My Introduction to Mouse Woman

As I have mentioned before, I have had glimpses of Haida culture throughout my life but many times they went unnoticed. One of the greatest examples of this would be a story I loved as a child. My parents had a subscription to Reader's Digest and, along with the numerous magazines that would test my "word power" or provide jokes I could use later to impress someone, they would also get books! One of these books just happened to be for me; The Canadian Children's Treasury. All of these stories ended up being ones I still read today but the first section, titled The First People, had several which really stuck with me. I used How The Human People Got The First Fire by George Clutesi for an English project in high school and always remember The Loon's Necklace by William Toye when I would hear a haunting song at Dollar Lake. But one story has stayed with me more than the rest. The Princess and the Geese by Christie Harris.

I wouldn't call it a happy story necessairly but the concept of good vs. bad is something that does not show up in any aboriginal story, really. It's more of the concept that everything has the ability to be good OR bad and it comes down to choice. One of the star characters of this story is Mouse Woman. Now, if someone asked me if she was good or bad, I'd say she was definitely a "good" character but she's known for being mischievous. Normally, this is her way of being the protagonist and helping those who meet her to become better people and find the answer to their problems. She, like Raven, enjoy playing tricks but harm only comes if someone crosses her. An example of this comes to mind but I cannot remember the story exactly. It's in another book by Christie Harris and has to do with a Porcupine clan...if I find it again, I will let you know! Mouse Woman is definitely one of my favourite characters and the first time I met Willie's grandmother, Nuni Pat, I was (and still am) convinced she is Mouse Woman, haha.

http://citizenshift.org/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/mouse-woman.jpg (from the cover of Mouse Woman and the Mischief Makers by Christie Harris)

I will post a copy of the The Princess and the Geese next so you all can enjoy it! Funny enough, the story reminds me of Willie and I, but we're trying to alter our "ending" so it's better than this one. So far, so good...we've made a baby goose! Hahaha.

Enjoy!