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)
Comments
Post a Comment