In the informants’s family one of her grandfathers was an eccentric inventor – he made furniture – and he was really into hunting. Eventually, he decided to buy an island off of the coast of Michigan. So, when the informant was younger she went there with her family during the summers a lot. Since she is an only child, she was left alone a lot. She would spend a lot of time in the forest and eventually named it the “Magic Forest” because she thought that the trees turned into furniture. The forest is still called the “Magic Forrest.”

When you turn thirteen in informant’s family, a council of people selected (that are of her family) choose a spirit animal for you. They choose it based on personality traits and the person has no input, it has to be a unanimous vote. They hold the ceremony on the island off the coast of Michigan and the informant’s aunt makes marionettes in the shape of what the spirit animal (see attached). My informant’s spirit animal is a white wolf.

The informant’s family’s traditions are extremely ceremonious and exclusive meaning that only members who identify with the informant’s family can be involved. Apparently the informant’s family takes this decision very seriously and the informant identifies with her spirit animal, despite it not being her choice.