Malecite Stories: Contents, Characters, Motifs

• Main Author: Szabo, Laszlo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of New Brunswick 1988
• Subjects: Indian; Malecite
• Online Access: https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/SCL/article/view/8083

The Malecites, a relatively small group of Indians who live along the Saint John River in New Brunswick, have stories which contain three fascinating features: their focus on the realities of Indian life; their focus on the supernatural; and their deep, human wisdom. Sometimes these stories revolve around the mythological characters Glooscap, Meekkomowess, and Alesko. There are also many medicine and witch doctor stories in the Malecite tradition, as well as tales about witches (good and bad), little men, and ghosts. Malecite stories also focus on such things as human culture, dreams and reality, old Indian habits and styles, social history, trade, weather prediction, and humour. Finally, there are Malecite children's stories which can be seen as analogous to European fairy-tales.