Mahtoqehs varying hare Muwin black bear Nilun we Kmillonen we give you Sanjewitahasuwakon peace of mind Sipayik the shore by the inlet Woli good The Passamaquoddy tales on which this story is based come from the time we call the Dream Time after the earth the water and the sun and the moon and the stars were made when people and animals understood one another and spoke a common language Those who had magical powers in the Dream Time could easily transform themselves The Passamaquoddies who are members of the Waponahki Nation live at the most easterly point of what today is the United States They were among the first tribes to encounter European explorers Passamaquoddy means place where people catch many pollock These people were fine hunters and fishermen Today members of the Passamaquoddy community are working with scholars at the University of New Brunswick at Fredericton on a Passamaquoddy-Micmac-Maliseet language program turning an oral tradition into a written language with the hope of saving what remains of their culture
