Cape Breton's Magazine

Micmac Tales about Badger Badger disguises himself as a woman, meets with Heron, and is killed by a Giant Bird; Badger lived with his younger brother in a big wigwam. He was a nice and quiet fellow. The wigwam had two doors, one of which was Badger's. He never used any other door in going in and out, lest he lose his good luck. He was very careful to preserve his good luck. One morning when he went out, he saw an ill-omened creature; and that spoiled his luck, as the creature was a kind of witch. So Bad? ger left his home, saying downheartedly, "I won't have any good luck any more." As he went on, he soon got to another vil? lage. He transformed himself into a young girl, and entered a small camp' dressed as a woman. This was where Marten and his grandmother lived. As soon as Badger in the guise of a strange girl came in. Mar? ten went and told the chief that a strange young girl had come to his camp. The chief had a young son who was of an age to get married, so he thought he would marry this strange girl to his son. Then he went and proposed to her for his son. "Yes," she answered, "I will marry him." Soon they were married, and after a while the chief's son went away hunting in the woods. Then Badger v;ent to the chief, her father-in-law, and told him it was the custom in her country for the wife to live in her father-in-law's wig? wam and sleep with her sisters-in-law while her husband was away. So Badger slept with the chief's daughters. Now, after a while it was expected that the chief's son's wife would bear him a child, as it grew time, and everybody was waiting for it. So Badger got an unborn caribou and fixed it up to appear that a child had been born. Everybody was glad that the chief would have a grandson. So Badger told them that in her country they always had a separate campt built for a woman having a child, and obeyed every? thing that she asked. She said, ''In my country the child of a chief is never seen by any one until after they have made a big feast and dance." So whatever she said was all carried out, and a big feast was made. Then Badger covered up the young caribou so that no one should see it before the feast. The first to see it would be the father. Then they brought the child over to the feast to be shown. Old man Big-Turtle, a shaman, was there, and knew it was not the right kind of a baby; so he said to himself, "Tomorrow I'll have that caribou for myself to eat." He was a shaman. Now, when they took the child from the little camp over to the big feast. Badger ran away. When the baby was uncovered, it was found to be nothing but a young caribou all dried up. The people could not imagine who the mother was, or where she had come from. Ihen old Big-Turtle told them, "It was Badger I" As Badger fled, he soon came, at about sunset, to where three girls were up in a tree. When they saw him coming, they said, "There is Badger I" because he had returned to his proper shape. Then they took their hair-ribbons off and tied them on limbs as tightly as they could. Rt. 19, near Inverness/* Inverness Enjoy your favorite seafood