Cree for “Great Spirit.” In Anishnabe culture, Gitchi Manitou is the Giver of Life and the Creator of all things. Each time Xavier is forced to kill during the war, he prays to Gitchi Manitou for forgiveness, and when Niska constructs a matatosowin, she prays to Gitchi Manitou for guidance and vision. According to Anishnabe legend, Michilimackinac (an island in Northern Michigan now known as Mackinac Island) is the home of Gitchi Manitou.
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The timeline below shows where the term Gitchi Manitou appears in Three Day Road. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Onatopaniwiw: Fighter
...the first time, “felt like an ancestor, an awawatuk raider and warrior.” Xavier prayed to Gitchi Manitou and thanked him for allowing him to live. He can shoot now, knowing that it...
(full context)
Ka Nipihat Windigowa: Windigo Killer
...was twist the rope with a stick and it would be over. Niska prayed to Gitchi Manitou and began to twist. He began to buck and struggle, but Niska prayed louder, and...
(full context)
Masinahikewin: Writing
...spoke. “You must do what is necessary to survive,” she said. Niska told Xavier that Gitchi Manitou will understand if he must kill, and “Elijah must know this too.” She told him...
(full context)
Ntashiihkewin: Home
...four directions and then the earth, the sun, the sky, and the moon” and thanks Gitchi Manitou for Xavier’s return.
(full context)