Glooskap and his giant companion spearing a whale, after Tomah Joseph’s birchbark design
The plate caption calls the companion Keanke and faces the chapter in which Kitpooseagunow makes canoe equipment from rocks and spears a whale. The caption’s name is retained without treating it as a universally established alias.
Overview
Glooskap meets Kitpooseagunow at Partridge Island. The account describes him as born after his mother was killed by a cannibal giant and as an enemy of such attackers. He entertains Glooskap by transforming rocks into a canoe and equipment, then spears a whale so large that it reaches the clouds when lifted. The two divide, roast and eat it.
Glooskap makes the night bitterly cold as a test. Kitpooseagunow multiplies the available oil, but eventually the fuel runs out; Marten and the grandmother freeze while the two giants remain cheerfully awake. Glooskap revives them at dawn. During the following hunt, a beaver skin fastened to Kitpooseagunow grows until it pulls down trees behind him and clears a road. A second night reverses the challenge, and Glooskap again restores their frozen companions before departing.
Leland’s note cites Rand’s different continuation in which the enormous skin is sold in a town for a merchant’s possessions. It is retained as an attributed variant, not inserted into the chapter’s principal forest sequence. The text uses rivalry to show the giants’ powers while allowing them to remain friendly.
Origins & earliest records
The 1884 collection’s Mi’kmaq chapter cites Rand’s manuscript and his 1871 Old Dominion Monthly material. Rand explains the name through a term for a calf taken alive after its mother’s death; that explanation belongs to the recorded source and is not a newly verified linguistic analysis.
Records & interpretation
The complete whale-fishing, two-night rivalry and beaver-skin sequence was read. Leland proposes that the giant is another form of Glooskap, but the episode presents two interacting beings; this profile preserves the distinction without asserting an independent religious identity in every tradition.
In the literature
“Kitpooseagunow whirled it on high”
How Glooskap had a great Frolic with Kitpooseagunow, a Mighty Giant who caught a Whale; whole narrative and notes · Leland English collected retelling; source-specific credits retained
Kitpooseagunow, whose mother was killed by a cannibal giant, hosts Glooskap at Partridge Island. Stones become boat, paddle and spear; he lifts and divides a whale for their meal. Two freezing contests kill Martin and grandmother on each night; Glooskap restores them each morning. A growing beaver skin clears a forest road between nights. The giants part without the main account killing Kitpooseagunow. The trading-town sale is only a Rand-manuscript variant note.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
The Algonquin Legends of New England
How Glooskap had a great Frolic with Kitpooseagunow, a Mighty Giant who caught a Whale; complete narrative and variant notes.
- 02
The Algonquin Legends of New England — complete whale-fishing and frost rivalry
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.
- Kitpooseagunow, whose mother was killed by a cannibal giant, hosts Glooskap at Partridge Island. Stones become boat, paddle and spear; he lifts and divides a whale for their meal. Two freezing contests kill Martin and grandmother on each night; Glooskap restores them each morning. A growing beaver skin clears a forest road between nights. The giants part without the main account killing Kitpooseagunow. The trading-town sale is only a Rand-manuscript variant note.
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: complete located narrative and contributor notesResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationGlooskap and his giant companion spearing a whale, after Tomah Joseph’s birchbark design
The plate caption calls the companion Keanke and faces the chapter in which Kitpooseagunow makes canoe equipment from rocks and spears a whale. The caption’s name is retained without treating it as a universally established alias.
