The Witch Tree lives in my home state of Minnesota, on the shores of the mighty Lake Superior near to Grand Portage. The tree is also known as the Manido Gilzhigance, or the Little Spirit Cedar Spirit Tree by the Ojibwe Indians (also known as the Chippewa Indians) The tree is a Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) of undetermined age. It is at least 400 years old, but could easily be much older. Despite its age, it only stands about 15 feet tall, having withstood the winter fury of Lake Superior for hundreds of years. The tree is easily recognized by its distinctive “W” shape in its crown and unique position perched precariously on the edge of the water.
The tree was first commented on by the French explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes in 1731, who observed the tree’s maturity at the time and unique position at the edge of a cliff. The Ojibwe Indians hold the tree sacred and traditionally would leave offerings of tobacco at its base. While several legends surround the tree, most of them center on a spirit trapped inside who must be appeased in order to guarantee safe passage along the treacherous coast of Lake Superior. The term “Witch Tree” was coined by Minneapolis WPA artist Dewey Albinson who made the tree famous through his paintings.
Today the tree and the surrounding land are owned by the Ojibwe tribe of the Grand Portage Reservation and access is generally prohibited unless accompanied by a tribal member. You can pass directly beneath the tree on canoe or kayak, however. Many boaters still leave offerings at its base, either to appease the tree’s spirit, or as a sentimental gesture toward an ancient cultural tradition.