Mannegishi
Encyclopedia
The Mannegishi are a race of trickster
people in Cree
folklore
, similar in nature to the Memegwesi of the Ojibwa
. They are described as semi-humanoid, being sexdactylous humans with very thin and lanky arms and legs and big heads minus a nose. According to one Cree schema of the mythology, there are two humanoid races, one being the familiar human
species and the other being the "little people", i.e. Mannegishi. These people are said to live between rocks in the rapids. One of their biggest delights -- a completely non-heroic form of trickster behavior -- is to crawl out of the rocks and capsize the canoes of people canoeing through the rapids, spinning them to their death.
The Mannegishi has attracted interest in recent years due to its possible cryptozoological
connections. It is believed by some that the Dover Demon
represents a modern sighting of the Mannegishi.
Trickster
In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this...
people in Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, similar in nature to the Memegwesi of the Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
. They are described as semi-humanoid, being sexdactylous humans with very thin and lanky arms and legs and big heads minus a nose. According to one Cree schema of the mythology, there are two humanoid races, one being the familiar human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
species and the other being the "little people", i.e. Mannegishi. These people are said to live between rocks in the rapids. One of their biggest delights -- a completely non-heroic form of trickster behavior -- is to crawl out of the rocks and capsize the canoes of people canoeing through the rapids, spinning them to their death.
The Mannegishi has attracted interest in recent years due to its possible cryptozoological
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
connections. It is believed by some that the Dover Demon
Dover Demon
The Dover Demon is an alleged cryptozoological creature sighted on three separate occasions during a 25-hour period in the town of Dover, Massachusetts on April 21 and April 22, 1977. It has remained a subject of interest for cryptozoologists ever since then...
represents a modern sighting of the Mannegishi.