Seven Fallen Feathers

Seven Fallen Feathers

by

Tanya Talaga

Nanabijou is a mythical giant of Ojibwe legend. According to myth, Nanabijou protected the Ojibwe people but warned that if they ever revealed the location of local silver deposits to white settlers, something terrible would happen. When a Sioux infiltrator revealed the location during a night of drinking, Nanabijou collapsed where he stood, forming the rock formation now known to many as the “Sleeping Giant” in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
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Nanabijou Character Timeline in Seven Fallen Feathers

The timeline below shows where the character Nanabijou appears in Seven Fallen Feathers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
Colonialism, Cultural Genocide, and Racism Theme Icon
Generational Trauma and Circular Suffering Theme Icon
Tradition, Prophecy, Spirituality, and Hope Theme Icon
An Ojibwe legend describes the story of a giant  named Nanabijou. By stomping around the large body of water called Gichigami, Nanabijou created valleys and rock... (full context)
Colonialism, Cultural Genocide, and Racism Theme Icon
Tradition, Prophecy, Spirituality, and Hope Theme Icon
...need of help. In reality, the Sioux man was a spy who’d heard stories about Nanabijou’s precious metal and longed to take it for himself. He befriended the Ojibwe and waited... (full context)
Colonialism, Cultural Genocide, and Racism Theme Icon
Generational Trauma and Circular Suffering Theme Icon
Tradition, Prophecy, Spirituality, and Hope Theme Icon
...man until he revealed where the silver was. As soon as the Sioux man betrayed Nanabijou’s secret, Nanabijou fell down and turned from flesh and blood to stone. The Ojibwe were... (full context)
Colonialism, Cultural Genocide, and Racism Theme Icon
Generational Trauma and Circular Suffering Theme Icon
Indigenous Youth, Education Reform, and Support Networks Theme Icon
Tradition, Prophecy, Spirituality, and Hope Theme Icon
...sown—and decades of apathy toward Canada’s Indigenous population have allowed those seeds to grow. As Nanabijou slept, the “white face of prosperity” flourished, while the “red face” was forced to stand... (full context)
Chapter 8: River, Give Me My Son Back
Generational Trauma and Circular Suffering Theme Icon
Indigenous Youth, Education Reform, and Support Networks Theme Icon
Tradition, Prophecy, Spirituality, and Hope Theme Icon
...Christian suffered a breakdown. He got drunk and went down to the river to curse Nanabijou; he begged the rock formation to give him his son back. Police picked him up... (full context)