Mi'kmaw Teaching and Learning Resources

Petroglyph tracings E: Human Figures #27. 2 negatives. Marion Robertson's Rock Drawings of the Micmac Indians interprets this petroglyph as "Star Husband... Stories of girls who married stars are widely spread among the North American Indians. In the Micmac story, two girls wished to marry two stars in the sky if they were Indians. On awaking in the morning the stars were beside them and they entered their wigwams as their wives. Later the girls discovered they were in the sky. They were told they could return to the earth but must obey certain directions if they were to reach it safely. These were disobeyed and found themselves lodged in the branches of a tall pine tree. In subsequent adventures, after being helped down the tree by the wily Badger, the girls fled across the river on the neck of Crane (Great Blue Heron) and escaped to the village of the Widgeon Indians where they married two young Widgeon chiefs. The drawing of a single girl [(MG 15 Vol. 12 E19)] with two branches in her hand is sufficient evidence in primitive art to indicate two girls, as are the two stars on the abdomen of the Star Husband and indication of the two husbands. The facial delineation of the Star Husband suggests a later date for the drawing than for the girl and crane petroglyph." See MG 15 Vol. 12 E19 for a petroglyph that shows what might be one of girls who married a star, and MG 15 Vol. 13-I F5 for a petroglyph that may represent Crane.

Date: 1888

Retrieval no.: George Creed Nova Scotia Archives MG 15 volume 12 E27