Cheeby-aub-oozoo

Cheeby-aub-oozoo is the third son of Winonah and Ae-pungishimook and born of an altogether different temperament. He didn’t have the brashness of the first son or the rampant silliness of the second. He was the serious one. He was similar to Pukawiss in that he had an inherent connection to the world around him, but where Pukawiss was content to extract the story and drama before him, Cheeby-aub-oozoo needed to know the why of everything. He had a tendency to go stock still and go into strange trances where he listened in rapturous presence to the beauty of one thing. He could do this for hours at a time. Others found it at least a little weird and disconcerting.

Before long he began seeking out the places where the Manitou dwelled, as he could hear them whispering to the animals, plants, and birds. He started speaking to thin air and completely creeped out everyone around him. The people were worried he was possessed, or worse, that he would attract bad Manitou to them all. Instead, the Manitou gave him visions and he came to bring new ways to the people.

The Manitou taught him how to make special drums and special ceremonies that would allow the people to communicate with the Manitou. He taught the people how to fast and seek visions from the Manitou and how personal Manitou would help them if spoken to correctly. He brought forth new chants, songs, and drumming that pleased the Manitou and moved people to dance. Even his brother Pukawiss was impressed and moved to create theater and dances to these songs and rhythms.

He finally got to meet his other brothers at the occasion of Nana’b’oozoo’s wedding. Unfortunately, this came at a cost. Maudjee-Kawiss was very displeased with the perceived lack of manliness of his brothers. He chided and shamed them mercilessly, so much the Cheeby-auboozo sought to prove his brother wrong and show that he too had might. He got into a canoe to go fight a terrible giant and never came back. They found that he had drowned in the lake that night. Nana’b’oozoo cried so hard that he summoned his brother back from the land of the dead. He rose before all as a phantom, and everyone yelled at Nana’b’oozoo to stop and send him back. Cheeby-aub-oozoo returned, and the elders of the dead were so moved by him that they asked him to be their “ogimauh” or leader.

He remains in the land of the dead for the most part, venturing out on occasion. He still speaks with Pukawiss and Nana’b’ooozo but has nothing to do with Maudjee-Kawiss. His Scions are strange people, often seen as odd by others. They have a tendency to be bothered by spirits and have strange bouts of genius that seem to come from nowhere. Most find themselves drawn to communication and community building. Many have found a particular knack for programming virtual worlds and alternate-reality games which allows them, and others, to communicate with Manitou and receive visions.