Tabaldak
Encyclopedia
Tabaldak is the androgynous creator among the Abenaki and Algonquian
people of northeastern North America
. His name means "The Owner" who "created all living things but one". Tabaldak created people out of stones, but thought these people to be too cold. Next he tried wood, and out of these came the Abenaki people. The only creature Tabaldak did not create was Odzihodo, whose name means "He Makes Himself from Something." Initially Odzihodo only had his hand, and as he was not a creator of things, required help from Tabaldak. By the time he was fully formed, Odzihodo had already transformed the world to his vision. To do this, he piled dirt to make mountains, and dug lines for rivers. He took great care in forming Lake Champlain, and happy with his work, turned into a stone.
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
people of northeastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. His name means "The Owner" who "created all living things but one". Tabaldak created people out of stones, but thought these people to be too cold. Next he tried wood, and out of these came the Abenaki people. The only creature Tabaldak did not create was Odzihodo, whose name means "He Makes Himself from Something." Initially Odzihodo only had his hand, and as he was not a creator of things, required help from Tabaldak. By the time he was fully formed, Odzihodo had already transformed the world to his vision. To do this, he piled dirt to make mountains, and dug lines for rivers. He took great care in forming Lake Champlain, and happy with his work, turned into a stone.