New Book Reveals True Ojibwe Legend of UP Freshwater Spring Kitch-Iti-Kipi
Just outside the town of Manistique, in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula, is Kitch-iti-kipi, Michigan’s largest freshwater spring. In the Ojibwe language, kitch-iti-kipi means “Great Spring,” and it is not only a natural wonder but also a tourist attraction.
Although the spring has long been known to the Ojibwe, because it is hidden deep in the woods near Indian Lake, twelve miles from Manistique, it did not become popular with white locals and visitors until the 1920s, when John I Bellair, owner of a dime store in Manistique, began to popularize it. Bellair promoted several different legends about Kitch-iti-kipi to get people to visit the area. However, as he admitted later in his life, he created many of those legends himself.
However, UP author Carole Lynn Hare knows the true legend. In her new book, The Legend of Kitch-iti-kipi, she shares an authentic Ojibwe story that has been passed down in her Ojibwe family by her great-great-grandmother, who repeated the story as she heard it through first time of an old Ojibwe woman.
The true legend is generations and perhaps centuries old and appears to date back before European settlers arrived in the upper peninsula. It tells the story of a young Ojibwe warrior, Young Eagle, and the beautiful maiden, Little Fawn, who won his heart. It is also a story of betrayal, spirits, unexplained phenomena, tragedy and eternal love.
Hare captures in his words the atmosphere of the time and place, as well as the emotions of the characters. His deft narration is accompanied by half a dozen black-and-white pencil illustrations by Ryan Gilroy. Like Hare, Gilroy is a native of the manistic area. His illustrations capture the tone and tragedy of the story.
A nice added bonus is the inclusion of a poem by Hare’s great-great-aunt Pearl. Aunt Pearl had been the first person in the family to write the legend of Kitch-iti-kipi in a small booklet in the 1960s that the family found after her death.
It is vitally important that we preserve the oral traditions and legends of UP before they disappear, so I applaud Hare for sharing this story with us. That the legend has survived for generations is a testament to its power, and anyone who visits Kitch-iti-kipi will enjoy learning about the mysterious events that transpired there. This little book will provide entertainment for young and old alike. The story of Young Eagle and Little Fawn is not one that you will soon forget.