Bootup smoking the pipe given by Glooskap, after Tomah Joseph’s birchbark design
The whale smoking a pipe illustrates the ending of Bootup’s journey with Glooskap. This is a narrative representation rather than a zoological identification of the whale.
Overview
After his companions are taken away, Glooskap summons whales for transport. The first is too small to bear him; a much larger female carries him toward Kespoogitk, identified in the edition with Yarmouth. She repeatedly asks whether land is near because she fears shallow water. He denies it, hoping to reach shore without wetting his feet.
Clams beneath the water urge the whale to throw him off. She cannot understand them and asks him to translate; he instead claims that they are urging haste. She runs ashore and laments that she will never swim again. Glooskap promises otherwise and pushes her back into deep water with his bow. Before leaving she asks for a pipe and tobacco, then swims away smoking. The tale’s substantial female carrier is named Bootup; she is not the unsuccessful first whale.
Origins & earliest records
The chapter is labelled Mi’kmaq but incorporates explicitly different versions of the family’s abduction and waiting interval, together with words marked Passamaquoddy. No individual narrator is named for the complete whale episode. Leland’s 1884 printed construction is retained as the witness.
Records & interpretation
Complete selected narrative and attached source notes were inspected. Leland’s editorial comparisons and theories remain separate from the narrated actions.
In the literature
“the Whale rejoiced greatly.”
How Win-pe the Sorcerer ... Of the Song of the Clams, and how the Whale smoked a Pipe; complete chapter · Leland English collected retelling; source-specific credits retained
Glooskap rejects a smaller whale unable to bear him, rides the great female Bootup, conceals the approaching shore and misrepresents hostile clams’ warning. Stranded, she laments; he pushes her into deep water. She requests tobacco and sails away smoking his pipe. Grandmother/grandson addresses do not prove biological descent. This living whale is distinct from the unnamed whale killed for a meal in the Kitpooseagunow tale.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
The Algonquin Legends of New England
How Win-pe the Sorcerer ... Of the Song of the Clams, and how the Whale smoked a Pipe; complete relevant narrative and contributor notes.
- 02
The Algonquin Legends of New England — complete whale voyage
Original work1884; Gutenberg6803 selected transcription, exact source print impression and pages unidentified. Full Preface and Authorities read.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
The Algonquin Legends of New England
Original work1884; Gutenberg6803 selected transcription, exact source print impression and pages unidentified. Full Preface and Authorities read.
- Glooskap rejects a smaller whale unable to bear him, rides the great female Bootup, conceals the approaching shore and misrepresents hostile clams’ warning. Stranded, she laments; he pushes her into deep water. She requests tobacco and sails away smoking his pipe. Grandmother/grandson addresses do not prove biological descent. This living whale is distinct from the unnamed whale killed for a meal in the Kitpooseagunow tale.
No entire volume, independent oral record or separate cited manuscript/comparative edition reviewed. Variant/narrator boundaries preserved; no earliest, medical or diffusion proof claimed.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary textLeland 1884: How Win-pe the Sorcerer ... Of the Song of the Clams, and how the Whale smoked a PipeResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationBootup smoking the pipe given by Glooskap, after Tomah Joseph’s birchbark design
The whale smoking a pipe illustrates the ending of Bootup’s journey with Glooskap. This is a narrative representation rather than a zoological identification of the whale.