Nain Rouge

thumb|Representation of Nain Rouge used to promote [[Detroit Beer Company "Detroit Dwarf" lager.]]

The Nain Rouge (French for "red dwarf") is a legendary creature of the Detroit, Michigan area whose appearance is said to presage misfortune for the white settlers of the area. There are no records that indicate the legend of the Nain Rouge existed prior to the 1880s.

According to various narratives surrounding the figure, Detroit's founder Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac was told by a fortuneteller to appease the Nain Rouge, but he instead attacked it with his cane and shouted, "Get out of my way, you red imp!" As a consequence, a string of bad luck befell Cadillac; he was charged with abuse of power and reassigned to Louisiana, later returning to France where he was briefly imprisoned and eventually lost his fortune. The Nain Rouge is also known as "the Demon of the Strait."

Legend holds that Nain Rouge's appearance would presage terrible events for the white people of the city, and foretell success for the Indigenous People. The creature is said to have appeared on July 30, 1763 before the Battle of Bloody Run, where 58 British soldiers were killed by Native Americans from Chief Pontiac's Ottawa tribe. Supposedly, the Nain Rouge "danced among the corpses" on the banks of the Detroit River after the battle, and the river "turned red with blood" for days after. According to the tale, all the misfortunes of Governor and General William Hull leading to the surrender of Detroit in the War of 1812 are blamed on the Nain Rouge.

Several sightings were later reported during the 20th century. Two utility workers claimed to have seen the creature just before the 1967 Detroit riots,

There are no records that indicate the legend of the Nain Rouge existed in the 18th century, when Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac was in authority in Detroit. The earliest record, Hamlin's Legends of Le Détroit, wasn't published until 1883, 180 years after Cadillac was said to have been cursed by the Nain Rouge.

Local culture

The Nain Rouge legend has become an enduring part of the folklore of the Detroit area.

Eric Millikin's Nain Rouge art series

thumb|Still from Eric Millikin's "The Dance of the Nain Rouge," depicting the red dwarf as "a supernatural shape-shifting native being"

Artist Eric Millikin has been creating artworks based on the Nain Rouge since at least the early 2000s. In 2009, Millikin depicted the Nain Rouge as part of a team of characters based on Michigan folklore, including the apparition Minnie Quay, the ghostly Paulding Light, and the Lake Superior sea serpent Pressie. In 2014, Millikin created portraits for a Detroit Halloween Hall o’ Fame, including the Nain Rouge, Sir Graves Ghastly, and Alice Cooper. In 2023, Millikin released The Dance of the Nain Rouge, "an experimental decolonial Detroit demonology deepfake dream dance documentary." The film won several awards from multiple film festivals. The Philadelphia Independent Film Festival describes the Nain Rouge of the film as "a supernatural shape-shifting native being who was brutally attacked by xenophobic colonists and has since been seen dancing as an omen of successful rebellions by the oppressed."

Marche du Nain Rouge

thumb|right|"Pro-Nain" protesters at the 2019 Marche du Nain Rouge.Each Spring since 2010, a costumed parade called the Marche du Nain Rouge has been held in Detroit, in which a person dressed like the Nain Rouge is chased out of the city. An effigy of the Nain Rouge is then burned,

Hundreds of people attend the event. The 2014 parade included a speech from Alexis Wiley, a representative for Mayor Mike Duggan, the first white mayor of the majority-black city since the early 1970s.

Nain Rouge alcoholic drinks

According to Watson Hamlin's Legends of Le Détroit, the Nain Rouge's curse on Cadillac was in part a response to Cadillac's damaging effects of selling of alcohol to the local Native Americans. in Hamlin's telling of the story, the fortune teller warns Cadillac that "selling liquor to the savages ... will cause you much trouble and be the cause of your ruin." In 2014, Two James Spirits released a 120 proof Absinthe du Nain Rouge. In 2015 Woodberry Wine, a distributor and wholesaler of fine wines and Kindred Vines Import Company, an importer of French and Italian wines both based out of the Metro-Detroit area introduced "Nain Rouge Red"; a French red wine blend named after the Nain Rouge dwarf.

Devil's Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge

Devil's Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge is a 2019 film directed by Sam Logan Khaleghi. The film marks the debut of Eminem's younger brother Nathan Kane Mathers. Swifty McVay, of the hip hop group D12, played the role of the mayor of Detroit and composed the song “Scariest Thing" for the film. It had a nationwide USA release of June 23, 2020 on DVD and digital platforms. The film depicts the Nain Rouge as a “ruthless guardian angel” who can be summoned by whomever holds an ancient Ottawa Indian tribe knife that is stolen from a museum.

References

External links

Marche du Nain Rouge official site