Glooscap's Canoe

In the olden days, when Glooscap lived at Fairy’s Hole on St. Anne’s Bay, there lived an evil lizard who did not like him. He was jealous of Glooscap because the Mi’kmaq marveled at Glooscap’s magic and took no heed of his. When the Mi’kmaq passed his door on their way to Glooscap’s wigwam, he sat beside his miserable little fire and prodded it angrily and mumbled to himself, “Glooscap, the Great Glooscap”.

He plotted to slyly to kill Glooscap but there was no way he could touch him. He tried to outwit him with his magic but Glooscap eluded him. At last, one day, when Glooscap was away from Fairy’s Hole, he stole two girls from their wigwam and drove them mercilessly over the shore to St. Anne’s Bay. The girls stumbled and fell on the rocks and he struck them with him spear. “Your Great Glooscap,” he snarled at them, “where is he? Why has he not come to save you as he said he would?” He prodded them with the sharp point of his spear. “Why do you not answer? Where is your Glooscap? Perhaps if I shout for him he will come.” “Glooscap!” he shrieked, “Glooscap!”

The hills rang with his shrill jeers. “Glooscap! Glooscap! Where are you Glooscap?” He screamed at the girls, “Your Glooscap is a liar. When you need him he does not come.” Then he saw the Great Glooscap striding down St. Anne’s shores. In a frenzy he struck the girls and drove them over the rocks.

Lying on the shore, he saw Glooscap’s great stone canoe. He pushed the girls into it and heaved it into the deep water. “What will you do now Glooscap?” he jeered, “How will you save these girls?” He paddled leisurely along the shore, hurling scorn at Glooscap. “Ah, the Great Glooscap,” he taunted, “The Great Glooscap.” He turned to laugh at Glooscap, helpless on the shore, but Glooscap was beside him. With an ugly snarl he lurched at Glooscap and struck him with his paddle. Glooscap pushed him aside, set the girls carefully ashore and turned on him, lifted him high above the Bay and dropped him into the sea.

Glooscap turned to his broken canoe, pulled its shattered gunwhales apart and left it as two islands, the Bird Islands. The wind, the rain and the sea have beat against the Islands until there is nothing left of the old smooth contours of Glooscap’s great stone canoe. The seabirds long ago found the Islands and still lay their eggs on the bare rocks. All day their hoarse cries echo against the shores, as lonely and as desolate as the sea that rises and falls against the broken rocks of Glooscap’s old stone canoe.

Medium: Airbrush with acrylics
Size: 38 ½“ x 27” (framed)