There is a legend in Northern Michigan about a clan of the Dog-Man that has been around since the late 1700s. Many people have claimed to have seen it, from woodsman to elderly women to teenagers who party in some of the forests around here. No one has attempted to explain where or how this creature originated, until now.
Before white people ever stepped foot on this land, a set of twins were born into the Wolf Clan. Children such as these had never been seen before. Instead of the black hair of their people, these children had gray hair like the elders of the tribe. Their eyes were silver rather than the dark brown of their parents. The village was very leery of these children and no other children were allowed to play with them. The twins became used to playing together and once they learned to walk, often played in the forest around the village. Many times they would play in the stream where the tribe gathered their water.
Soon the braves began to complain of no animals left in the forest for them to hunt. They were unable to fill the food larders for winter and the people would certainly starve. At the same time, the women were no longer able to catch fish in the stream. The stream was drying up and the only fish left were the young, too small to gather enough to feed the families.
The Chief called a meeting of the warriors in the tribe. All but the father of the twins attended. As the pipe was passed from hand to hand, the medicine man called upon the Great Spirit to sit with them. The other men in the lodge chanted, asking for the Great Spirit to give them knowledge, help them to keep their families from starving. When the chanting quieted down, a large dark shadow filled one corner of the lodge. Everyone listened as the Spirit explained that the twins were ancestors of the first four wolf brothers. The Blue Wolf, the Black Wolf and the White Wolf all went to live underground. Only the Gray Wolf remained on top and the Great Spirit said the children must be turned over to him.
The Chief called for the father of the twins and told him what must be done for the good of the people. Although their parents were heartbroken, they knew the good of the tribe must come first and reluctantly agreed. The next morning, the mother packed extra food for the children and led them to the place where the stream joined the river. Since the first wolves came from the water, a special friendship grew between The Turtle and the Wolf Clan. The Turtle was to carry the twins to the Gray Wolf. The mother helped the children onto Turtles back and stood at the shore until she could see them no more.
The Turtle swam all day and all night. The next morning the children woke up and found The Turtle walking on the beach. Standing among the trees was the Gray Wolf. :Welcome, little ones," he said.
The children slid off Turtle's back and followed the Gray Wolf to his home. For many years the children grew in the home of the Gray Wolf. They played with his children, learning how to hunt and fish. Sometimes they would see other villages on their journeys but never did they approach them. As the years passed, the children grew into young adults. All around them their childhood friends began to find mates but there were no mates for the children.
One day the young boy, now called White Dog, asked the Gray Wolf why he could not mate with the village people. The Gray Wolf told him his place was now among the Wolf family. The boy protested that none of the female wolves would mate with him because he was different. His sister, White She Wolf, was having the same problems. None of the male wolves would take her as his mate. That is how it would always be the Gray Wolf told the boy, they truly had no place in either world.
The boy told his sister what the Gray Wolf had said. His sister cried, knowing she would never have a husband or family of her own. Her tears upset her brother so that he promised her they would run away together, find someplace where no one knew them and have a family. On the night that marked the beginning of their eighteenth year as they snuck away, believing the wolf family to be asleep. The Gray Wolf opened one eye and watched. Knowing that it was a great dishonor to mate with a family member, the Gray Wolf felt he had no choice but to call upon the Great Spirit to confront the pair.
As soon as the couple found a cave to live in, the Great Spirit came to both of them in their dreams. Both of them were told that grave danger lie ahead if they continued with their plans to live as man and wife. The next morning, neither of the siblings would tell the other about their dreams. They were both so desperate for love and acceptance that they kept quiet. As the sun was setting that day, White Dog repeated the words he had often heard Gray Wolf say when a man had chosen his mate. When the sun hid behind the trees, the couple walked into their home as man and wife for the first time.