“See gwon”

Grand Portage resident Billy Blackwell and Hovland artist and illustrator Jim Korf collaborated on a book of Annishinaabe stories in the 1970’s. See gwon is one of the stories told in “Be Inabin,” the name of the book.

When old man winter has stayed too long, “See gwon,” the beautiful lady of spring will arrive, causing old man winter to take his white blanket and go home far to the north. When spring arrives, certain stories can be told that happened long ago.

Spring is a wonderful season, when the leaves start gnawing on the trees, and many of the babies of the animals are born in the woods. First, the people are happy that the sap in the maple trees begins to flow. Maple sugar is made from that sap. An old lady in Grand Portage, someone the children called “Gramma Liza,” told us a story that her grandmother had told her at the family sugar bush. Long ago when all the people were away in the bush, the grandmother would watch the children. One day, two of the little boys began to quarrel and argue. The older boy said to his little brother ”’She may’ (meaning little brother), I wish I didn’t have you!” The grandmother told the older brother not to ever talk that way because the Great Spirit could hear him say that. A few days later, again the older brother told his little brother “’She may’ I wish I didn’t have you.” Later that day, toward evening, all of the family returned home to their wigiwam. No one could see the little brother. Everyone called out and searched all over the woods for him.

The next day, the older brother, realizing his great mistake, went far away crying out “’She may, She may’ (little brother), Where are you? I am so sorry.” The next night, he was so scared he climbed a tree and stayed there all through the night. In the morning, he began to search again for his little brother, but could find no one.

Finally, back in the family wigiwam, the people shouted out in joy. The little boy had been found, but his older brother had not. All of the people searched for days, but could not find the older brother. All through the year, the family was sad about losing the older boy.

Towards spring, the family moved out to open up their maple sugar bush. After working out in the bush, they began hearing a sad little bird cry out, “She may, She may… She may, She may” The sad little bird seemed to be calling out “little brother.”

One night the people began to have dreams. The Grandmother (Crookomis means Grandmother) had a powerful dream. The older grandson returned in her dream to tell her that every spring, “you will hear me crying out and still looking for my little brother. Warn all the children, tell them to never say they wish they didn’t have a brother or sister. The Great Spirit will hear them and they might suffer like me. The Great Spirit made me like a bird and every spring you will hear me crying out, looking for She may, my little brother. ‘She may, She may… She may, She may,’ I will sadly sing out.”

In the mid 1970s, Billy Blackwell made a book of Anishinaabe stories with Jim Korf. Jim was a famous artist from Hovland; he illustrated the stories. The stories were done in both languages: Anishinaabe and English.

Billy Blackwell says, “ One nice spring day, I was telling this story at the log building school house in Grand Portage. We had one window open. One of the students said ‘listen outside to that bird singing: She may, She may… She may, She may.’ Yes, I told the kids, the bird is still telling us, don’t ever say you wish you did not have a little brother or sister, because the Great Spirit will hear you.”