Culture Ojibwe

1 culture

1.1 kinship , clan system
1.2 spiritual beliefs
1.3 ethnobotany
1.4 representation in popular culture

1.4.1 literature
1.4.2 music
1.4.3 film
1.4.4 television

culture

details of ojibwe wigwam @ grand portage eastman johnson, c. 1906

the ojibwe live in groups (otherwise known bands ). ojibwe, except great plains bands, lived sedentary lifestyle, engaging in fishing , hunting supplement women s cultivation of numerous varieties of maize , squash, , harvesting of manoomin (wild rice). typical dwelling wiigiwaam (wigwam), built either waginogaan (domed-lodge) or nasawa ogaan (pointed-lodge), made of birch bark, juniper bark , willow saplings.

vintage stereoscopic photo entitled chippewa lodges, beaver bay, childs, b. f.

they developed form of pictorial writing, used in religious rites of midewiwin , recorded on birch bark scrolls , possibly on rock. many complex pictures on sacred scrolls communicate historical, geometrical, , mathematical knowledge. use of petroforms, petroglyphs, , pictographs common throughout ojibwe traditional territories. petroforms , medicine wheels way teach important concepts of 4 directions , astronomical observations seasons, , use memorizing tool stories , beliefs.

ceremonies used miigis shell (cowry shell), found naturally in distant coastal areas. use of such shells demonstrates there vast trade network across continent @ time. use , trade of copper across continent has been proof of large trading network took place thousands of years, far hopewell tradition. types of rock used spear , arrow heads traded on large distances.

pictographs on mazinaw rock, bon echo provincial park, ontario

during summer months, people attend jiingotamog spiritual , niimi idimaa social gathering (pow-wows or pau waus ) @ various reservations in anishinaabe-aki (anishinaabe country). many people still follow traditional ways of harvesting wild rice, picking berries, hunting, making medicines, , making maple sugar. many of ojibwe take part in sun dance ceremonies across continent. sacred scrolls kept hidden away until worthy , respect them given permission see , interpret them properly.

the ojibwe not bury dead in burial mound. many erect jiibegamig or spirit-house on each mound. traditional burial mound typically have wooden marker, inscribed deceased s doodem (clan sign). because of distinct features of these burials, ojibwe graves have been looted grave robbers. in united states, many ojibwe communities safe-guard burial mounds through enforcement of 1990 native american graves protection , repatriation act.

plains ojibwe performing snowshoe dance. george catlin

as various other north american peoples, ojibwe culture includes third gender. ojibwe two-spirit women take on men s roles, classified either iron woman or half sky . generally, two-spirit men practiced shamanism , taboo women take on role, two-spirit following path called iron woman. half sky two-spirit physically @ man s trade (like hunting). also, there instance when wife becomes widow , takes on husband s manly deeds; woman called woman covered on . (landes 153, 176, 178-179, , merriam- webster dictionary).

several ojibwe bands in united states cooperate in great lakes indian fish & wildlife commission, manages treaty hunting , fishing rights in lake superior-lake michigan areas. commission follows directives of u.s. agencies run several wilderness areas. minnesota ojibwe tribal councils cooperate in 1854 treaty authority, manages treaty hunting , fishing rights in arrowhead region. in michigan, chippewa-ottawa resource authority manages hunting, fishing , gathering rights sault ste. marie, , resources of waters of lakes michigan , huron. in canada, grand council of treaty no. 3 manages treaty 3 hunting , fishing rights related area around lake of woods.

kinship , clan system

traditionally, ojibwe had patrilineal system, in children considered born father s clan. reason, children french or english fathers considered outside clan , ojibwe society unless adopted ojibwe male. referred white because of fathers, regardless if mothers ojibwe, had no official place in ojibwe society. people shelter woman , children, did not have same place in culture children born ojibwe fathers.

ojibwe understanding of kinship complex, , includes not immediate family extended family. considered modified bifurcate merging kinship system. bifurcate-merging kinship system, siblings share same kinship term parallel cousins because part of same clan. modified system allows younger siblings share same kinship term younger cross-cousins. complexity wanes further speaker s immediate generation, complexity retained female relatives. example, ninooshenh mother s sister or father s sister-in-law —i.e., parallel-aunt, parent s female cross-cousin . great-grandparents , older generations, great-grandchildren , younger generations, collectively called aanikoobijigan. system of kinship reflects anishinaabe philosophy of interconnectedness , balance among living generations, of generations of past , of future.

the ojibwe people divided number of odoodeman (clans; singular: doodem) named animals , birds totems (pronounced doodem). 5 original totems wawaazisii (bullhead), baswenaazhi ( echo-maker , i.e., crane), aan aawenh (pintail duck), nooke ( tender , i.e., bear) , moozwaanowe ( little moose-tail). crane totem vocal among ojibwe, , bear largest – large, sub-divided body parts such head, ribs , feet. each clan had responsibilities among people. people had marry spouse different clan.

traditionally, each band had self-regulating council consisting of leaders of communities clans, or odoodemaan. band identified principal doodem. in meeting others, traditional greeting among ojibwe people is, doodem ? ( aaniin gidoodem? or awanen gidoodem? ) response allows parties establish social conduct identifying family, friends or enemies. today, greeting has been shortened aanii . pronounced; (ah-nee)

spiritual beliefs

frame of ojibwe sweatlodge




pictorial notation of ojibwe music board.

the ojibwe have number of spiritual beliefs passed down oral tradition under midewiwin teachings. these include creation story , recounting of origins of ceremonies , rituals. spiritual beliefs , rituals important ojibwe because spirits guided them through life. birch bark scrolls , petroforms used pass along knowledge , information, ceremonies. pictographs used ceremonies.

the sweatlodge still used during important ceremonies 4 directions, when oral history recounted. teaching lodges common today teach next generations language , ancient ways of past. traditional ways, ideas, , teachings preserved , practiced in such living ceremonies.

the ojibwe crafted dreamcatcher. believe if 1 hung above head of sleeper, catch , trap bad dreams, preventing them reaching dreamer. traditional ojibwe use dreamcatchers children, believe adults should able interpret dreams, or bad, , use them in lives.

ethnobotany

plants used ojibwe include agrimonia gryposepala, used urinary problems, , pinus strobus, resin of used treat infections , gangrene. roots of symphyotrichum novae-angliae smoked in pipes attract game. allium tricoccum eaten part of ojibwe cuisine. use decoction quick-acting emetic. infusion of alba subspecies of silene latifolia used physic.

representation in popular culture
literature

in story, fathers , sons , ernest hemingway uses 2 ojibwe secondary characters.
the legend of ojibwe wendigo, in tribesmen identify cannibalistic monster , prey on families, has many levels of meaning. points consequences of greed , destruction can cause. european-american authors algernon blackwood, thomas pynchon, ramsey campbell , stephen king have referred story in fiction. has been co-opted cthulhu mythos august derleth , subsequently number of other authors.
novelist louise erdrich (ojibwe) has written people , culture in numerous novels based in fictional settlements, including tracks, love medicine, bingo palace , round house, among others. novels cover range of history , individuals, returning fictional families on time, , complex relations between anishinaabe , europeans.
keewaydinoquay peschel, medicine woman, has written books on ethnobotany , books children.
gerald vizenor (ojibwe), literary theorist , writer, has drawn extensively on anishinaabe philosophies of language.
william kent krueger has written series of crime novels chronicling adventures of character named corcoran cork o connor, ojibwe partial european ancestry works sheriff of aurora, minnesota. novels express how cork uses both ojibwe , irish-american heritage solve local crimes. ojibwe spirituality important element of subtext of many of storylines.
in elmore leonard s killshot, hit man armand blackbird degas ojibway , french canadian (also known metis, many of these mixed-race people banded , formed own culture).

music

composer ferde grofe composed movement, father of waters , of mississippi suite, represents chippewa indians , headwaters of mississippi.

film

chauncey yellow robe collaborated american museum of natural history produce silent enemy, first movie , documentary all-indian cast. production attempt capture on film authentic life style of pre-columbian indians, , portrayed ojibwe in canada faced silent enemy of hunger.

television

obediah johnny yesno, ojibwe actor isolated ojibwe-cree community of fort hope on albany river in ontario. played cree north ontario coming toronto work, in first episode of first series of wojeck, canadian tv drama, in 1966.
in several episodes of hbo series sopranos (e.g., mayham , fleshy part of thigh ), tony soprano recovers gunshot wound. reflects on ojibwe saying left bed: go in pity myself, , while, great wind carries me across sky .




^ ojibwe culture , milwaukee public museum, accessed 10 december 2011
^ daniel e. moerman (2009). native american medicinal plants: ethnobotanical dictionary. timber press. pp. 52–53. isbn 0-88192-987-5. 
^ densmore, frances 1928 uses of plants chippewa indians. si-bae annual report #44:273-379 (p. 376)
^ smith, huron h. 1933 ethnobotany of forest potawatomi indians. bulletin of public museum of city of milwaukee 7:1-230 (p. 104)
^ densmore, frances 1928 uses of plants chippewa indians. si-bae annual report #44:273-379 (p. 346)
^ smith, huron h. 1932 ethnobotany of ojibwe indians. bulletin of public museum of milwaukee 4:327-525 (p. 361)
^ cork o connor , thrilling detective
^ obediah johnny yesno [footprints] - windspeaker - ammsa . www.ammsa.com. 
^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0749935/