The Meteor Spirit, Wodjidjéga, seems to be at once a comet and a meteor(ite), since apart from his having a hairy, raccoon-like tail, he is famous for diving into the ground from a great height. His nature and form, especially his long tail, is an expression of the Raccoon Spirit. In human form Wodjidjéga wore the skin of a raccoon complete with nose, ears, and tail which fit him perfectly from head to toe. [1] The Hotcâgara believe that Wodjidjéga governs animals, and that far from being baleful as in Europe, he causes hunters to prosper by generating an abundance of game. This may derive from the fact that when a wodjidjé crashes into the earth, it scatters untold numbers of animals over the countryside. [2] Part of the benevolent and fecund nature of Wodjidjéga comes from his being homologized to Sun. The stem, djidje, is the verb "to become," nominalized by the prefix ho- to yield, "that which becomes," the other half of the compound being wi, "luminary." [3] As a spirit who comes to earth in human guise to help mankind, Wodjidjéga opposed the infertile forces allied with the moon and menstruation [4], fighting such lunar animals as coyotes and giant dogs. Taking on the form of a small child, he rescued people from starvation, as befits a spirit of plenty. [5]

Pieces of meteorites were considered very powerful medicine. A Hotcâk woman once obtained one from Iowa which she kept in a skin bag, and which she said was very powerful. [6]

Links: Spirits, Celestial Spirits, Sun, Raccoons, Loons, Rock Spirits, Iron Spirits, Coyote, Otter, Moon, Aurora Borealis, Grasshoppers, Bluehorn, Pretty Woman, Frogs.

Stories: featuring Wodjidjéga (The Meteor Spirit) as a character: The Roaster, Wodjidjé, The Raccoon Coat, The Green Man; about stars and other celestial bodies: Sky Man, Îtcorúcika and His Brothers, Sun and the Big Eater, The Big Eater, The Dipper, Wodjidjé, The Raccoon Coat, Grandfather's Two Families, Bluehorn's Nephews, Turtle and the Witches, The Fall of the Stars; mentioning Rock Spirits: The Big Stone, The Green Man, The Seer, The Roaster, Wodjidjé, The Raccoon Coat, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Hare Acquires His Arrows, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle; mentioning raccoons: The Raccoon Coat, The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster, The Were-fish, Lake Wâkcikhomîgra (Mendota): the Origin of Its Name, The Spirit of Maple Bluff, Bladder and His Brothers, Raccoon and the Blind Men.

Notes:

[1] Paul Radin, "Coon Skin Fur Coat," [unpublished] Winnebago Notebooks (American Philosophical Society Library) #59, pp. 1-122.

[2] Paul Radin, "The Roaster," [unpublished] Winnebago Notebooks (American Philosophical Society Library) #2.

[3] Mary Carolyn Marino, A Dictionary of Winnebago: An Analysis and Reference Grammar of the Radin Lexical File (Ph.D. Thesis, University of California, Berkeley, December 14, 1968 [69-14,947]) 421, sv wi, "sun"; 211, sv djidje, "to stand, to become"; 211, sv wodjidjé, "meteor."

[4] Radin, "The Roaster."

[5] Paul Radin, "Wodjidjé," [unpublished] Winnebago Notebooks (American Philosophical Society Library) #62, 1-50; Radin, "Coon Skin Fur Coat."

[6] Walter Bubbert, "Some Indian Myths About Iron," Wisconsin Archeologist, 22, #2 (1941): 9-11 (10).