributaries of blood that feed our heart and mine. 

That being said, it’s important to remind ourselves that we too need breaks in our lives. Now that it’s winter, some humans cannot function as well or as productive as they normally would be when the days are longer. Perhaps the general response to that condition would be to label it as a seasonal affective disorder; some sort of mental depression and sickness that doesn’t affect all people. And while  the duration and intensity of  the sun can trigger a flow of serotonin to the brain, let us not disregard the supposition that maybe some humans, being the mammals that they are, naturally respond to the rhythms and changes of the seasons. It’s no different than a chipmunk or squirrel entering the lowered state of mental and physical activity of torpor. 

Therefore it doesn’t seem fitting to call slowing down and resting more in the winter seasonal depression, affective disorder, or any other sort of psychological term with negative connotations. It simply is natural; so if you have to slow down, sleep more, and hide in your own nest at home, never feel bad about it, only accept. 

Winter, in many cultures, is a time for story telling. From the summer to winter solstices, the days grow shorter and the temperatures fall. Animals begin to follow their food sources and either migrate or prepare for a long season of inactivity or sleep. After a year of hard work preparing for winter, through harvesting, foraging, and hunting, it’s a time of rest and enjoying one another’s company. 

And so how appropriate is it that the park has brought you here once more to tell you stories and show you amazing creatures not commonly found amongst the outside world. 

In the spirit of storytelling, the park brings us a creature from Annishinabe folklore; that is the people who come directly from this land and still call it home today. A campfire has been set up along the shores of Lake Superior and is blazing with warmth. So why don’t we head down to the lake and get cozy? We’re going to sit and watch the lake, not for Pressie but for something far more ancient than her: the Mishepeshu otherwise known as the the Great Lynx, the Underwater Panther, or the Gichi-anami'e-bizhiw ("Gitche-anahmi-bezheu") which means “The Fabulous Night Panther.” It goes by many names and pronunciations, depending on the tribe’s stories and dialect. The names of  Michi-Pichoux, and Messibiz are just a couple of them. 

Here we are, grab a log and get comfortable. It’s a rather windy day on the north shore; pretty normal for this time of year. In fact, back in November last year, we had wind gusts of 37 miles an hour on the lake shore. It was pouring rain too that day, and the lake was wild and fierce. Ironically it was on the 47th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the most famous freighters on the Great Lakes. But I digress. We’re here today to learn about the Mishipeshu. 

The Anishinaabe have called the entire great lakes region home for thousands of years, long before you or I were even a thought in the universe. The Anishinaabe is a nation; it encompasses two countries, and within those countries are multiple tribes. Some of those tribes include the Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, The White Earth Nation, and countless others. The Mishipeshu can be found not only in these tribes' stories but there are also versions of it found in the stories of the Cree Tribe who have historically lived on Lake Superior in Canada and were pushed westward as far as British Columbia. 

The legend of the Mishipeshu has even found its way into the Shawnee tribe who originated in the Eastern Woodlands of Southern Ohio, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania and were pushed further west by white encroachment into Oklahoma where they currently reside. As you can see, the stories of this creature is widespread.

The Mishipeshu is said to live near Micchipicoten Island in Lake Superior but all lakes can be inhabited by one of these beings; one source claims that one also lives near Manitoulin Island which is in Lake Huron. Often regarded as a symbol of Lake Superior’s immense power, the Mishipeshu can cause storms, waves, and whirlpools. It can also cause men and women to drown.

Be on the lookout for the underwater panther since you’ll never hear it comin for its roaring hiss will sound like rushing water. While the description of the Mishipeshu varies from tribe to tribe, it is often seen as a cross between a dragon and a cougar, the size of a mountain lion, furry with horns or deer antlers, the head of cat and a spikey back tail that is made of copper. 

You may notice that we are not actively looking for the Mishipeshu; that is because if it wants to, it will find us instead. It can travel through underwater tunnels, and in many cultures, is considered a being that means to cause others harm. There is of course, always an exception to that rule, and that is the Algonquians who instead view the Mishipeshu as a bringer of protection, healing, and medicine. Indeed if we WERE to travel across Lake Superior to find its island home, we would need to offer it tobacco in exchange for a safe journey. And depending on the creature’s mood, it could grant us a plentiful day of fishing, hunting, and finding food. As cunning and malevolent as they can be, they can at some times be helpful if they are respected. And if I may say so visitor, I think that can be true of all nature. Nature provides everything we need to live; clean air and water, plentiful food, and shelter. But only if we respect it and work with it; if we pollute the waters in our environment, the plants and fish will die or leave for a better and healthier ecosystem; and we will have nothing left for ourselves. Similarly, if we take too much from nature without giving it the opportunity to replenish itself, there will be nothing.  

This is more commonly referred to as the tragedy of the commons. Where a society of individuals will take advantage of the access they have to a common resource, act and take within their own interests until that resource is depleted. Leaving nothing left and nothing to regenerate. 

A theory first created in 1833 by the British author William Forest Lloyd, it attempts to explain an individual's decision based on their personal needs, rather than focusing on what’s right for a group or the society in which they live. We’ve seen this many times in the natural world; over-fishing, deforestation, poaching, and currently out west, the water crisis is forcing some states to pump in water from outside its state lines. Even Lake Superior, in fact all of the Great Lakes, has become targeted for proposals to divert their waters to communities west of the Mississippi.

The Great Lakes contain 20% of the world’s freshwater. A natural and sacred gem of this world, the Great Lakes Compact was created among the states and Canadian provinces to hopefully prevent this from happening. This was inspired from Central Asia’s Aral Sea, which had once been the world’s fourth largest body of inland water, until water from it was diverted for crop production in the Soviet Union in the 1950’s. 

Listen to me, visitor. All things, you, me, and nature, need time to rest so that we can replenish and rejuvenate ourselves. Do not push yourself to the point of depletion so that you have no more resources left. Intangible resources are just as important as the tangible. Patience, restfulness, creativity; these are all necessary to live happily though many do not think of it. Likewise, let us learn to conserve our resources and live sustainably. Not just to take care of our needs but by doing so, we take care of the needs of others. Not just other people, but nature itself. Rest is not idle, nor wasteful. Sometimes, rest is the most productive thing you can do with your time.

What makes us any more important than the birds in the sky? The sturgeon in the water? The plants deeply rooted in the earth? Do we not feed the trees and flowers while we live and when we die with the nutrients of our bones and organs? If anything, we are their servants. And should humanity someday cease to exist, I’m sure nature will find a way to thrive without us. 

Speaking of feeding nature, why don’t we share some story submissions and feed the park? Let’s have a quick lunch break before continuing our watch for the Mishipeshu.

Our first submission comes from Karen Pierce Gonzalez, who has submitted before in season 1. Her submission is titled “A Forever Vacation”

Pina coladas and colorful table umbrellas promise this upscale, isolated seaside retreat is unique. A place you could die for, the brochure read.

After what seems like only just hours, the cobwebbed waiter with crumbling teeth

shuffles over to her. “Another drink?” 

“Where is my husband?” She demands for the umpteenth time. Sitting alone is not the

experience she paid such a high price for.

“Him?” The waiter laughs. “Died a year ago. Like you.”  Then he points to her hands.

She looks down at the bones. Gasps.

“I’m not leaving you a tip.”

Karen Pierce Gonzalez’s writing credits include True North (Origami Poems Project), and forthcoming: Coyote in the basket of  my ribs (Alabaster Leaves), Down River with Li Po  (Black Cat Poetry Press). Her writing has also appeared in numerous publications. You can find her work at karenpiercegonzalez@blogspot.com and follow her on twitter at folkheartpress, on Facebook at Karen.P.Gonzalez.14 and on Instagram at KarenPierceGonzalez

Our next submission is a 19 line poem sent in by Tina Marie Cox titled 

A Permanent Resident of Somerset County

I met a demon at the Devil’s Tree,

on a dare,

as a fearless youth,

on All Hallow’s Eve,

when the veil between worlds was thinnest,

to guarantee my success.

In hindsight it was foolish,

not a triumph,

not bravery.

Because here I sit

among the creaking branches of the scarred, old oak

with hanged men moaning into the breeze,

cursed like me.

The demon told me

I could stay young forever,

for a price.

And I did.

I paid the fee in the weight of my soul

and then,

I never left the Devil’s Tree.

Tinamarie Cox currently lives in Northern Arizona where she writes to escape her mind and explore the universe. She enjoys writing poetry best, and some of her other works can be found in The Sirens Call, Dark Entries Journal, and The Elevation Review. Tinamarie invites you to follow her writing journey on Instagram @tinamariethinkstoomuch.

Seems like the wind is starting to howl much harder doesn’t it? We probably won’t stay out much longer especially if the Mishipeshu is in a mood. No need to put ourselves in danger…I sure hope you don’t have any copper on you. Keep your ears open for the sound of a cat-like hiss. It will grow louder and turn into a thunderous sound until we get caught in a terrible thunderstorm.

There are many stories about the underwater panther,  and some of them have to do with that natural metal which can be found in abundance around Lake Superior. This native metal has been mined by the natives and their ancestors for as far back as 3000 bc. And the Mishipeshu has been around ever since to protect it from those who would steal it. There is one story from the Ojibwe that is shared orally among the people. 

In the middle of a big lake that Indians lived all around, there was a big island made of mud, which made it difficult for them to paddle straight across the water. If one of the villagers wanted to paddle to the opposite side of the lake, they would need to paddle around the edges of it for they stayed away from the island because of a bad manido which means spirit. 

One day, one of the villages along the lake was holding a dance so people from the other side of the lake were paddling in their canoes around the edge to reach the village. Two women started traveling there, after everyone else in their village had gone. The two women were sisters in law and one of them was very foolish because she was steering the canoe and was heading straight for the island of mud. The other woman warned her to go no further but the woman who was steering did not listen. 

The first woman carried a little cedar paddle with her, and she carried it everywhere she went but she did not use it for paddling. When they got to the middle of the lake they started to cross the island of mud and in the center of the mud they saw a hole of clear water. The water was swirling around in a whirlpool and as they began to cross a panther came out of the whirlpool and twitched his big tail across the boat to try and tip it over. As the woman with the cedar paddle hit it she said “Thunder is striking you” . The paddle cut off the panther's tail where she had hit it and it dropped in the boat. The tail was a solid piece of copper that was about two inches thick.  The panther ran away through the mud and the women laughed. The one with the cedar paddle said “I guess I scared him. He will not bother us again.”

When they got across the lake, the woman brought the piece of copper to her father and gave it to him.  The copper tail of the underwater panther had magical powers. Everyone wanted a little piece of the tail for good luck in hunting and fishing and many people offered her father a blanket for a tiny piece of the copper tail. This is how her family got rich from the tail of the Underwater Panther. 

This tale was adapted from Victor Barnouws’s 1977 book “Wisconsin Chippewa Myths and Tales And Their Relation to Chippewa life published by Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.

Of course that’s just one of the stories of the Mishipeshu, this one is a little less grim than others that have been told. Often throughout the lore of history, the Mishipeshu is used as a cautionary tale for those who are bold enough to come into its territory and take too much copper. Especially in the 19th century during the copper rush when ships were loaded with the precious metal, many of them met their fates during Lake Superior’s storms. I suppose that is nature’s way of telling them to not be too greedy and take too many natural resources?

There has even been a recent sighting of the Mishipeshu in 1977 though this is where Pressie the Lake Superior Monster and the Mishipeshu’s stories begin to blend together. If you recall, back when you first visited the park and we got to see Pressie, I explained how she had probably become a more modernized version of the Mishipeshu. 

The sighting is the same as the one reported from Randy Brau who was hiking in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan. As he looked over the water during his hike, he could see a strange creature rising out of the water. Humps would fall and rise out of the surface of the lake in a kind of sequence, and it seemed to resemble a giant anaconda as big as a volkswagen. The creature swam up to him and he saw what he thought was the nose, which had catfish like whiskers that were about two feet long. Its horse-like head lifted slightly out of the water and stared at him for about thirty seconds. 

Whether or not Pressie and the Mishipeshu are one and the same, it’s important to remember that the Mishipeshu is a symbol of cultural pride for the Anishinaabe. Many images have appeared around the region, on clay pots, bags, and clothing. Many Anishinaabe used this imagery to call upon feelings of power during the uncertainty of the fur trade and when it was declining. If you ever go to Lake Superior Provincial Park in Canada, you can see surviving pictographs painted in red ochre that have lasted for centuries. But please be respectful. The site is a sacred place for Ojibwe people. They had used it as a place to record dreams and commemorate spirits. Do not touch the rock paintings that have lasted years among the sun, wind, and rain. 

Well visitor it looks like the Park has decided to let you go home for the day. There’s the trail of sea glass in the distance, glinting on the beach. It doesn’t seem like we will be lucky enough to see the Mishipeshu today. Or perhaps we can consider ourselves lucky. The Mishipeshu, the fickle creature that it is, could have caused us some trouble if it didn’t want us around. Before you go, let’s appreciate the strong and proud nature of the underwater panther and the powerful element of the natural world it represents; the one thing no living being can live without; water. 

From Teresa S. Smith book “ The island of the Anishnaabeg: Thunderers and Water Monsters in the Traditional Ojibwe Life-World

"Mishebeshu is the uncanny element in this world, the hidden form beneath the ice, which may suddenly crack in winter. He is the one who pulls boaters and swimmers to their deaths and the one who makes the ground go soft beneath your feet."

Have a safe journey back home. And please remember: Do not feed the wildlife. 

Sources cited from today’s episode can be found in the shows description. If you want to learn more about the Great Lakes Compact, the challenges of defending the Great Lakes, and ways you can help advocate, please visit greatlakes.org and cleanwater.org/greatlakescompact. 

If you have a short story, flash fiction or poem about nature, conservation, magic, or the supernatural and you would like to feature it on a future episode’s Lunch Break, please send it in written form along with a short bio of yourself to thesupernaturalpark@gmail.com

The music intro used in the show was created by John Kingsley. You can find more of his work at theberevet.com. Audio editing and sound effects are supported by Zenith City Media, the pulse of the Northland. Visit them at ZenithCityMedia.Com and download the Zenith City Radio app to listen to Supernatural Park episodes, every Friday at 5:30 p.m.