Tradition / Region: Anishinabe Mythology, American Mythology
Alternate Names: Nibinabe, Nibanaba, Nibanabe, Nibiinaabeg (plural), Nibiinabekwe (female form)
Category: Mermaid
The Myth
In the lakes and rivers of the Anishinaabe lands live the Nibiinaabe, the water people.
They are shaped like human beings from the waist up, but below they bear the tail of a fish. They dwell beneath the surface of deep waters, moving silently through reeds and currents where the light fades into shadow.
The Nibiinaabe are seldom seen. At times, a ripple in still water or a fleeting shape beneath the surface is said to be one of them watching. They are not drawn to villages, nor do they linger near busy shores. Loud noises drive them away, and the crash of drums or shouting will send them retreating into the depths.
Some say that on quiet evenings, when mist lies low over the water, they rise near the surface and sing softly to one another in voices that blend with the sound of waves against the shore.
Among the Ojibwe, the Nibiinaabe are honored as a clan symbol. The Mermaid Clan bears their name, and their totem remembers these beings of the water—guardians of lakes and rivers, neither wholly human nor wholly fish, but belonging to the living spirit of the waters themselves.
Gallery
Sources
native-languages.org contributors. (n.d.). Nibiinaabe. In native-languages.org, from https://www.native-languages.org/nibiinaabe.htm
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Nibiinaabe