Nanabush Introduction:
In Edna Manitowabi’s video on the story of Nanabush going out into the world, she says “He walks about and he goes, experiences what’s out there, and realizes that he’s a part of the whole.” Nanabush engaging with the world around him and building relationships with everything in the world teaches a perspective that is centered on horizontal relationships rather than hierarchical relationships. This creates meaning for how each person and living things, each part of the landscape and natural world, is part of a greater, unified whole. People can learn from Nanabush how to interact with their surroundings, both people and nature alike.
Michael Carroll, in his article “Levi-Strauss, Freud, and the Trickster: A New Perspective on an Old Problem,” likens Nanabush to a trickster figure more similar to the archetype described by Freud and Levi-Strauss in their understanding of myth. His argument is a bit more complex than this, and he describes Nanabush as one “who often appears as culture-hero (but not a trickster) in many Algonquian myths” (303-304). Nanabush represents both the human and spiritual traits of Ojibwe figures, and his stories differ greatly across regions. In Basil Johnston’s book, “The Manitous,” Nanabush’s story centers more on his shortcomings and misadventures, in which he overcomes adversity by utilizing cunning. While he has good intentions, he often fails to meet expectations. “Such failure,” Johnston says, “was invariably caused by his human shortcomings…As Nana’b’oozoo got older, he committed fewer and fewer misdeeds and bumbled less often…He learned, but slowly, as do most men and women” (pp. 94-95).
The photos below are a collection of pictures I have taken over the years of my little brother, Josiah (who I know as Josey). I asked him if I could use and post these photos, and he consented. I did not use AI at any point in the process of editing these photos.
I do not intend to represent Nanabush in any capacity, but rather to engage with the Sacred Stories of this figure. These photos explore Josey’s interactions, experiences, and relationships with the natural world as well as some of his close relationships. They also show my relationship to him, as I have photographed him exploring and expressing joy, wonder, and excitement. As the photographer, he is part of my experience of the world. Looking at these photos, I can conclude that Josey explores the world with enthusiasm and joy, looking for adventure and fun. In three of the photos, he points at something else, whether it is on or off camera, wishing to share his experience with others. In the last three photos, he is with his older brother, his girlfriend, and me (his older sister), respectively. These personal relationships are an important part of his experience of the world, but you would probably need to ask him about that rather than myself.
Image 1 Description:
A wide waterfall with cliffs and trees rising behind it, and a shallow, rocky river running in front of it toward the camera. People explore near the waterfall, standing in the water. On the left side of the frame is a grassy riverbed and a tree rising up out of the frame. In the bottom left corner, Josey, wearing a black shirt, looks out at the waterfall and the people at its base. In the center and bottom left corner of the frame are lens flares.
Image 2 Description:
A wide river dominates the bottom right quadrant of the photo, reflecting green from the trees and the blue of the clear sky, which fills the top right quadrant. Tall cliffs rise above the river, with pine trees clinging to the edges. On the left side of the photo, Josey walks along the cliff toward the camera, keeping his gaze down to watch his footing. He wears a black shirt and shorts with blue vans.
Image 3 Description:
A landscape photo of Lake Michigan. The dominant color scheme is blue and grey. The sky, with some fog and wispy clouds, fills much of the frame, with the lake below in a deeper shade of blue, and a rocky shore filling the bottom of the frame. On the horizon are the white sails of sailboats. On the right third of the photo, a younger Josey is midair as he leaps over large rocks, wearing a red and black striped tank top, white shorts, and white and red converse. In one hand he holds a pair of sunglasses, with the other swung behind him for balance. He gazes down to ensure proper footing upon landing.
Image 4 Description:
This photo is taken inside an abandoned building, almost every inch of which is filled with graffiti. In the photo, two walls converge—the one on the left has black, red, and blue graffiti, and the one on the right has grey, blue, and orange graffiti. The floor is dirt and gravel, and there is a large, oddly shaped piece of cement with cyan graffiti on it. Josey stands in the left half of the photo, in front of the red wall, gaping and pointing enthusiastically at something off-camera. He wears a black t-shirt, black shorts, and black vans.
Image 5 Description:
In the foreground of the photo is a pile of large, grey rocks. Josey stands among them and points downward at something. He wears a white t-shirt and grey, Nike sweatpants. Below the rocks is a manmade lake where the quarry used to be, with a grassy shore and a deciduous forest past that, with a few pines throughout. The sky above is grey and covered with clouds.
Image 6 Description:
Two buildings create an alleyway in this photo. On the right is a building with dark brown bricks, two windows with black shutters that reflect a blue sky, and a large white sign that reads, in red text, “Salem Markos & Sons Levi’s”. The building on the left is made of light tan bricks that glow in the sunlight. It is lined with windows and has a white sign with a red arrow that reads, in black text, “Kroner’s Hardware”. Through the alley, another brick building is visible with a royal blue awning. In the bottom left quadrant, Sam walked toward the alley, wearing a black and white striped t-shirt and black pants. In the bottom right corner, Josey’s arm points toward the alley.
Image 7 Description:
At the Minnehaha Falls trail, Josey and Madison stand on the creek bed, facing away from the camera, beside a stone brick bridge that stretches over Minnehaha Creek. The shore is grey and rocky, and the shore on the other side has a trail and bright green trees, and is dotted with people standing by the water. Josey wears a brown baseball cap, a white t-shirt with yellow lettering on the back, blue shorts, and white Nikes. Madison wears a light blue long sleeve shirt, a black skirt, a black purse with a cross-body strap, and white Nikes. They stand close together and are looking down at the water.
Image 8 Description:
At night, a stretch of road reaches toward the horizon. The sky is dotted with stars and the aurora glows a soft white-green on the lower part of the sky. Snow and the shapes of bare trees line the sides of the road. In the center of the road, in the bottom half of the photo, two silhouettes stand side by side facing away from the camera. On the left side is Josey, and on the right side is Liz. Their silhouettes could be identical, except that Liz is just a little shorter.