Did the distant ancestors of the Anishinabe Witness a catastrophic cosmic impact, the memory preserved in oral tradition as The First Burning of the Earth? Was the object that impacted the earth, according to Ojibwe elders, Halley's Comet? Did the impact usher in climate collapse and the Younger Dryas 12,900 years ago? Was the event recorded in rock art? To help answer these questions, particular attention is given to the catastrophic event described in the oral tradition; origin of the Anishinabe cultural hero Nanabush; Nanabush's reconstruction, renewal and repopulating of the earth following a deluge or great flood; the Fairy Point rock art panel in Ontario, Canada and a particular symbol thought to represent a comet. However, cosmic and natural forces that may have been the inspiration for the rock art symbol (and oral tradition) include not only Halley's Comet, but the Great Comets that occurred between 1618 and 1910, the Aurora Borealis, bolides, fireballs, the Great Earthquake of 1663, earthquake lights, supernovae and the planet Venus. Lastly, the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis or "Clovis Comet" debate, with comparison to details in The First Burning of the Earth, is discussed as are other apparent Ice Age or "Deep Time" memories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]