#nibiinaabe

[artist-ellen]

Anishinaabe Mermaid!

This was recommended over on my TikTok! In Anishinaabe myths there are Nibiinaabe, water spirits that have human torsos and fish tails! They are also very shy and easily startled. I based this design on Anishinaabe/Ojibwa jingle dresses and rainbow trout.

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram, tiktok or check out my coloring book \ („• ֊ •„) /

[kitschyjuice]

Long time no post here, I post more on my insta ( kitschy_juice )

BUT

Here’s my sailor OC and his merman bestie /BF

[epica-fantasia-ilustrada]

[baapi-makwa]

nibiinaabe (water person) that I am currently working on. the idea for the “hair” is that it’s not quite hair, but works like the whiskers of a catfish, feeling the bottom of the lake where it is dark, and cold, so that is why the layer of fur on the long arms they use to pull themselves along.

[baapi-makwa]

i have a bunch of these smaller pieces of paper and whenever i feel anxious i grab one and draw whatever, tonight i drew this gichigami nibiinaabe. always figured that a mermaid that spent their time in the cold depths of lake superior would have some blubber and fur to keep warm. a bonus is this will fit nicely in one of those cards i got 😊

[baapi-makwa]

glumshoe said: I am so in to your Great Lakes mermaid things. With like the fur and stuff? Those were a while ago but I think about them a lot.

I had so much fun drawing nibiinaabe :) I most definitely need to be doing more of those, the idea of a book on them is still floating around in my head and occasionally comes to the surface. 

[baapi-makwa]

gichigami nibiinaabe (lake superior water-person) … In my mind nibiinaabe in Lake Superior would spend most of their time at the bottom of the lake where it is always rather chilly so they would need a little extra chub to keep warm and maybe even a little fur here and there (it most likely would get thicker in the winter months). I drew the tail to resemble a mizay(eelpout) ‘cause that is a bottom feeder fish that would share the lake bottom with the nibiinaabe …also it looks pretty cool. I was going to keep the tail rather simple but itneeded a little something. What started as a simple diamond pattern ended how you see it now.

Ojibwe do have stories about nibiinaabe, usually involving the disappearances of people who were out on the water, especially during times when the water was still and the weather was nice.