To wrap up dragon week I wanted to write about Mishibizhiw, an Ojibwe draconic feline water spirit that protects the Great Lakes and the rivers and lakes that branch off of them.
Depending on the stories there’s either one Mishibizhiw that lives in Lake Superior or is a species that lives in all the rivers and lakes of the Great Lakes region.
Mishibizhiw is sometimes called Underwater Panther or Water Lynx in English. Other Anishinaabe spellings of Mishibizhiw include Mishipeshu and Mishibijiw.
Mishibizhiw will drown those that unsustainably harvest the resources of the Great Lakes area, especially fish and copper, which is said to grow from their antlers. To avoid the wrath of Mishibizhiw small amounts of fruits, grains, and copper would be left on the shores.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_panther?wprov=sfla1 http://www.native-languages.org/water-panther.htm
This post is not a suggestion to work with Mishibizhiw as they’re from a closed practices but rather to learn about their stories and some practices that surround them that are already public knowledge
Ganymedes' guide. 