The Legend of the Lady Slipper (Ojibwe Tale)

This is a beautifully illustrated book that tells the Anishinabe or Ojibwe legend of the lady slipper or moccasin flower. As the book's Forward tells us, "This delicate plant grows from the soggy ground of a black spruce bog or the rocky soil of a jack pine forest. It takes fourteen years before

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the first bloom appears. If left undisturbed it will grow into a thick cluster of flowers which will bloom for another hundred years or more." The authors and the illustrator have taken pains to make their book capture the Ojibwe understanding of the world as a web of life that speaks to those who listen.

The book's story is a classic hero journey in which a little girl must go on a dangerous trek through a freezing wintry night to find healing herbs when her whole village is stricken with terrible disease. She is encouraged along her route by the spirits of the stormy environment who speak to her in the Ojibwe tongue. Along the treacherous path she loses her moccasins but she continues on, suffering greatly. Her bravery and sacrifices are glorified by Nature in the Springtime when new pink and white flowers in the shape of moccasins bloom where her frozen and bleeding feet had made marks in the snow.

The publishers say this book is intended for the infant to pre-school age group of children. I cannot disagree more. I think some of the concepts are too difficult for the intended group and would be better appreciated by kindergarten through 4th grade although even older children should be able to take enjoyment from its spiritual messages of courage, self-sacrifice and unity with the web of life. The brightly colored watercolor paintings are on every page, some are full-page and some are double page spreads. There are very simple line figures but surprising amounts of detail and movement are shown. The landscape and the village wigwams though rendered in this simple way still manage to be faithfully authentic. The word wigwam is an anglicized word from the Ojibwe wekou-om-ut meaning "in their house."

The artist, Andrea Arroyo, was inspired by traditional patterns found in bead work of the Ojibwe people and there are several clear examples of beading patterns throughout the book as page decoration and on the garments of the characters. Pre-schoolers might very well enjoy the bright colors and the simple lines but there is much more to this little book than just the visual.

One of the things I love about this book and that makes it fun to share with young listeners is that the authors made a strong effort to include Ojibwe language in the text. As the girl trudges along on her difficult mission to bring the healing herbs back to her village from another distant village she is guided along by the voices of falling snow, the ice on the frozen lake, the aurora borealis, and the deep snow drifts that each communicate in her native Ojibwe tongue. Their spirits speak to her in warning and encouragement. The beautiful illustrations are a perfect match for the simple yet poetic text.

I have found that even though this text is very simple it consistently engages the reader and young listeners and gives a strong sense of suspense, movement and excitement. It also manages the difficult task that the authors set for themselves of making the natural world come alive. As the girl walks across a frozen lake she sees the spirits of her ancestors overhead. "Blue and green lights in the sky. She knew the lights were the spirits of the dead, gaily dressed, rising and falling in the steps of a dance. Jii-ba-yag-nii-mi-wag, her people called them, the northern lights. What if someone from her family or one of her people were to join them because she had been so slow? She left the lake and quickened her pace, keeping her eyes on the lights in the sky." The eerie phantoms floating and dancing in the wide midnight-blue sky greatly add to the supernatural atmosphere of this tale.

The name Ojibwe comes from the Algonquin words ot chipwa which mean "to pucker" and has to do with the unique way in which they stitched their moccasins. The traditional Ojibwe moccasins are well illustrated in this book and show their beautiful bead patterns. That this lovely delicate wildflower was named for the Ojibwe moccasins from whence their own name also derives shows that this is an important legend to their culture. The Ojibwe are also known as the Chippewa but their name for themselves is Anishinabe and means "original men."

I think this is an exciting and satisfying story and makes an excellent conversation starter to teach little ones about communing with the elements of Nature and shows them that it is important to proceed in Nature as a relative and not an intruder. This is also a good early learning tool that encourages stewardship of the environment and can help young people develop a keen eye for the wonders of wild flora. I highly recommend it.

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