*manitōw

PC manitōwihēw, to grant sb supernatural power; manitōmin, black currant; WC manitōhkān, an idol; MC manitow, a god; a lake monster; manitōhkew, to conjure; manitōwi-pīwāpiskʷ, a barometer; manitōwekinʷ, cloth; SEC manitow, an aquatic divinity associated with storms to whom offerings of tobacco are made; manitōnakʷ, an island associated with an aquatic divinity towards which one should not point lest a storm arise; manicōš, any small animal traditionally considered inedible such as an amphibian, reptile, or invertebrate; WI (Pessamit) manituian [məntūjān], woollen cloth; EI (Sheshatshiu) manitushiu [məntūʃīw], to use one's mental and spiritual power; Watkins (1865) "Munito, n.an. God;" "Munitoatisew, v.i.1., He is devout, godly;" "Munitooākin, n.in. Cloth;" Munitooweskatask, n.an. The poisonous carrot; Laure (ca. 1726) "ni-manituuin 3. manituiu, je suis un esprit, génie;" "manituch, insecte; "manituian pl. -a, couverture de lit;" "il ne faut pas prendre ici le change; pour qu'une chose est très dangereuse ou difficile, le Montagnais se sert très souvent de manitu comme; cette roche est à craindre, ils disent ordinairement, tapue manituu assini;" Fabvre (ca. 1690) "mantȣmēgȣch, ep(er)lan, poisson plat de mer;" Silvy (ca. 1680) "manitȣ, esprit, chose admirable, extraordinaire;" "ni manitȣisin, je suis sorcier, médecin;" "ni manitȣkassȣn, je suis un esprit;" "manitȣchich, bestioles, comme des fourmis, etc.;" manitȣmin, rassade; Le Jeune (1634) "Manitousiouets, sorciers ou iongleurs"

Evidence from WC, MC, AT, SEC, WI, and EI regions corroborate the notion that a *manitōwa was believed to be a type of aquatic divinity, typically associated with storms. Though rarely discussed in ethnographic literature, folklore is rich with stories of lakes and islands associated with this belief and toponyms attesting to it are widespread. Skinner (1911) recorded this belief and the association with tobacco offerings when he wrote, “Tobacco is always thrown in the fire before a feast, to propitiate the spirits in general, and when reaching a rapid the Cree voyageurs invariably cast tobacco into it to conciliate the resident manitou or demon, half woman and half fish.” The aquatic nature of this being was mentioned in Flannery (1995) in her biography of Ellen Smallboy, a woman born in the mid-1800s, where a diminutive form of the word was provided with a brief description of a harrowing encounter. Curiously, invertebrates are cross-dialectally referred to as “small *manitōwa.” A detailed discussion of idols made in the likeness of these divinities can be read in Brightman (1993). When serving as an initial for verbal derivation this root extends to the verb the sense of possessing extraordinary powers. With the arrival of Europeans trade goods exchanged during early contact occasionally came to be described with this root, likely as a result of the strong impression these objects made on the people. These objects including glass beads, cloth, and the barometer. With ongoing contact came evangelization and a need to translate Christian beliefs, resulting in the appropriation of this root for these purposes. Words such as “god,” “godly,” “godliness,” and “piety,” came to be built on this root, as did words relating to what came to be translated as the “bad *manitōwa,” namely “Satan” and “devil.” For a discussion of the root word being applied on the west coast of James Bay to a supreme being in what was likely a result of religious syncretism see Cooper (1933). For a study on this concept along the east coast of James Bay see Long et al. (2006). Unfortunately, both studies ignored toponymy, and neither reported on the common belief regarding the aquatic divinity. However, Cooper (1933) does cite an account of a visit to York Factory in 1697 by La Potherie where the latter reported the use of tobacco offerings when caught in a storm out on the water, a well-known practice to this day in the region where East Cree is spoken, where tobacco is traditionally offered to this divinity for this very purpose. Long et al. (2006) also make a single mention of an account written in 1969 by Walton, a missionary posted Fort George, who reported the belief that “manitu” referred to a “mythical man-animal of the sea…”