The Record Speaks: Nanaboozhoo and the Birds
- Chief Midegah
- Jul 11
- 2 min read
"The desire to rise beyond what is given. The belief that one can push further without relation."
The Record Speaks: Nanaboozhoo and the Birds
Many people remember Nanaboozhoo and the Birds as a humorous story, but beneath the laughter is a profound teaching about humility, limits, and the desire to rise beyond what has been given. Like many Nanaboozhoo stories, it uses humor to reveal a truth that reaches far beyond the event itself.
After returning from earlier trials, Nanaboozhoo came upon a gathering of birds and watched them soar effortlessly through the sky. He admired their ability to move between Aki, the Earth, and Giizhig, the Sky World, and soon admiration became desire. He no longer wished only to observe them—he wanted to rise as they did.
Nanaboozhoo asked the birds to help him fly. Though some were hesitant, enough agreed to carry him into the air. Higher and higher they rose until the land below appeared small and distant. As he looked down upon the earth, Nanaboozhoo felt powerful and free. Yet with that feeling came pride. Instead of gratitude, he began boasting and urging the birds to carry him even higher.
The birds understood something Nanaboozhoo had forgotten: he was not flying by his own power. He had been lifted by the gifts and efforts of others. Nevertheless, he continued demanding more. Eventually they reached a place where the air grew thin and flight became difficult. Recognizing their limits, the birds prepared to stop. Nanaboozhoo refused to accept this and insisted they continue upward.
At that moment, the birds released him.
Nanaboozhoo plunged back to the earth and struck the ground. Though often remembered humorously, the fall carried an important lesson. He realized that movement between realms cannot be taken through ambition, pride, or force. It is given through right relationship and proper balance. His desire to rise beyond what had been allotted to him echoed an ancient pattern found throughout many sacred traditions—the belief that one can exceed established boundaries through will alone.
The wisdom of the story is not found in the fall itself, but in what follows. Nanaboozhoo learns. He does not attempt to force his way into the sky again. Instead, he comes to understand that true elevation comes through humility rather than pride and through relationship rather than conquest. The gifts of creation each have their place, and wisdom comes from respecting those places rather than trying to possess what was never ours to claim.
In this way, Nanaboozhoo and the Birds is more than a story about flight. It is a warning against arrogance and a reminder that every gift carries limits. When we forget our dependence on others and seek to rise beyond what we are prepared to carry, a fall often follows. Yet the story also offers hope: when we learn from that fall, we return wiser than before, with a deeper understanding of our place within creation.