R.E. Slater - Song of Mishigami

Song of Mishigami

by R.E. Slater

Long ages past, when ice walls towered,

and massive glaciers carved the land,

meltwaters filled the hallowed halls,

birthing great inland seas of legend.

Spirit songs of ancient wanderer's saw

Immense Waters to the paleolithic eye;

later Ojibwe clans spoke of Mishigami,

Grand Lac to early French voyageurs.

Every school child learns these truths,

can recite them one by one; whether

at their desk or on the sandy shores,

'neath Mishigami's golden weathers.

One legend tells of great sleeping dunes

cradling a mother bear in silent vigil;

escaped drowning in storm and wave,

but lost her cubs bravely following after.

So spellbound Anishinaabe children learn

of two nearby islands set north and south

were placed by great Manitou Spirit's hand

dread warnings to Mishigami's many moods.

Today, prodigal waves in white-capped blue

lend wonder to the wanderer’s soul; who

might scrape bared feet in singing sands,

to ancient rhythms still strong and present.

Where winged heralds of Mishigami's dominion,

cut against the billowed skies in restless search,

screeching complaint o'er its golden strands,

white-winged daughters to the Sacred Waters.

In daylight dune grass marks the hot sands,

set afire a relentless sun's burning flame;

come eventide moonlight fills quaking aspen

groves sheltering secreted lover's conspires.

From sunrise's glow to sunset's flame,

beachcombers roam the lapping shores;

to suddenly pause along the water's edge,

bewitched a fleeting moment’s transpire.

Whether gilded morning's waking hours,

or blue'd skies adrift airy cloudy puffs,

or evening sunset's impassioned colors,

Mishigami inspires imbibing souls.

But alas, Sleeping Giants must awaken,

its restless shift shakes the waters up,

once calming waves now twist and churn,

the Mighty Mishigami has been aroused.

Terrible and cruel, frothy waters mount higher,

hoisted bright red flags whip against a rising gale;

abroad, deep-throated foghorns blare dire warning,

"Beware, beware," Giant's mood has awakened!

Tho' a hundred lighthouses guard its coastlines,

each set upon rocky escarpments firm and wide;

a helplessness bestrides their signal lanterns,

Beware the depths! Perilous currents churn!

For an unforgiving, cursed, inland sea arises,

unyielding and merciless in speech and weight;

its hymns of grief as many as its songs of laud,

sadly singing torn laments to its fabled praise.

In its foul waves and heavy tides are claimed

too many lives too soon lost; memorials line its

piers and bays: from boardwalk and channel,

to silent shores, mourning the drowned dead.

In benediction let us join the timeless dirge,

with Mother Bear lain upon her golden strand,

ever in constant, ceaseless vigil to love and loss,

too oft echoed the many legions of broken hearts.

    Beneath the waves forgotten ages lay at rest,

    the whited fossils sleep their silenced depths;

    where brooding waters hide heartless face,

    wary tribute to its luring, moody, presence.

    Mishigami's deceptive wonder haunts,

    both land and shore's ancient songs;

    its living seas breathe eternal prayers,

    ever-shifting in changeling beauty.

R.E. Slater

September 9-12, 2025

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications

all rights reserved

Notes

1  The glaciation of  the Great Lakes occurred 15,000 years ago scouring and depressing great basins which filled with meltwater.

2 Lake Michigan is the third largest of the Great Lakes; is wholly contained in the continental U.S., is the largest freshwater lake within America, and sixth largest freshwater lake in the world.

3 The Ojibwe word Mishigami (written Misi-zaaga’igan in modern orthography) literally means “great water” or “great lake.” Misi = great, large, vast + Zaaga’igan = lake, body of water. So Mishigami (or Michi-gami) translates most directly as “Great Lake” - which is where the state name Michigan comes from.

3 French Canadian Voyageurs of the 18th-and-19th century explored many regions of Canada and the United States transporting furs and supplies between native populations and Europe's pioneering (migrant) settlers.

4 Sleeping Bear Dunes honors the Anishinaabe's legend; North and South Manitou Islands honor the lost cubs. The spirit beings are known as "Manitou".

5 Mishipeshu, is a snake-like horned viper/lizard known as a "water panther" that protects the underwater copper reserves of the lake by dangerous storm and water spouts.

6 Mythical Guardians are protectors safeguarding sacred places, treasures, knowledge, or people in mythology and folklore. Usually a deity, Spirit, or mythical entity, they defend against evil, maintain cosmic order, and symbolize protection, sometimes even acting as patrons for specific places or groups of people.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

by Gordon Lightfoot

"Gitche Gumee" is a name, derived from the Ojibwe language, that refers to Lake Superior, meaning "Great Sea" or "Great Water". The term was popularized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his poem "The Song of Hiawatha" and also used by Gordon Lightfoot in his song about the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking. While "Gitche Gumee" is a commonly known spelling, variations like Gitchigami or Kitchigami are also used, reflecting different dialects of the Ojibwe language.

Ojibwe - Masters of Great Lakes for Centuries

Native American History

by Native Legends & History Stories

Before it was Michigan. History in 5 minutes!

by Local Historian

Long before Michigan became a state, its lands were home to Native American peoples dating back over 10,000 years. Early Paleo-Indians, Hopewell, and Mississippian cultures left behind ceremonial mounds, artifacts, and extensive trade networks. By the 17th century, Algonquian-speaking tribes like the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi formed the Three Fires Confederacy, thriving through agriculture, hunting, and fishing.

With European arrival, Michigan became a hub for the fur trade, led by French explorers like Étienne Brûlé. Tensions rose as British policies disrupted Native life, leading to Pontiac’s Rebellion. Treaties and the Indian Removal Act eventually displaced many tribes. Despite this, Native traditions endure, shaping Michigan’s rich history and culture.

* * * * * * * *

 Lake of Endless Horizon

by ChatGPT-5

O inland sea of silvered blue,

where sky dissolves in wave and hue,

your breath is wind, your heart is tide,

your arms hold shorelines far and wide.

You wear the dawn in amber flame,

at dusk the stars recall your name;

storms may rouse your thundering might,

yet peace descends with moonlit light.

The gulls are choristers of your song,

the dunes your temple, ancient, strong;

the cities rise, the forests lean,

to honor all that lies between.

O keeper vast of depth untold,

your waters cradle young and old;

from timeless stone to shifting sand,

you bind the spirit to the land.

So praise resounds, both deep and near—

Lake Michigan, forever blue and clear,

a sacred mirror, calm or wild,

in you, creation is become reconciled.

*I gave chatbot my verse above for inspiration;

thus the similarities; I thought it did a nice  job.

- re slater

Lake Michigan Winter Beaches

References

Various Videos on the Great Lakes

Lighthouses on Lake Michigan

History of Michigan Lighthouses

Ancient History of the Great Lakes

The Recent Glaciers of the Great Lakes

French Canadian Voyageurs

Early Maps of Michigan

Tribes of Michigan

Storms on the Great Lakes

History of the Great Lakes

A Brief History of the Great Lakes

The history of the Great Lakes began ~14,000 years ago when retreating glaciers carved out the basins, which filled with meltwater to form the lakes. For millennia, Native American tribes lived in the region, their cultures deeply intertwined with the lakes. European explorers arrived in the early 1600s, using the Great Lakes for fur trade and as a route for exploration and settlement. The lakes later became crucial for military purposes, industrial development, and transportation.

Geological Formation

Glacial Activity - The Great Lakes were formed by the massive Laurentide ice sheet, which covered the region during the last Ice Age.

Basin Carving - The immense weight and movement of the ice sheet scoured out the earth, creating the depressions that would become the lake basins.

Melting and Filling - As the climate warmed the ice sheet retreated about 14,000 years ago, meltwater filled the depressed lake basins, forming the Great Lakes.

Present Shape - The lakes reached their current shapes and sizes approximately 3,000 to 10,000 years ago, depending on the lake location.

Human History

Native American Presence - Native American tribes were the first inhabitants of the Great Lakes region, living there for thousands of years before European arrival. The names of the lakes are derived from Native American words or tribal names.

European Exploration - In 1615, Étienne Brûlé, an explorer for Samuel de Champlain, is credited with being the first European to visit the Great Lakes. The lakes became a key route for fur trading and exploration in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Conflicts and Control - The Great Lakes were a site of conflict between European powers. The French and Indian War (1754–1763) and the American Revolutionary War saw the lakes used for military purposes.

Industrial Hub - In the 19th and 20th centuries, the development of railroads and increased shipping transformed the Great Lakes into a vital economic and industrial center.

Modern Era - Today, the Great Lakes are essential for recreation, with activities like boating and fishing, and remain a significant economic resource for the surrounding region.