Loading…
Transcript

Ojibwe People

The Clan System

North/ Winter/

Biboon/ Elders/ Courage

According to the stories handed

down through generations by the Ojibwe

people, their home long ago, was " on the

shores of the great salt water, toward the rising sun"

that is on the Atlantic Ocean. Indeed, they share their

language with many Native people who live in the Northeast U.S. and Canada and their westward migration predates European settlement and is a central part of their story. Ojibwe means puckered which many people believe refers to their moccasins. The Ojibwe call themselves the Anishinaabe or the first people. They sometimes use this word to refer to all Indian people. This video was made by a neighbor of ours from Bois Forte. She describes what it means to her to be

Anishinaabe

The Clan System for many Indigenous

cultures was a traditional form of governance

for the people. Every clan had their own roles and

purpose that pertained to the greater good of the

entire community. Within the Ojibwe Clan System each

clan had not only their own purpose, but the members of

that clan was said to have certain personality traits to

assist with upholding the clan structure. You may ask,

"What if a person within a certain clan portrayed personality

traits of another clan?" There was also a place within each

clan for members to be representatives of other clans. In

this way every person, role and personality was honored,

respected and had a place that was fitting for the

individual. For the Ojibwe people every clan had

representation at community gatherings and within

vital decision making.

Go north in winter. On the northern white plain,

you will come to understand how life moves from one

world to the next. Look to bear-Makwa- to model

Courage.

You are older now. Your hair is white. You are in the winter of your life. You have learned much. You understand to always act on what is right for you and your family. To do what is right is not easy. It takes courage. It takes courage to heal that which is not right within you before being reborn. Become a healer. Become Makwa.

Just as courage sleeps in Makwa through long winter months, it is dormant within you. It needs only to be awakened. Observe Makwa fight when her young are threatened. She will not stop until she

overcomes any and all threats. In your life, you will need

courage to transfom fears that might prevent you from living

a good life. Makwa shows you how to face danger.

In the beginning

The Ojibwe tell a story about how the first people came about as a result of a great flood and the cooperation between the first man, Anishinabe or Nanapush, and the animals.

Things to know

about the North/Winter-

Biboon/ Elders/ Courage

  • Makwa the bear is the animal who represents courage. Makwa is fierce but also wise and in the Ojibwe Clan system the Bear Clan are peacekeepers, healers and patrol the boundaries of the community.
  • As in Dakota culture, elders play an important role as keepers of knowledge, teaching young people and helping make wise choices for the community
  • The Ojibwe clan system is a type of governance that reflects all members of the communities strengths and calls on every part of the community to participate and be heard.
  • When conflicts or issues were resolved in an Anishinabe community all clans were included in the decision making process. This ensured that no one would feel
  • left out or marginalized, and also made sure that
  • every option was explored

7 Sacred Teachings

We will be learning about the

7 Sacred Teachings of the Ojibwe. These

teachings were passed down to the Ojibwe

people as guidelines on how to live in balance.

They were given to the people during a difficult time

in order that they should remember how to live a good life. They correspond with the Seven Directions- North, East, South, West, Above, Below, and Within. They are:

To cherish knowledge is to know Wisdom

To know Love is to know peace

To honor all of creation is to have Respect

Bravery is to face the foe with integrity

Honesty is facing a situation with bravery

Humility is to know yourself as a sacred part of

Creation

Truth is to know all of these things

Yellow/Spring/East/Humility

We begin our journey in the Spring, in the

east. East is where all life begins and yellow best

represents the first teaching: Humility.

Every day, the beauty and power of creation are ignited in

the east. Are you not humbled by the strength and brillance

of the rising sun? Can you not sense that something much stronger than you is out there? Accept how small and insignificant you are. For the betterment of yourself and all creation, strive to be humble. Look to Wolf- Ma'iingan- for humility. Observe how Ma'iingan does not live for himself but for the pack. Watch him bow his head in the presence of others. He does this out of deference, not fright. Ma'iingan understands what a small part of the whole he plays. His ultimate punishment is to be cast away from his community. Learn this type of humility. Learn to not be arrogant. Do not think too highly of yourself. Do not want for yourself. Become humble. Become Ma'iingan. Ojibwe people have a special relationship with wolves. In their stories the wolf first taught Ojibwe

people how to hunt and how not to waste. The wolves and

the people since then were always respected allies. This

is why Ojibwe people do not hunt wolves, and why

hunting wolves is illlegal on Ojibwe reservations in

Minnesota.

Meet the Ojibwe

People: Ojibwe

Anishinaabeg

Below/Truth

Above/ Wisdom

Within/Love

The Great Migration

Things to know about East/Birth/Sping/ Humility

Truth is to know all of these teachings.

Look down toward the green earth.

Everything comes from Mother Earth.

Everything returns to her. Truth lies in spirit. Pray

every day, and when you can, pray under a tree at

sunrise if possible. Ask for yourself only when there is no

other recourse, and give thanks always. Give thanks with

Tobacco. When you are thankful, good will come to you and

those you love. Mother Earth was created on the back of

Turtle- Miskwaadesii. Look to Miskwaadesii to understand

truth. Look for Miskwaadesii for one whose existence is

strong and stable. Slow-moving Miskwaadesii understands

as you should, that the journey of life is as important as

the destination.

You have travelled the way of the

Medicine Wheel. Now look up into the blue

of Grandfather Sky for Wisdom. To live your life

based on your unique gifts is to live wisely.

You are not the same as your neighbor. You were

created special. You are one of a kind. So is your

neighbor. So are the tree and the flower. You need

only to look to see it is so. Do not ask questions.

Watch and listen. Notice what is going on around you. Observe your life and the lives of others. By watching

and listening you can learn everything you need to

know. Knowledge can be learned but wisdom must

be lived. Live and learn.

Look within yourself for Love. Love

yourself, and then love others. You cannot

love another until you first love yourself. You

must understand and live the other six Teachings

before you can love. Love is worth working for. Love is

worth waiting for. Love is the key to life. There is no short

cut to achieving the state of love and you cannot know love unless you are courageous. You cannot know love unless you are honest. Love is based on the wisdom to understand one's self and the humility to accept weaknesses as well as being proud of one's strengths. Love has as its very core the other Teachings. This is why I give it you last.

  • Ojibwe means puckered- refers to the type of moccasin
  • Anishinabe means first people and is how most Ojibwe people refer to themselves
  • Anishinabe people first came from Atlantic Canada
  • Their migration is a huge part of their story
  • Manoomin is wild rice
  • Magiingan means wolf in Anishinabe. Wolves are sacred to Anishinabe people
  • In the Anishinabe origin story the muskrat saves the people by bringing up soil to form a new world

Central to the Ojibwe experience is the

great migration when Ojibwe people left their

homes on the Atlantic Coast and travelled to the Great

Lakes area. They left because seven prophets told the

people that they needed to journey to where the food grew on

water. The prophets warned the people of hard times to come,

times of great hunger and suffering, but told them that migrating

would be the only way to save the people. This turns out to have

been true, as many of the Native peoples of the east coast were

the first to be affected by disease and violence from the European

settlers. The Ojibwe people's migration took several generations

during which their group split into several different nations. The prophets had told the people that they would stop seven times, and would

recieve visions that would direct them. They did stop seven times for

long periods before finally reaching their destination in the

Fond du Lac area, where food grows on water in the form of the

sacred wild rice, fulfilling one of the prophecies.

http://www.ojibwe.org/home/episode1.html

Red/South/Summer/Honesty

East/Black/Adult/Respect

Come summer, travel south where the sun

is at it's highest.There learn honesty. The sun is

hot and you are in your youth. This is the midday of

your journey. Now is the time for you to be honest with

yourself; see and accept yourself for who you are. Then

and only then, might you accept others for who they are. Be honest with yourself as others. When you speak, speak truthfully. Raven understands honesty. Raven accepts himself and knows how to use his gifts. He does not seek power, speed, or beauty of others. He uses what he has been given to survive and thrive. So must you. To want more than you have been given is to suggest that Creator has not given you enough. You have enough.

In the Fall, travel West. The sun sets in

the west as Turtle Island becomes black. Look

to Buffalo- Bashkode-bizhiki- for one who models

Respect and honor him. That Bashode-bizhiki offers

himself to sustain you does not make his life any less

than yours. It makes it more. Not long ago countless Bashkode-bizhiki roamed the west. It was said that he would

disappear if he was not respected. Is respect, like Bashkode-bizhiki, disappearing from Turtle Island? Do not waste. Use all things wisely. Never take more than you need and always give away that which you do not use. And treat others as you would have them treat you, respectfully. Learn respect and learn balance. What goes up will come down. What you do for others will be done for you. What you give away will always come

back to you in the One Circle.

Ojibwemowin

Manoomin:

The food that grows on

water

Ojibwemowin is the Ojibwe

language. Ojibwemowin was

illegal and suppressed for nearly 200

years. It was kept alive by handfuls of speakers who risked their freedom and endured punishment to keep it part of their cultural practices. Today, there are thousands of proud Ojibwe speakers, and immersion programs in which students learn all their lessons in Ojibwe, as well as schools where Ojibwe language is an important part of the curriculum. It is widely recognized

that for a culture to endure, it's

language must be spoken by its

people.

Wild rice is a native plant to Minnesota. It is in the grass

family like rice, but it is a very distant relative to brown and

white rice. It is considered a sacred food for the Anishinabe people. Wild rice beds are home to many types of fish, amphibians, and waterbirds. Wild rice requires clean water and good water levels to grow. It does get affected by droughts and flooding which is one reason why Anishinabe wild rice harvesters have worked to preserve the health of the waters that manoomin is grown in. In this film clip the very respected Anishinabe leader Winona La Duke talks about wild rice and the domesticated paddy rice which is often sold as wild rice.

Children and

their parents

Children are the center of

Ojibwe culture. They are incredibly

and deeply valued. Children are

thought to be a gift to the families that are

entrusted to guide them.

Wild Rice vs. Paddy Rice

Many consumers confuse paddy-grown wild rice with

the true wild rice, hand-harvested from northern lakes and

rivers. Frequently, the wild rice offered for sale in local grocery

stores or at roadside markets is paddy-grown rice – a different product than the true wild rice taken from naturally growing stands of manoomin. Paddy grown rice has larger, darker (almost black) kernels, takes longer to cook and lacks the distinguishing nutty flavor and fragrance found in native wild rice. Paddy rice is farmed in large rice paddies and mechanically harvested. Commercially grown, paddy wild rice comes mostly from large paddy fields in Minnesota and California.

Carefully hand-harvested, true wild rice is lighter in color, has a softer kernel and generally cooks more quickly than its paddy-grown counterpart.

Things to know from

the South/Niibin/Summer/

Youth/Honesty

Things to know

about West/ Fall/

Dagwaagin/Respect

  • The Anishinabe left their traditional homelands between 500-700 years ago in response to a prophesy that warned them of hard times ahead and that there would be a homeland waiting for them where food grew on water.
  • Manoomin was that food
  • The Ojibwe language is very important to the people. It is considered a living thing that needs to be kept alive through practice
  • Ojibwe people were not allowed to speak their language for many, many years and through the bravery of a few
  • it was kept alive
  • Children are considered a gift to Ojibwe people and a responsibility of the whole tribe
  • Values like those of the Seven Sacred Teachings are central to the teachings that many Anishinabe people teach their children to live by
  • Respect comes in many forms in Anishinabe culture. There is self respect, respect for elders, children, and neighbors. There is also respect for all living things
  • One way of showing respect for all these things is by harvesting wild rice.
  • Wild rice feeds the community, it gives people a sense of purpose and livelihood and it keeps a healthy habitat for many different animals, fish and birds
  • There is a kind of domesticated wild rice that is grown in rice paddies and is sold as wild rice
  • Paddy rice is darker, tastes different and is not as healthy for the animals who live in the areas where it is grown.