I started out primarily interested in Egyptian mythology due to a dog food commercial I saw back in the Eighties (long story), but nowadays my primary interest is in Ojibwa (Chippewa) mythology and beliefs.  This interest started long ago though it's only been in the past several years that it's really blossomed.

When I was still in elementary school, my best friend and I would occasionally visit Mackinac Island, Michigan, which has a "Haunted Theater" with a few displays loosely based on some local Ojibwa myths.  There is the "Geebee," a sort of cannibal giant related to the Wendigo of old stories; a lost soul on Arch Rock, a natural land formation on the island; and the "Mitchi Manitou," an evil spirit that was reputed to once live in a bottomless lake that is now long gone.  My friend and I found these stories so intriguing that when we got home we started writing our own story based on them...it was very lame, and never finished, but after my friend moved away, I began writing more stories on my own, and began creating my own fantasy world based on what little I knew of these stories.

And it was admittedly quite little.  Much later, in 2001, I began writing a Web serial set in the same fictional location based on Mackinac Island and partway through it decided it would be good to learn about the mythology I was appropriating!  And I learned that the Geebee/Wendigo and Mitchi Manitou came from Ojibwa mythology.  I'd honestly had no clue before then.  I began buying all the books I could find on the subject and after a while this interest branched out into Ojibwa customs and culture as well.  I now have trouble finding good books I don't already own, *LOL.*  But I guess that's a good sign.

Also over time I grew very close to this belief system as some aspects of it coincide with my own beliefs.  This is kind of awkward as I'm not Ojibwa, and appropriating a native belief system when one is not of that culture is heavily frowned upon, as I've learned.  Still, I don't try to "play Indian" like some people do, and try to approach the beliefs with respect; though some might think I'm being disrespectful by writing fiction based on beings from a living belief system, I've come to view it as a way of honoring these beings by telling stories.  Not everyone will agree with me, but that's life.

One reason why I've grown so close to these stories is because they were told in the very region I was born and grew up in, so all I have to do is look at the landscape around me and see where the myths themselves took place.  Mackinac Island, for example, was hugely important in traditional Ojibwa belief; its very name means "Great Turtle" and alludes to the flood story of the Ojibwa, in which the world was destroyed and then re-created upon the back of a gigantic snapping turtle.  Mackinac Island is supposedly what remains of this turtle, and the landmarks upon it all have stories behind them as well.  Devil's Kitchen, a cave upon the west shore, was said to be the home of the cannibal Geebees; Arch Rock, upon the east, was where spirits passed over to the next land; and Sugar Loaf Rock, in the interior, was one of the homes of Manabozho, the Great Rabbit, the trickster figure and culture hero of the Ojibwa.  These are just a few of the many stories that were told of the place.

I now visit this island every year, and it's the one time when I feel truly happy and at peace.  While most tourists remain in town to buy fudge and look at the Grand Hotel, I wander off into the woodland trails and marvel at the trees and caves and sea stacks.  I walk around all day, for hours, without getting bored, and always look forward to returning.  It's almost like stepping into the old stories themselves.

I have other comments, but I think this is enough for now!  (Not proofread.)

Oh thank you for sharing, i had never heard of this belief system, its really interesting.

Suzi XXX