There was once a large village of the MicMac Indians of the Eastern
Algonquins, built beside a lake. At the far end of the settlement stood a
lodge, and in it lived a being who was always invisible. He had a sister
who looked after him, and everyone knew that any girl who could see
him might marry him. For that reason there were very few girls who did not try, but it
was very long before anyone succeeded.
This is the way in which the test of sight was carried out: at evening-time, when the
Invisible One was due to be returning home, his sister would walk with any girl who
might come down to the lakeshore. She, of course, could see her brother, since he
was always visible to her. As soon as she saw him, she would say to the girls:
‘Do you see my brother?’
‘Yes,’ they would generally reply – though some of them did say ‘No.’
To those who said that they could indeed see him, the sister would say:
‘Of what is his shoulder strap made?’
Some people say that she would enquire:
‘What is his moose-runner’s haul?’ or ‘With what does he draw his sled?’ And they
would answer:
‘A strip of rawhide’ or ‘a green flexible branch’, or something of that kind.
Then she, knowing that they had not told the truth, would say:
‘Very well, let us return to the wigwam!’
When they had gone in, she would tell them not to sit in a certain place, because it
belonged to the Invisible One. Then, after they had helped to cook the supper, they
would wait with great curiosity, to see him eat. They could be sure that he was a real World Tales~ IDRIES SHAH ~
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North American Indianperson, for when he took off his moccasins they became visible, and his sister hung
them up. But beyond this they saw nothing of him, not even when they stayed in the
place all the night, as many of them did.
Now there lived in the village an old man who was a widower, and his three
daughters. The youngest girl was very small, weak and often ill; and yet her sisters,
especially the elder, treated her cruelly. The second daughter was kinder, and
sometimes took her side, but the wicked sister would burn her hands and feet with
hot cinders, and she was covered with scars from this treatment. She was so marked
that people called her Oochigeaskw, the Rough-Faced Girl.
When her father came home and asked why she had such burns, the bad sister
would at once say that it was her own fault, for she had disobeyed orders and gone
near the fire and fallen into it.
These two elder sisters decided one day to try their luck at seeing the Invisible One.
So they dressed themselves in their finest clothes, and tried to look their prettiest.
They found the Invisible One’s sister and took the usual walk by the water.
When he came, and when they were asked if they could see him, they answered: ‘Of
course.’ And when asked about the shoulder strap or sled cord, they answered: ‘A
piece of rawhide.’
But of course they were lying like the others, and they got nothing for their pains.
The next afternoon, when the father returned home, he brought with him many of
the pretty little shells from which wampum was made, and they set to work to string
them.
That day, poor little Oochigeaskw, who had always gone barefoot, got a pair of her
father’s moccasins, old ones, and put them into water to soften them so that she
could wear them. Then she begged her sisters for a few wampum shells. The elder
called her a ‘little pest’, but the younger one gave her some. Now, with no other
clothes than her usual rags, the poor little thing went into the woods and got herself
some sheets of birch bark, from which she made a dress, and put marks on it for
decoration, in the style of long ago. She made a petticoat and a loose gown, a cap,
leggings and a handkerchief. She put on her father’s large old moccasins, which
were far too big for her, and went forth to try her luck. She would try, she thought, to
discover whether she could see the Invisible One.
She did not begin very well. As she set off, her sisters shouted and hooted, hissed World Tales~ IDRIES SHAH ~
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North American Indianand yelled, and tried to make her stay. And the loafers around the village, seeing the
strange little creature, called out ‘Shame!’
The poor little girl in her strange clothes, with her face all scarred, was an awful
sight, but she was kindly received by the sister of the Invisible One. And this was, of
course, because this noble lady understood far more about things than simply the
mere outside which all the rest of the world knows. As the brown of the evening sky
turned to black, the lady took her down to the lake.
‘Do you see him?’ the Invisible One’s sister asked.
‘I do, indeed – and he is wonderful!’ said Oochigeaskw.
The sister asked:
‘And what is his sled-string?’
The little girl said:
‘It is the Rainbow.’
‘And, my sister, what is his bow-string?’
‘It is The Spirit’s Road – the Milky Way.’
‘So you have seen him,’ said his sister. She took the girl home with her and bathed
her. As she did so, all the scars disappeared from her body. Her hair grew again, as
it was combed, long, like a blackbird’s wing. Her eyes were now like stars: in all the
world there was no other such beauty. Then, from her treasures, the lady gave her a
wedding garment, and adorned her.
Then she told Oochigeaskw to take the wife’s seat in the wigwam: the one next to
where the Invisible One sat, beside the entrance. And when he came in, terrible and
beautiful, he smiled and said:
‘So we are found out!’
‘Yes,’ said his sister. And so Oochigeaskw became his wife.World Tales~ IDRIES SHAH ~
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How is magic used in Algonquin Cinderella
In the Algonquin Cinderella story, magic is used in several ways. First, the Invisible One and his sister possess the power of invisibility, allowing them to hide their true forms from others. This power is a form of magic that plays a crucial role in the story's plot.
Additionally, the sister of the Invisible One tests the potential brides by asking them a question about her brother's possessions, such as the material of his shoulder strap or sled cord. This test is magical in nature, as it allows her to determine if the girls are telling the truth or not. It is implied that the sister possesses some sort of magical ability or knowledge that enables her to discern the truth from falsehoods.
Furthermore, after Oochigeaskw is chosen as the bride, the sister of the Invisible One baths her and makes all of her scars disappear. This transformation is a magical act that enhances Oochigeaskw's beauty and prepares her for her new life as the wife of the Invisible One.
Overall, magic is used throughout the story to highlight the supernatural abilities of the characters and drive the narrative forward. It adds an element of wonder and enchantment to the story, making it a classic fairy tale.