"The Sound Of The Mide Drum"

Name and origin of Midewiwin

A Midewewe’igan ( Mide hollow log water drum), a Mide rattle and seven Mide-wiigwaasag (birch bark scrolls) displayed in a Midewigaan, a Midewiwin lodge. According to Midewiwin belief, the sound of the Mide drum causes the sky to brighten up and the water to be calm for the person who carries the drum. Both Midedewe’igan and Baaga’akokwaan (the drum stick representing the Midedewe’igan) are considered to be gifts from GITCHI-MANIDOO; the drum stick is held even more powerful and sacred than the drum itself. Wiigwaasabakoon, or birch bark scrolls, are documents on which the Mide People wrote complex geometrical patterns and shapes. When used specifically for Midewiwin ritual purposes, these scrolls are called Mide-wiigwaas (plural: Mide-wiigwaasag). Scrolls were often hidden away in caves and underground man-made pits. The seven “ritual birch bark teaching scrolls” in the above image enable the memorization of complex ideas, passing along oral history, creation stories, songs, and details of Mide rituals, and many hundreds of years old Ojibwe migration records to succeeding generations.

Midewiwin – some claim the word partially derives from the Anishinaabe word MINODE’ which means Good Heart, others suggest it derives from MADWEWE which means Sound Resonance, as in the echoing of the Mide water drum whose omnipresent sound represents the Earth’s heartbeat and that of the Great Mystery of Life – is said to have been founded many strings of life ago by the first herbalist/medicine man of his People, who went by the legendary name of Ode’imin (Heart-shaped Berry or strawberry). Under the skilful tutelage of his supernatural teacher Wiinabozho, who taught him to study the nature of plants from the conduct of animals, Ode’imin forever institutionalized the knowledge of curing and Mino-bimaadiziwin, or the Code for Long Life and Upright Living. He taught the People the properties and the curative powers of all beings of the plant world and conferred to them the philosophy of Mino-bimaadiziwin, which would forever be propagated through the ceremonies of the Midewiwin. Ode’imin explained to the ancestors that the physical side of life and the physical strength of a human being and that of his community should alwas be in perfect balance with the spiritual side of life and being, and that a healer could only reach the highest possible order of healing powers through a high ethical standard, and not by knowledge alone. So, what counted for an herbalist was not only knowledge of plant and self, but also the ability to bring together the healing capacities of both plant and self. Only an herbalist gifted with and keeping up a high standard of inner power could expect the plant being to reveal his own healing power; only then the plant would allow the herbalist to confer his (or her) inner curative power upon the plant itself.

The Mide Lodge 

The Midewigaan or Midewiwin Lodge, also known as Midewiig-iwaam (pural Midewiigiwaaman) when small or Midewigamig (plural Midewigamigoon) when large, is usually built in an open grove or clearing. The Midewigamig is modelled after the rectangular open-air lodge first built for Ode’imin by the benevolent manidoo (spirit) WIINABOZHO. Nowadays, Midewigaanan are domed oval structures sized to accommodate the number of invited participants. They are always oriented east to west, with an entrance at each end, and open at the top so as not to shut out the light and sounds of Aki (the universe). In the Midewigaan there is a symbiosis between humans and the guardian spirits of animals – some of which are represented by effigies -, who share the same space in near identity with one another. 

Each order of Midewiwin requires its own type of Midewigaan. One to four posts of giizhik, the northern white cedar, cut alive, and erected as Midewatigoog (Trees of Life), stand within the lodge; in some Midewigaanan, Adaazi, the poplar tree is placed in the center of the lodge. A Midewaatig symbolizes the primacy of the plant beings; the idea behind is that plants can exist alone, but neither animals nor men can survive without plants. The number of Midewatigoog corresponds with the order of the Midewiwin involved. Around the central post or posts is an enclosed space whose symbolic purpose is to keep inside the spirit of the ceremonies. 

The walls of the smaller Mide-wiigiwaam consist of poles and saplings wattled with short branches and twigs with leaves.

In communities with large amounts of mideg, the Midewigamig becomes a formal and permanent ceremonial building; some Midewigamigoon are domed structures, others have vaulted ceilings. The high-dome or vaulted ceilings of some Midewigamigoon allow for the rays of the sun and the spirits of the Universe to enter the building and permeate the ceremonial area with light, spirit, and sound. 

Midewiwin teaching lodges, oval domed structures made of bent saplings, are common today to teach the next generations about the language and ancient ways of the past. These living ceremonies reflect, practice, and preserve the traditional ways, ideas, and teachings of the ancient Midewiwin.

Drums, drumsticks, and rattles

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Left: an Ojibwe keg drum or "Dance Drum". Right: a small Mide kettle (water) Drum

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To the Ojibweg, drums are not just objects; they are manidoog, living, dynamic entities that require a respectful, ritual approach and ongoing practical and ceremonial care. As the principle of circularity is central to our Anishinaabe thinking and living, the drum, to us, its shape and the patterns that are sometimes painted on its body and membrane, are visual metaphors for other similarly shaped phenomena and beings that we can see and sense all around us in nature. The revitalizing sound the drum produces when first struck resembles the first sound of early spring morning when the seeds pop out of the ground, or it reminds us of our mother's heartbeat that surrounded us when we still lived inside her womb, or it imitates the soft and steady heartbeat of the earth or, when the drum membrane is struck real hard and allowed to vibrate freely throughout the Universe, it reminds us of the violent rumbling of a thunderstorm that comes from the mountain or sweeps in from across the big lake to cleanse the earth. 

A drum is nothing short of a Mystery; only the manidoog and aadizookanag (spirit grandfathers) that inhabit the four corners of the Universe are able to fully comprehend what the drum imparts once its membrane is struck. Drumming never goes without chanting, and is often accompanied by dancing; when they drum the drummers sing in unison sacred chants, their throaty and high-pitched voices carrying wordless prayers and petitions across the Universe and beyond. Thus the attention of the spirit beings that live above and below and beyond the earth is drawn, and the songs, accompanied and pushed on by the pulse of the drum, are sung in a language that can only be heard and understood by them...in dance, the bodies of the dancers move in deep rhythms that bind their world and those of the ancestors and the spirits beings...   

The form of a drum and those of other sound producers like drumsticks and disk rattles reflect the shape and the paths of the earth, sun, moon, and stars, or the shape of a reed stem or a seed that lives deep inside the soil of the earth, or that of the rings of a tree, or the circular imprint of a wiigiwaam frame in the grass...in other words, sound and shape of the drum represent the CIRCLE OF LIFE, and the wood and hide of which it is made symbolize the Sky and the Earth and all life that springs from it. Anishinaabeg know that the tree spirit that provides the wood for the drum body has been nourished by the soil and the water of the Earth, and as it grew tall and strong the tree pointed into the sky world, bringing it near to GICHI-MANIDOO, the Great Mystery. And because we know and understand that the pulsing sound of the drum reflects the sounds that can also be heard in nature and the cosmos, we are fully aware that sound is the core and essence of the ceremonial and ritual practice of our Medicine Lodges. Thus, a drum reminds us as People and as individuals of our dependence on nature and the spirit world and our oneness with the Great Mystery; consequently, it teaches us about important values like gwayako-bimaadiziwin (living an honest life) and mutual sharing with the natural world.

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In the Ojibwe culture, the double-headed drum is considered to be particularly sacred and powerful. This contemporary Ojibwe ceremonial drum was made by Rohahes Iain Phillips.

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When a drum is made, it is never done without seeking a retreat in a secluded place in nature and performing a number of ceremonies; asemaa (tobacco) and food and other things are offered and the spirits of an animal and a tree are very respectfully and patiently asked to donate their skin and wood for the use of the drum. Like pipes and feathers and various other sacred items, a drum is always kept in a special place, preferably encased in bearskin or buckskin or safely placed on a blanket near an asemaa-onaagan or tobacco box filled with fresh asemaa; the drum is often smudged with wiingashk (sweetgrass) and it is customary that during certain ceremonies and dances food and asemaa are offered to the spirit of the drum. By feasting and nourishing the drum the People are nourished in return, which keeps them balanced and healthy. 

Before a drum is taken out to make its voice sound at a spiritual or social gathering, it must be formally made ready by an Elder who ceremonially blesses the spirit of the drum. Because it must be taken special care of, a dewe'iganan debenimaad or Drum Keeper - a ceremonial leader and a spiritual person who follows mino-bimaadiziwin, the good way of life - is placed in charge of taking care of the drum; it is also he, or she, who does any repair work. Out of respect for the spirit of the drum, no one but the owner touches it and no object can ever be placed atop or across the drum head.

Common types of drum

Among several types of dewe’iganag or drums, the hand drum, the Mide drum, and the flat pow wow drum are prominent in many an Ojibwe Anishinaabe community. 

Hand drums are often called “moccasin game drums” as they are used during makizin-ataagewinan (moccasin games). Some have a piece of rawhide stretched over one side of a hoop and laced or tied together on the reversed side to form its handhold, others have two heads stretched over one hoop with the rawhide handhold stitched on the outer edge of the hoop. The heads of both types of hand-held drums are sometimes decorated with dream, or vision symbols (see illustrations above and to the left), but only if the owner has had a vision, or if he or she is directed by a spirit to decorate the drum with a certain symbol. Hand drums are used by both men and women.

Baaga'akokwaanan or drumsticks used for hand drums, often 5 inches long, sometimes made of bone or wood and hooked at the striking end, are said to be more important than the drum itself as they sometimes represent the head and eyes of Gookookoo’oo (the Owl). Traditionally, before striking the drum, the dayewe’iged (drummer) will raise the Baaga'akokwaan toward the west to give the signal that Gookookoo’oo should respond to the drum call. Some Baaga'akokwaanan have padded deer hide on the striking end (see the above black and white pen illustration).

The Mitigwakik (literally: wooden vessel), the Mide water drum, is a ceremonial drum. It is a wooden kettle drum, traditionally made by hollowing out a basswood log. Before each use, a few inches of water is poured into the drum and a wet heavily tanned deer hide is stretched over the drum; a willow hoop secures the hide. These Mide Drums, sometimes called Grandfather Drums and traditionally used by high ranking members of the Midewiwin and decorated by the owner depending upon his doodem/clan and/or rank within the Lodge, can be heard from long distances. Mitigwakikoon are regarded as living entities, aadizookaanag (grandfathers of the nonhuman class), and important messengers in the Mide hierarchy.

In recent years large flat drums or gichi-dewe'iganan (literally: big drums; Pow Wow or Dance drums) have become common in many Ojibwe communities, and they are either placed directly on the ground or suspended from curved stakes. This type of large bass drum, which is often 3 feet in diameter and can be made by stretching hide over a galvanized metal washtub, is usually decorated with beaded velvet an used during ceremonial events and/or for pow-wow dances. During jiingotamog and niimi'idimaag (respectively spiritual/ceremonial and social/secular pow-wows), the drum is surrounded by four or more singers and the drumbeat symbolizes a unified heartbeat and oneness with the Great Mystery.

Zhinawinigagan, or zhiishiigwanan or rattles, are used in rhythmic accompaniment to singing. Provided with a wooden handle and filled with small pebbles or shot, some zhinawinigagan are traditionally made of birch bark strips with a cover of hide shaped into cylinders (see above illustration), and others are simply fashioned from hide stretched over willow hoops. A flat hoop rattle is used like a tambourine by a Mide doctor during healing practice. Mideg also use these rattles to “shoot miigis power” into an initiate or patient during initiation or curing rituals. 

The Vision Drum Dance

The Gichi-dewe'igan-niimi'idiwin or Pow-wow Drum Dance (also known as the Dream, or Vision Dance Ceremony) is nowadays a very important symbol to the various Anishinaabe bands throughout Canada and the US. Each year in summer almost every community hosts some form of outdoor festival or ceremony throughout Anishinaabe Aki (Ojibwe Country), generally called pow-wows. A large, flat, elaborately decorated community drum performs a central role in these pow-wows; since the second half of the 19th century this Gichi-dewe'igan or  "Large Drum" is actually one of the centerpieces in our sacred Midewiwin ceremonies, which are always conducted on a specially prepared circular dance ground. 

Although the term Pow-wow - derived from an Algonquian word for "Curing Ceremony" - is not Ojibwe in origin, it is commonly used, not only in Anishinaabe Aki but all over Turtle Island (North America). The Ojibweg have basically two types of powwows: the traditional/spiritual/ceremonial
jiingotamog as well as the niimi'idimaa or social dance contest pow-wow - in which there is competition in dancing and drumming.

In the old days, when our warriors and hunters had returned to their homes, they told about their feats through dance and many gathered to take part in the celebrations. Movement, color, and sounds, rather than words served to tell the stories of their hearts. These gatherings were not only about dancing and singing, they also served to extend respect or give special thanks or bestow names, and so on. They were the forerunners of the contemporary pow-wows.

The Vision Drum 

Traditionally, small home meetings are being held throughout the year for a Dance, or Vision Drum, but the main ceremony is ideally a four-day event held twice a year. These gatherings are generally part of the Midewiwin culture. During these gatherings the drums in the community are assembled for the ceremony, which is held in a special lodge or in an outdoor area surrounded by benches or low fencing, with openings on two sides.

It is said that although our People know the drum within living memory, the gichi-dewe'igan or community dance drum (and the sacred drum presentation ceremony that comes with it) is not Anishinaabe in origin; it was our former, traditional enemies the Bwaanag (Dakota), neighbours to the west, who, after one of their women had received a vision, gave it to the Ojibweg of Minnesota in the form of a ceremony, called Dream or Vision Dance. Since that day, less than 150 summers ago (around the year of 1870), the Anishinaabeg attribute their community drums with special powers, and although a person would never hand over his or her drum during life, or even leave behind to another at death, occasionally a special community drum is presented as a gift to another Nation in an act of goodwill, as a symbol of peace and brotherhood. The Dakota woman whose Vision, in the form of the ceremony of presentation of the Big Drum, led to a peace offer to her People's most respected enemies the Ojibweg, has become a metaphor for seeking peace over war. That the story of the Drum Vision of the Dakota womanl is still being passed on to next generations and that the mighty voice of the big dance drum can still be heard far and loud at many pow-wows all over Anishinaabe Aki, shows not only our People's ability to recognize spiritual power in other Nations, but it also demonstrates the spiritual power of women to guide their life. So this is why nowadays drumming and singing at pow-wows are not just about pride in our own Anishinaabe culture and history, but also about breaking down barriers and unifying with other Nations and about pride in the strength and spirit powers of Anishinaabe women and Native women in general. But above all, pow-wow is of dancing and singing and letting the spirit fly with the shaking of rattles and the beating of the Sacred Vision Drum...


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The Thunderbird Drum

On Manitoulin Island, a common type of Grandfather Spirit, or Vision Drum is the Bineshii Dewe’igan or Thunderbird Drum; the design of this type of drum and certain songs and rituals that go with it are brought to its owner by a Thunderbird Spirit who shows him or her how to make and use it, and the design he or she must paint on it. The colors of the Thunderbird designs, which represent Manidoo Animikii Bineshi Miikana or Spirit Road of the Thunderbird, usually depict some of the revitalizing tasks that the Thunder Grandfathers fulfilled when they brought the rain to the earth so that life on earth would continue, like cleansing the earth, the lakes, and the rivers, and sustaining the plants and the trees by giving them water when they return each spring with the migrating birds…it is the sound of these drums, imitating the thunder rolling through the sky, that reminds the Anishinaabeg that the Thunder Grandfathers represent the linkage between the birds of the sky world and plants of the middle world and underwater creatures, as well as a spiritual connectedness of birds with the physical orders of the cosmos like sun, moon, earth, stars, thunders, lightning, rain, wind, fires, etcetera. This is why Thunderbird designs so often figure on drums, and since the power that they contain flows directly from these avian Grandfathers, both the drum and the Thunderbirds are regarded with awe and reverence. The design, colors, and sound of the drum remind us that as long as we don’t forget about the Thunder Grandfathers, they will always look after our People. Illustration: a hand-painted hand drum of wood and deer hide; collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

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Origin Story of the Dream Dance Ceremony

There are several stories about how the gichi-dewe'igan or "big drum" came to our People - along with the drum presentation ceremony called Dream, or Vision Dance.

The most prevalent story relates of a Dakota woman - her name was Tail Feather Woman - who, hiding in a lake under lily pads after fleeing U.S. soldiers, received  a vision over the course of four days instructing her to build a large drum and teaching her the songs that would restore the traditional world of her People. From the Dakota, the ceremony of the "big drum" spread throughout the Algonquian-speaking Nations to the Ojibweg and, as its message changed throughout the years into a  story about peace and harmony, cultural continuity, and solidarity with other Native Nations, the Drum Ceremony eventually became  the focal point of our ceremonies.


Another, more traditional, story tells about a woman, the wife of a Dakota chief, who, covered by a large lily pad, hid in a river  at the start of a fierce battle between her People and our People; after four days, a voice from the skies bade her to come out, and one night the voice she had heard before summoned her to the Skies. Here, a spirit addressed her, telling her that she must seek peace and everlasting friendship with the Ojibweg through a large drum. And that is how the Drum Ceremony began.

And then there is another, very beautiful story, which is told below.

"There once was a time when the Ojibweg and Bwaanag (Dakota) peoples were at constant war with each other. Ogichidaa (warrior) societies on both sides flourished and around the village camp fires the talk was always of war. The villages were becoming empty of men, and the women mourned and buried their husbands and sons. Soon, there were only women and small children left in the camps since the men and available youth were on the war path. War became such an inseparable part of their lives that most people forgot how the fighting had started and what it was they were fighting about."

"In one of the main villages of the Bwaanag, there lived a little girl, a little girl tired of war. She went into the lodges of the grandmothers and grandfathers and told them she was tired of all this talk of war, of burying her male relatives, and friends, she was tired of death and dying. She said to them:  "There must something that our People could do to stop the wars?”

“You!” cried the grandmothers and grandfathers, “You’re just a little girl!”

After such rude behavior from the grandmother and grandfathers the little girl decided she would go on a fast. She and her grandparents did all the preparations, she would begin her fast on the night of the full moon. She took nothing but a blanket and went out on the hill by herself determined not to come back down until she received an answer."

"For seven days, nothing happened. No visitors or visions came to her, and the little girl was getting hungrier and hungrier. With the moon full again, the little girl was close to death, and feeling abandoned and alone. As she lay on her blanket dying, the birch trees caught the moonlight and reflected it back to the earth around her. It was like daylight out on the hillside, so the little girl watched the moon and prayed to the Great Mystery. Through her tears, it seemed to her she saw seven figures surrounding the bright ball in the sky that she recognized as Grandmother moon. It looked as though the seven figures were gently carrying Grandmother from the sky toward Mother Earth. The little girl understood that  the seven figures were grandfathers. She reached her arms out to embrace the grandmother, with the final strength in her body she got up and took her blanket and spread it on the ground so that the seven grandfathers could rest Grandmother moon on it."

"The grandfathers sat with the little girl around her fire for four days and gave her the Niizhwaaswi Gagiikwewinan, or  "Seven Sacred Teachings". The Grandmother began to talk to the little girl telling her how to create a drum, the correct way to stretch the rawhide and lace it on. She told the little girl that the men were so busy waging war that they forgot how to connect with their hearts. If the little girl would give them the drum, they would once again connect with their hearts. She said that the drum is animate and has a spirit, when the little girl was finished making the drum she thought of how much it looked like Grandmother moon."

"The little girl took the finished drum to the Warriors lodge, were the men accepted the drum and began to use the drum and use their voices as medicine prayers. They started connecting with their hearts, and soon all thought of war left their minds. With her People still raiding the Ojibweg, the little girl decided to make another drum, but on the face of this drum the little girl painted one half red and the other half blue, and down the middle she painted a yellow strip. The little girl went and presented the Bwaanag ogichidaag (Dakota warriors) with the drum and demonstrated to them the proper custody of the drum and how they must bestow it upon their former enemies. Soon after the Bwaanag ogichidaag laid down their weapons and they too started to connect with their hearts. Peace came into the people's hearts...soon the people of both Nations hunted together, celebrated festivals together, derived their warmth from the same fire, and, in some cases, ate from the same bowl, yes even hung their garments together..."*

The Grandfather Spirit Drum of the Midewiwin

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Traditionally, a Midewigaan (Midewiwin Lodge) is presided over by the Spirit of the Midewiwin called MIDE-MANIDOO, in the form of the Mishoomisinaan Dewe'igan or GRANDFATHER SPIRIT WATER DRUM. It is believed that he sound of the drum, be it a personal or communal one, gives strength and unity and contacts the singers/drummers with GICHI-MANIDOO, the Great Mystery. Originally made of a body crafted of the wood of an Elder Tree (basswood), its rawhide skin stretched over the drum head provided by Otter or Deer, its base gifted by Turtle, its rag wrap coiled around the rim contributed by Snake, and the drum stick formed by the beak of Loon, Mide drums in general and the Grandfather Water Drum in particular are regarded as AADIZOOKAANAG: literally: Makers Of Stories; Spirit Grandfathers, or persons of the other-than-human-class. The Mide drum is a living entity given life through the spirits of the wood and the animals that fashioned it, and through the energy that the drum maker put in its construction. The drum, when played, communicates with the natural world and, through that, with the realms of the supernatural, and by beating its rawhide membrane and producing sound from it, the Mide invokes the presence of, and makes himself heard to, the MIDE-MANIDOOG, thus enabling him to actively promote bimaadiziwin (prolonging human life) through that communication. Zhaawano created this silver Mide drum bolo tie, a sterling silver slide attached to a silver snake chain lanyard, the 0.98 x 1.18 inch (25 x 30 mm) slide featuring the stylized image of the Sun, symbol of Great Mystery and representing the below-told story of the LITTLE BOY DRUM. The green of the large oval malachite stone cabochon adorning the drum head stands for Omizakamigokwe, the Eathmother, source of all life; the smaller malachite stone placed in the head of the drumstick denotes innocence in the heart of the People. A silver  rattle design  is attached to the side of the drum body and set with an oval red coral cabochon representing the element Fire and the campfires of the People as well as the Seven Prophecies that the Great Mystery bestowed long ago on the People, and the Migizi miigwan (eagle feather) hanging from the drumstick handle symbolizes the spiritual aspects of Midewiwin healing practices. The silver snake necklace that serves as the bolo cord refers to the resemblance between a Grandfather Drum and the snake and suggests shared characteristics. (The ability of a snake to change shape and to transform through the shedding of its skin is reflected in the circular form of a Grandfather Drum and the snake skin, which is coiled around its rim in order to hold the skin membrane tightly, can be removed or replaced at will.) Lastly, the silver bangle tips at the ends of the silver lanyard show a Thunderbird's zigzag lightning pattern (which in turn is a metaphorical interpretation of the extended power of the otter, symbol of Mide Medicine), and two stylized leaves representing the Plant and Tree world. In Midewiwin practice, the Grandfather is supported by OSHKAABEWIS, his ceremonial helper, called the LITTLE BOY WATER DRUM in reference to the below-told origin story of the Midewiwin, about a little bear boy who descended from the Sun and remained for some time among the Anishinaabeg to teach them the mysteries of the Midewiwin. It is said that the Little Boy points the way to the Grandfather, but when the Grandfather comes, darkness flees before him, and the whole world, the whole sky is enlightened...According to Midewiwin belief the sound of the Mide drum causes the sky to brighten up and the water to be calm for the person who carries the drum. Both midewe'igan and baagaakokwaan are considered to be gifts from GICHI-MANIDOO; the latter is held even more sacred than the drum itself. To view details of this bolo tie, go to our website.

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Miskwaabik Animikii (Copper Thunderbird/Norval Morrisseau) (1932-2007) sounding a contemporary Thunderbird hand drum hand-painted with Thunderbird and turtle designs.

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Two Midewiwin Origin Stories 

19th century Misi-zaaga'iganiing (Mille Lacs) ogimaa (chief) Bayezhig related the story of GWIIWIZENS WEDIZHICHIGEWINID: Deeds of a little boy, a traditional origin story of the Anishinaabeg and their Midewiwin Society. Below is given a free rendering in zhaaganaashiimowin (English):

"In the beginning, GICHI-MANIDOO made the MIDE MANIDOOG (Mide Spirits). It first created two men, and two women; but they had no power of thought or reason. Then GICHI-MANIDOO made them rational beings. It took them in its hands so that they should multiply; it paired them, and from this sprung the ANISHINAABEG. When there were ANISHINAABEG (people) it placed them upon the earth, but it soon observed that they were subject to sickness, misery, and death, and that unless it provided them with the Sacred Medicine they would soon become extinct.”

“Between the position occupied by GICHI-MANIDOO and the earth were four lesser manidoog with whom GICHI-MANIDOO decided to commune, and to impart to them the mysteries by which the Anishinaabeg could be benefited. So GICHI-MANIDOO first spoke to one manidoo and told him all it had to say, who in turn communicated the same information to the next, and he in turn to next, who also communed with the next. They all met in council, and determined to call in the wendaanimag noodinoon (four wind manidoog). After consulting as to what would be best for the comfort and welfare of the Anishinaabeg, the wendaanimag noodinoon agreed to ask GICHI-MANIDOO to communicate the Mystery of the Sacred Medicine to the people.”

“GICHI-MANIDOO then went to GIIZIS the Sun Spirit and asked him to descend to the earth and instruct the people as had been decided upon by the council. GIIZIS, in the form of a gwiiwizens (little boy), went to the earth and lived with a woman who had a little boy of her own. This family went away in the autumn to hunt, and during the winter this woman’s son left for the Spirit World, or the Land of Souls. The parents were so much distressed that they decided to return to the village and bury the body there; so they made preparations to return, and as they traveled along, they would each evening erect several poles upon which the body was placed to prevent the wild beasts from devouring it. When the boy whose soul had crossed to the other side was thus hanging upon the poles, the adopted child—who was the Sun Spirit—would play about the camp and amuse himself, and finally told his adopted father he pitied him, and his mother, for their sorrow. The adopted son said he could make his brother return to the physical world, whereupon the parents expressed great surprise and desired to know how that could be accomplished."

“The adopted boy then had the party hasten to the village, when he said, “Get the women to make a wiigiwaam (lodge) of bark, put the boy in a covering of wiigwaas (birch bark) and place the body on the ground in the middle of the wiigiwaam.”

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“On the next morning after this had been done, the family and friends went into this lodge and seated themselves around the corpse. When they had all been sitting quietly for some time, they saw through the doorway the approach of a bear, which gradually came towards the wiigiwaam, entered it, and placed itself before the dead body and said, “ho, ho, ho, ho,” when he passed around it towards the left side, with a trembling motion, and as he did so, the body began quivering, and the quivering increased as the bear continued until he had passed around four times, when the body came to life again and stood up. Then the bear called to the father, who was sitting in the distant right-hand corner of the wiigiwaam, and addressed to him the following words:

Noos gaawiin anishinaabewisii, ayaawiyaan manidoo ningwizis.
Bi-mayaa-miniik niiji-manidoo mayaa zhigwa ji-gi-aawiyan.
Noose, zhigwa asemaa ji-atooyeg. E-mikondem mii eta
aabiding ji-gashkitood wenji-bimaadizid omaa agaawaa
bimaadizid mii omaa; niijii-manidoo mayaa zhigwa ji-giiweyaan.

(“My father is not a human. I, a son, am a Spirit.
Just as - my fellow Spirit - you now are.
Father! Now, you shall put out tobacco. Recalling that he could do this
only once in order to barely live here, thus he lived here;
my fellow Spirit, so now, I must go home.”)”**

“The little bear boy was the one who did this. He then remained among the Anishinaabeg and taught them the mysteries of the Midewiwin; and, after he had finished, he told his adopted father that as his mission had been fulfilled he was to return to his kindred manidoog, for the Anishinaabeg would have no need to fear sickness as they now possessed the Midewiwin which would enable them to live. He also said that his spirit could bring a body to life but once, and he would now return to GIIZIS (the sun) from which they would feel his influence.”***

Another aadizookaan (sacred story) about the origin of Midewiwin relates of Nigig the Otter and how he brought the Ojibweg Medicine and the Mide drum. Wiinabozho, the beloved, benevolent aadizookaan (Spirit Helper) of the Anishinaabe Peoples, noticed that the Ojibweg were vulnerable and helpless against famine, sickness, and death, and he decided to help save them from extinction.

“When Nanabozho (as Wiinabozho was called by Nookomis, his grandmother) was pensively drifting across the center of Aki (the Earth), he heard laughter in the distance, and as he moved closer he perceived a dark, slender, fast-moving object on the surface of the Big Lake to the west, and then in all four directions; and then, within the blink of an eye, the directions were brought together in what appeared to be a madoodiswan (purification, or sweat lodge) in the center of Aki. It was in this sacred place, where sky, water, and land come together, that Nanabozho saw Nigig, the Otter. Nanabozho, understanding and appreciating the magic phenomenon he had witnessed before his very eyes, instructed the Otter in the mysteries of the Midewiwin and he gave him a Midewewe’igan (Ceremonial  Drum) and the Miigis (cowrie) shell, telling him how they should be used at sacred feasts and during the ceremonial of initiation; he also gave him a Zhiishiigwan (Ceremonial Rattle) to be used when curing the sick, and Asemaa (tobacco) to be utilized in invocations of the Spirits and in making peace with enemies.”

Nigig offered these sacred objects and instructions to the starving Anishinaabeg and thus saved them from extinction, and they gratefully chose him as symbol of Healing and elected him the patron of their Lodge. Nigig has various ceremonial roles in the Midewiwin Lodge, and it is said there are pictorial representations of him inscribed in several origin-migration birch-bark scrolls and in no fewer than seven scrolls containing mnemonics of Mide songs, and in at least two locations near a body of water sacred rock paintings of Otter can be seen with power lines emanating from his body. He gives his skin for the Midewayaan (Medicine Bag) that carries the medicinal herbs, charms, and miigisag (cowry shells) used for symbolically "shooting" novices during their initiation into the Mide Lodge, and in the old days his power was multiplied by the Anishinaabekweg (women) who portrayed his abstract, patterned image on various ornaments, costumes, utensils, weapons, and sacred objects…particularly that of the zigzag trail of the otter and its tail-swaying movements when pursued – as it tries to deceive the predator or hunter by changing its course. Often called a lightning pattern, this design element, traditionally occurring, often in doubled or even tripled form, in Anishinaabe quill and bead work, is said to represent not only Otter’s zigzag stride but also his extended power, reaching far into the sky, into the realms of the Thunderbirds who create thunder and lightning (see the zigzag outlines at the bottom of  the cylindrical bolo tie tips in the photo). 

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The people that belonged to Zhaawano’s doodem (clan), Waabizheshi or Marten, sometimes depicted Otter as a hunter and warrior/strategist, and to this day, his characteristics, like his playfulness, craftiness, adaptability, industriousness, and his adventurous and autonomous nature, are still core aspects of the teachings and the leadership of the Midewiwin Lodge. Otter symbolizes new life, and all of life is seen as an extension of Otter’s magical power. Just as the Anishinaabeg have drawn from time immemorial on the resources of both land and water to survive, so too the Otter, being one of their most important mediators between the physical world and the spirit world, lives in both environments, and the People have always tried to emulate his talent for moving through both worlds with ease, playfulness, and humor. 

But above allt, Nigig, who first and foremost discloses his power through sound, is respected and revered for having brought the Anishinaabeg the Gift of Medicine and the sacred drum whose pulsating sound reaches far and corresponds with the voices and the heartbeat of the cosmos...

Giiwenh. That´s how far this blog story goes. Miigwech for reading and listening!

The next blog story will be about the history and spirit powers of the Mide Miigis shell. 
Bi-waabamishinaang miinawaa daga: please come see us again! 

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Sources:

* Traditional story freely adopted from Young Otter woman Design.** Translation by Charles J. Lippert.

***Traditional storyfreely adapted from the Gutenberg files.

Jewelry and jewelry photography by ZhaawanArt Fisher Star Creations.
Acrylic painting of drummers by Cecil Youngfox.

Acrylic painting of Bear by Simone McLeod.
Acrylic painting of Otter by Bruce Morrisseau.  

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About the authors/artists:

Simone McLeod (her traditional name is Aki’-egwaniizid, which is an Ojibwe name meaning "Earth Blanket") is a Cree/Anishinaabe painter and poet, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1962. She belongs to he Name doodem (Sturgeon clan) of her mother's people, the Azaadiwi-ziibi Nitam-Anishinaabeg (Poplar River "#16" First Nation) of Manitoba. Simone descends from a long line of Midewiwin seers and healers and artists. Her artwork has been appreciated by several art collectors and educational and health care institutions from Canada, as well as by art lovers from all over the world.

Zhaawano Giizhik, an American currently living in the Netherlands, was born in 1959 in North Carolina, USA. Zhaawano has Anishinaabe blood running through his veins; the doodem of his ancestors from Baawiting (Sault Ste. Marie, Upper Michigan) is Waabizheshi, Marten. As an artist, a writer, and a designer of Native American jewelry and wedding rings, Zhaawano draws on the oral and pictorial traditions of his ancestors. In doing so he sometimes works together with kindred artists. He has done several art projects with Simone and hopes to continue to do so in the future.

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Name and origin of Midewiwin

A Midewewe’igan ( Mide hollow log water drum), a Mide rattle and seven Mide-wiigwaasag (birch bark scrolls) displayed in a Midewigaan, a Midewiwin lodge. According to Midewiwin belief, the sound of the Mide drum causes the sky to brighten up and the water to be calm for the person who carries the drum. Both Midedewe’igan and Baaga’akokwaan (the drum stick representing the Midedewe’igan) are considered to be gifts from GITCHI-MANIDOO; the drum stick is held even more powerful and sacred than the drum itself. Wiigwaasabakoon, or birch bark scrolls, are documents on which the Mide People wrote complex geometrical patterns and shapes. When used specifically for Midewiwin ritual purposes, these scrolls are called Mide-wiigwaas (plural: Mide-wiigwaasag). Scrolls were often hidden away in caves and underground man-made pits. The seven “ritual birch bark teaching scrolls” in the above image enable the memorization of complex ideas, passing along oral history, creation stories, songs, and details of Mide rituals, and many hundreds of years old Ojibwe migration records to succeeding generations.

Midewiwin – some claim the word partially derives from the Anishinaabe word MINODE’ which means Good Heart, others suggest it derives from MADWEWE which means Sound Resonance, as in the echoing of the Mide water drum whose omnipresent sound represents the Earth’s heartbeat and that of the Great Mystery of Life – is said to have been founded many strings of life ago by the first herbalist/medicine man of his People, who went by the legendary name of Ode’imin (Heart-shaped Berry or strawberry). Under the skilful tutelage of his supernatural teacher Wiinabozho, who taught him to study the nature of plants from the conduct of animals, Ode’imin forever institutionalized the knowledge of curing and Mino-bimaadiziwin, or the Code for Long Life and Upright Living. He taught the People the properties and the curative powers of all beings of the plant world and conferred to them the philosophy of Mino-bimaadiziwin, which would forever be propagated through the ceremonies of the Midewiwin. Ode’imin explained to the ancestors that the physical side of life and the physical strength of a human being and that of his community should alwas be in perfect balance with the spiritual side of life and being, and that a healer could only reach the highest possible order of healing powers through a high ethical standard, and not by knowledge alone. So, what counted for an herbalist was not only knowledge of plant and self, but also the ability to bring together the healing capacities of both plant and self. Only an herbalist gifted with and keeping up a high standard of inner power could expect the plant being to reveal his own healing power; only then the plant would allow the herbalist to confer his (or her) inner curative power upon the plant itself.

The Mide Lodge 

The Midewigaan or Midewiwin Lodge, also known as Midewiig-iwaam (pural Midewiigiwaaman) when small or Midewigamig (plural Midewigamigoon) when large, is usually built in an open grove or clearing. The Midewigamig is modelled after the rectangular open-air lodge first built for Ode’imin by the benevolent manidoo (spirit) WIINABOZHO. Nowadays, Midewigaanan are domed oval structures sized to accommodate the number of invited participants. They are always oriented east to west, with an entrance at each end, and open at the top so as not to shut out the light and sounds of Aki (the universe). In the Midewigaan there is a symbiosis between humans and the guardian spirits of animals – some of which are represented by effigies -, who share the same space in near identity with one another. 

Each order of Midewiwin requires its own type of Midewigaan. One to four posts of giizhik, the northern white cedar, cut alive, and erected as Midewatigoog (Trees of Life), stand within the lodge; in some Midewigaanan, Adaazi, the poplar tree is placed in the center of the lodge. A Midewaatig symbolizes the primacy of the plant beings; the idea behind is that plants can exist alone, but neither animals nor men can survive without plants. The number of Midewatigoog corresponds with the order of the Midewiwin involved. Around the central post or posts is an enclosed space whose symbolic purpose is to keep inside the spirit of the ceremonies. 

The walls of the smaller Mide-wiigiwaam consist of poles and saplings wattled with short branches and twigs with leaves.

In communities with large amounts of mideg, the Midewigamig becomes a formal and permanent ceremonial building; some Midewigamigoon are domed structures, others have vaulted ceilings. The high-dome or vaulted ceilings of some Midewigamigoon allow for the rays of the sun and the spirits of the Universe to enter the building and permeate the ceremonial area with light, spirit, and sound. 

Midewiwin teaching lodges, oval domed structures made of bent saplings, are common today to teach the next generations about the language and ancient ways of the past. These living ceremonies reflect, practice, and preserve the traditional ways, ideas, and teachings of the ancient Midewiwin.

Drums, drumsticks, and rattles

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Left: an Ojibwe keg drum or "Dance Drum". Right: a small Mide kettle (water) Drum

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To the Ojibweg, drums are not just objects; they are manidoog, living, dynamic entities that require a respectful, ritual approach and ongoing practical and ceremonial care. As the principle of circularity is central to our Anishinaabe thinking and living, the drum, to us, its shape and the patterns that are sometimes painted on its body and membrane, are visual metaphors for other similarly shaped phenomena and beings that we can see and sense all around us in nature. The revitalizing sound the drum produces when first struck resembles the first sound of early spring morning when the seeds pop out of the ground, or it reminds us of our mother's heartbeat that surrounded us when we still lived inside her womb, or it imitates the soft and steady heartbeat of the earth or, when the drum membrane is struck real hard and allowed to vibrate freely throughout the Universe, it reminds us of the violent rumbling of a thunderstorm that comes from the mountain or sweeps in from across the big lake to cleanse the earth. 

A drum is nothing short of a Mystery; only the manidoog and aadizookanag (spirit grandfathers) that inhabit the four corners of the Universe are able to fully comprehend what the drum imparts once its membrane is struck. Drumming never goes without chanting, and is often accompanied by dancing; when they drum the drummers sing in unison sacred chants, their throaty and high-pitched voices carrying wordless prayers and petitions across the Universe and beyond. Thus the attention of the spirit beings that live above and below and beyond the earth is drawn, and the songs, accompanied and pushed on by the pulse of the drum, are sung in a language that can only be heard and understood by them...in dance, the bodies of the dancers move in deep rhythms that bind their world and those of the ancestors and the spirits beings...   

The form of a drum and those of other sound producers like drumsticks and disk rattles reflect the shape and the paths of the earth, sun, moon, and stars, or the shape of a reed stem or a seed that lives deep inside the soil of the earth, or that of the rings of a tree, or the circular imprint of a wiigiwaam frame in the grass...in other words, sound and shape of the drum represent the CIRCLE OF LIFE, and the wood and hide of which it is made symbolize the Sky and the Earth and all life that springs from it. Anishinaabeg know that the tree spirit that provides the wood for the drum body has been nourished by the soil and the water of the Earth, and as it grew tall and strong the tree pointed into the sky world, bringing it near to GICHI-MANIDOO, the Great Mystery. And because we know and understand that the pulsing sound of the drum reflects the sounds that can also be heard in nature and the cosmos, we are fully aware that sound is the core and essence of the ceremonial and ritual practice of our Medicine Lodges. Thus, a drum reminds us as People and as individuals of our dependence on nature and the spirit world and our oneness with the Great Mystery; consequently, it teaches us about important values like gwayako-bimaadiziwin (living an honest life) and mutual sharing with the natural world.

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In the Ojibwe culture, the double-headed drum is considered to be particularly sacred and powerful. This contemporary Ojibwe ceremonial drum was made by Rohahes Iain Phillips.

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When a drum is made, it is never done without seeking a retreat in a secluded place in nature and performing a number of ceremonies; asemaa (tobacco) and food and other things are offered and the spirits of an animal and a tree are very respectfully and patiently asked to donate their skin and wood for the use of the drum. Like pipes and feathers and various other sacred items, a drum is always kept in a special place, preferably encased in bearskin or buckskin or safely placed on a blanket near an asemaa-onaagan or tobacco box filled with fresh asemaa; the drum is often smudged with wiingashk (sweetgrass) and it is customary that during certain ceremonies and dances food and asemaa are offered to the spirit of the drum. By feasting and nourishing the drum the People are nourished in return, which keeps them balanced and healthy. 

Before a drum is taken out to make its voice sound at a spiritual or social gathering, it must be formally made ready by an Elder who ceremonially blesses the spirit of the drum. Because it must be taken special care of, a dewe'iganan debenimaad or Drum Keeper - a ceremonial leader and a spiritual person who follows mino-bimaadiziwin, the good way of life - is placed in charge of taking care of the drum; it is also he, or she, who does any repair work. Out of respect for the spirit of the drum, no one but the owner touches it and no object can ever be placed atop or across the drum head.

Common types of drum

Among several types of dewe’iganag or drums, the hand drum, the Mide drum, and the flat pow wow drum are prominent in many an Ojibwe Anishinaabe community. 

Hand drums are often called “moccasin game drums” as they are used during makizin-ataagewinan (moccasin games). Some have a piece of rawhide stretched over one side of a hoop and laced or tied together on the reversed side to form its handhold, others have two heads stretched over one hoop with the rawhide handhold stitched on the outer edge of the hoop. The heads of both types of hand-held drums are sometimes decorated with dream, or vision symbols (see illustrations above and to the left), but only if the owner has had a vision, or if he or she is directed by a spirit to decorate the drum with a certain symbol. Hand drums are used by both men and women.

Baaga'akokwaanan or drumsticks used for hand drums, often 5 inches long, sometimes made of bone or wood and hooked at the striking end, are said to be more important than the drum itself as they sometimes represent the head and eyes of Gookookoo’oo (the Owl). Traditionally, before striking the drum, the dayewe’iged (drummer) will raise the Baaga'akokwaan toward the west to give the signal that Gookookoo’oo should respond to the drum call. Some Baaga'akokwaanan have padded deer hide on the striking end (see the above black and white pen illustration).

The Mitigwakik (literally: wooden vessel), the Mide water drum, is a ceremonial drum. It is a wooden kettle drum, traditionally made by hollowing out a basswood log. Before each use, a few inches of water is poured into the drum and a wet heavily tanned deer hide is stretched over the drum; a willow hoop secures the hide. These Mide Drums, sometimes called Grandfather Drums and traditionally used by high ranking members of the Midewiwin and decorated by the owner depending upon his doodem/clan and/or rank within the Lodge, can be heard from long distances. Mitigwakikoon are regarded as living entities, aadizookaanag (grandfathers of the nonhuman class), and important messengers in the Mide hierarchy.

In recent years large flat drums or gichi-dewe'iganan (literally: big drums; Pow Wow or Dance drums) have become common in many Ojibwe communities, and they are either placed directly on the ground or suspended from curved stakes. This type of large bass drum, which is often 3 feet in diameter and can be made by stretching hide over a galvanized metal washtub, is usually decorated with beaded velvet an used during ceremonial events and/or for pow-wow dances. During jiingotamog and niimi'idimaag (respectively spiritual/ceremonial and social/secular pow-wows), the drum is surrounded by four or more singers and the drumbeat symbolizes a unified heartbeat and oneness with the Great Mystery.

Zhinawinigagan, or zhiishiigwanan or rattles, are used in rhythmic accompaniment to singing. Provided with a wooden handle and filled with small pebbles or shot, some zhinawinigagan are traditionally made of birch bark strips with a cover of hide shaped into cylinders (see above illustration), and others are simply fashioned from hide stretched over willow hoops. A flat hoop rattle is used like a tambourine by a Mide doctor during healing practice. Mideg also use these rattles to “shoot miigis power” into an initiate or patient during initiation or curing rituals. 

The Vision Drum Dance

The Gichi-dewe'igan-niimi'idiwin or Pow-wow Drum Dance (also known as the Dream, or Vision Dance Ceremony) is nowadays a very important symbol to the various Anishinaabe bands throughout Canada and the US. Each year in summer almost every community hosts some form of outdoor festival or ceremony throughout Anishinaabe Aki (Ojibwe Country), generally called pow-wows. A large, flat, elaborately decorated community drum performs a central role in these pow-wows; since the second half of the 19th century this Gichi-dewe'igan or  "Large Drum" is actually one of the centerpieces in our sacred Midewiwin ceremonies, which are always conducted on a specially prepared circular dance ground. 

Although the term Pow-wow - derived from an Algonquian word for "Curing Ceremony" - is not Ojibwe in origin, it is commonly used, not only in Anishinaabe Aki but all over Turtle Island (North America). The Ojibweg have basically two types of powwows: the traditional/spiritual/ceremonial
jiingotamog as well as the niimi'idimaa or social dance contest pow-wow - in which there is competition in dancing and drumming.

In the old days, when our warriors and hunters had returned to their homes, they told about their feats through dance and many gathered to take part in the celebrations. Movement, color, and sounds, rather than words served to tell the stories of their hearts. These gatherings were not only about dancing and singing, they also served to extend respect or give special thanks or bestow names, and so on. They were the forerunners of the contemporary pow-wows.

The Vision Drum 

Traditionally, small home meetings are being held throughout the year for a Dance, or Vision Drum, but the main ceremony is ideally a four-day event held twice a year. These gatherings are generally part of the Midewiwin culture. During these gatherings the drums in the community are assembled for the ceremony, which is held in a special lodge or in an outdoor area surrounded by benches or low fencing, with openings on two sides.

It is said that although our People know the drum within living memory, the gichi-dewe'igan or community dance drum (and the sacred drum presentation ceremony that comes with it) is not Anishinaabe in origin; it was our former, traditional enemies the Bwaanag (Dakota), neighbours to the west, who, after one of their women had received a vision, gave it to the Ojibweg of Minnesota in the form of a ceremony, called Dream or Vision Dance. Since that day, less than 150 summers ago (around the year of 1870), the Anishinaabeg attribute their community drums with special powers, and although a person would never hand over his or her drum during life, or even leave behind to another at death, occasionally a special community drum is presented as a gift to another Nation in an act of goodwill, as a symbol of peace and brotherhood. The Dakota woman whose Vision, in the form of the ceremony of presentation of the Big Drum, led to a peace offer to her People's most respected enemies the Ojibweg, has become a metaphor for seeking peace over war. That the story of the Drum Vision of the Dakota womanl is still being passed on to next generations and that the mighty voice of the big dance drum can still be heard far and loud at many pow-wows all over Anishinaabe Aki, shows not only our People's ability to recognize spiritual power in other Nations, but it also demonstrates the spiritual power of women to guide their life. So this is why nowadays drumming and singing at pow-wows are not just about pride in our own Anishinaabe culture and history, but also about breaking down barriers and unifying with other Nations and about pride in the strength and spirit powers of Anishinaabe women and Native women in general. But above all, pow-wow is of dancing and singing and letting the spirit fly with the shaking of rattles and the beating of the Sacred Vision Drum...


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The Thunderbird Drum

On Manitoulin Island, a common type of Grandfather Spirit, or Vision Drum is the Bineshii Dewe’igan or Thunderbird Drum; the design of this type of drum and certain songs and rituals that go with it are brought to its owner by a Thunderbird Spirit who shows him or her how to make and use it, and the design he or she must paint on it. The colors of the Thunderbird designs, which represent Manidoo Animikii Bineshi Miikana or Spirit Road of the Thunderbird, usually depict some of the revitalizing tasks that the Thunder Grandfathers fulfilled when they brought the rain to the earth so that life on earth would continue, like cleansing the earth, the lakes, and the rivers, and sustaining the plants and the trees by giving them water when they return each spring with the migrating birds…it is the sound of these drums, imitating the thunder rolling through the sky, that reminds the Anishinaabeg that the Thunder Grandfathers represent the linkage between the birds of the sky world and plants of the middle world and underwater creatures, as well as a spiritual connectedness of birds with the physical orders of the cosmos like sun, moon, earth, stars, thunders, lightning, rain, wind, fires, etcetera. This is why Thunderbird designs so often figure on drums, and since the power that they contain flows directly from these avian Grandfathers, both the drum and the Thunderbirds are regarded with awe and reverence. The design, colors, and sound of the drum remind us that as long as we don’t forget about the Thunder Grandfathers, they will always look after our People. Illustration: a hand-painted hand drum of wood and deer hide; collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

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Origin Story of the Dream Dance Ceremony

There are several stories about how the gichi-dewe'igan or "big drum" came to our People - along with the drum presentation ceremony called Dream, or Vision Dance.

The most prevalent story relates of a Dakota woman - her name was Tail Feather Woman - who, hiding in a lake under lily pads after fleeing U.S. soldiers, received  a vision over the course of four days instructing her to build a large drum and teaching her the songs that would restore the traditional world of her People. From the Dakota, the ceremony of the "big drum" spread throughout the Algonquian-speaking Nations to the Ojibweg and, as its message changed throughout the years into a  story about peace and harmony, cultural continuity, and solidarity with other Native Nations, the Drum Ceremony eventually became  the focal point of our ceremonies.


Another, more traditional, story tells about a woman, the wife of a Dakota chief, who, covered by a large lily pad, hid in a river  at the start of a fierce battle between her People and our People; after four days, a voice from the skies bade her to come out, and one night the voice she had heard before summoned her to the Skies. Here, a spirit addressed her, telling her that she must seek peace and everlasting friendship with the Ojibweg through a large drum. And that is how the Drum Ceremony began.

And then there is another, very beautiful story, which is told below.

"There once was a time when the Ojibweg and Bwaanag (Dakota) peoples were at constant war with each other. Ogichidaa (warrior) societies on both sides flourished and around the village camp fires the talk was always of war. The villages were becoming empty of men, and the women mourned and buried their husbands and sons. Soon, there were only women and small children left in the camps since the men and available youth were on the war path. War became such an inseparable part of their lives that most people forgot how the fighting had started and what it was they were fighting about."

"In one of the main villages of the Bwaanag, there lived a little girl, a little girl tired of war. She went into the lodges of the grandmothers and grandfathers and told them she was tired of all this talk of war, of burying her male relatives, and friends, she was tired of death and dying. She said to them:  "There must something that our People could do to stop the wars?”

“You!” cried the grandmothers and grandfathers, “You’re just a little girl!”

After such rude behavior from the grandmother and grandfathers the little girl decided she would go on a fast. She and her grandparents did all the preparations, she would begin her fast on the night of the full moon. She took nothing but a blanket and went out on the hill by herself determined not to come back down until she received an answer."

"For seven days, nothing happened. No visitors or visions came to her, and the little girl was getting hungrier and hungrier. With the moon full again, the little girl was close to death, and feeling abandoned and alone. As she lay on her blanket dying, the birch trees caught the moonlight and reflected it back to the earth around her. It was like daylight out on the hillside, so the little girl watched the moon and prayed to the Great Mystery. Through her tears, it seemed to her she saw seven figures surrounding the bright ball in the sky that she recognized as Grandmother moon. It looked as though the seven figures were gently carrying Grandmother from the sky toward Mother Earth. The little girl understood that  the seven figures were grandfathers. She reached her arms out to embrace the grandmother, with the final strength in her body she got up and took her blanket and spread it on the ground so that the seven grandfathers could rest Grandmother moon on it."

"The grandfathers sat with the little girl around her fire for four days and gave her the Niizhwaaswi Gagiikwewinan, or  "Seven Sacred Teachings". The Grandmother began to talk to the little girl telling her how to create a drum, the correct way to stretch the rawhide and lace it on. She told the little girl that the men were so busy waging war that they forgot how to connect with their hearts. If the little girl would give them the drum, they would once again connect with their hearts. She said that the drum is animate and has a spirit, when the little girl was finished making the drum she thought of how much it looked like Grandmother moon."

"The little girl took the finished drum to the Warriors lodge, were the men accepted the drum and began to use the drum and use their voices as medicine prayers. They started connecting with their hearts, and soon all thought of war left their minds. With her People still raiding the Ojibweg, the little girl decided to make another drum, but on the face of this drum the little girl painted one half red and the other half blue, and down the middle she painted a yellow strip. The little girl went and presented the Bwaanag ogichidaag (Dakota warriors) with the drum and demonstrated to them the proper custody of the drum and how they must bestow it upon their former enemies. Soon after the Bwaanag ogichidaag laid down their weapons and they too started to connect with their hearts. Peace came into the people's hearts...soon the people of both Nations hunted together, celebrated festivals together, derived their warmth from the same fire, and, in some cases, ate from the same bowl, yes even hung their garments together..."*

The Grandfather Spirit Drum of the Midewiwin

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Traditionally, a Midewigaan (Midewiwin Lodge) is presided over by the Spirit of the Midewiwin called MIDE-MANIDOO, in the form of the Mishoomisinaan Dewe'igan or GRANDFATHER SPIRIT WATER DRUM. It is believed that he sound of the drum, be it a personal or communal one, gives strength and unity and contacts the singers/drummers with GICHI-MANIDOO, the Great Mystery. Originally made of a body crafted of the wood of an Elder Tree (basswood), its rawhide skin stretched over the drum head provided by Otter or Deer, its base gifted by Turtle, its rag wrap coiled around the rim contributed by Snake, and the drum stick formed by the beak of Loon, Mide drums in general and the Grandfather Water Drum in particular are regarded as AADIZOOKAANAG: literally: Makers Of Stories; Spirit Grandfathers, or persons of the other-than-human-class. The Mide drum is a living entity given life through the spirits of the wood and the animals that fashioned it, and through the energy that the drum maker put in its construction. The drum, when played, communicates with the natural world and, through that, with the realms of the supernatural, and by beating its rawhide membrane and producing sound from it, the Mide invokes the presence of, and makes himself heard to, the MIDE-MANIDOOG, thus enabling him to actively promote bimaadiziwin (prolonging human life) through that communication. Zhaawano created this silver Mide drum bolo tie, a sterling silver slide attached to a silver snake chain lanyard, the 0.98 x 1.18 inch (25 x 30 mm) slide featuring the stylized image of the Sun, symbol of Great Mystery and representing the below-told story of the LITTLE BOY DRUM. The green of the large oval malachite stone cabochon adorning the drum head stands for Omizakamigokwe, the Eathmother, source of all life; the smaller malachite stone placed in the head of the drumstick denotes innocence in the heart of the People. A silver  rattle design  is attached to the side of the drum body and set with an oval red coral cabochon representing the element Fire and the campfires of the People as well as the Seven Prophecies that the Great Mystery bestowed long ago on the People, and the Migizi miigwan (eagle feather) hanging from the drumstick handle symbolizes the spiritual aspects of Midewiwin healing practices. The silver snake necklace that serves as the bolo cord refers to the resemblance between a Grandfather Drum and the snake and suggests shared characteristics. (The ability of a snake to change shape and to transform through the shedding of its skin is reflected in the circular form of a Grandfather Drum and the snake skin, which is coiled around its rim in order to hold the skin membrane tightly, can be removed or replaced at will.) Lastly, the silver bangle tips at the ends of the silver lanyard show a Thunderbird's zigzag lightning pattern (which in turn is a metaphorical interpretation of the extended power of the otter, symbol of Mide Medicine), and two stylized leaves representing the Plant and Tree world. In Midewiwin practice, the Grandfather is supported by OSHKAABEWIS, his ceremonial helper, called the LITTLE BOY WATER DRUM in reference to the below-told origin story of the Midewiwin, about a little bear boy who descended from the Sun and remained for some time among the Anishinaabeg to teach them the mysteries of the Midewiwin. It is said that the Little Boy points the way to the Grandfather, but when the Grandfather comes, darkness flees before him, and the whole world, the whole sky is enlightened...According to Midewiwin belief the sound of the Mide drum causes the sky to brighten up and the water to be calm for the person who carries the drum. Both midewe'igan and baagaakokwaan are considered to be gifts from GICHI-MANIDOO; the latter is held even more sacred than the drum itself. To view details of this bolo tie, go to our website.

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Miskwaabik Animikii (Copper Thunderbird/Norval Morrisseau) (1932-2007) sounding a contemporary Thunderbird hand drum hand-painted with Thunderbird and turtle designs.

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Two Midewiwin Origin Stories 

19th century Misi-zaaga'iganiing (Mille Lacs) ogimaa (chief) Bayezhig related the story of GWIIWIZENS WEDIZHICHIGEWINID: Deeds of a little boy, a traditional origin story of the Anishinaabeg and their Midewiwin Society. Below is given a free rendering in zhaaganaashiimowin (English):

"In the beginning, GICHI-MANIDOO made the MIDE MANIDOOG (Mide Spirits). It first created two men, and two women; but they had no power of thought or reason. Then GICHI-MANIDOO made them rational beings. It took them in its hands so that they should multiply; it paired them, and from this sprung the ANISHINAABEG. When there were ANISHINAABEG (people) it placed them upon the earth, but it soon observed that they were subject to sickness, misery, and death, and that unless it provided them with the Sacred Medicine they would soon become extinct.”

“Between the position occupied by GICHI-MANIDOO and the earth were four lesser manidoog with whom GICHI-MANIDOO decided to commune, and to impart to them the mysteries by which the Anishinaabeg could be benefited. So GICHI-MANIDOO first spoke to one manidoo and told him all it had to say, who in turn communicated the same information to the next, and he in turn to next, who also communed with the next. They all met in council, and determined to call in the wendaanimag noodinoon (four wind manidoog). After consulting as to what would be best for the comfort and welfare of the Anishinaabeg, the wendaanimag noodinoon agreed to ask GICHI-MANIDOO to communicate the Mystery of the Sacred Medicine to the people.”

“GICHI-MANIDOO then went to GIIZIS the Sun Spirit and asked him to descend to the earth and instruct the people as had been decided upon by the council. GIIZIS, in the form of a gwiiwizens (little boy), went to the earth and lived with a woman who had a little boy of her own. This family went away in the autumn to hunt, and during the winter this woman’s son left for the Spirit World, or the Land of Souls. The parents were so much distressed that they decided to return to the village and bury the body there; so they made preparations to return, and as they traveled along, they would each evening erect several poles upon which the body was placed to prevent the wild beasts from devouring it. When the boy whose soul had crossed to the other side was thus hanging upon the poles, the adopted child—who was the Sun Spirit—would play about the camp and amuse himself, and finally told his adopted father he pitied him, and his mother, for their sorrow. The adopted son said he could make his brother return to the physical world, whereupon the parents expressed great surprise and desired to know how that could be accomplished."

“The adopted boy then had the party hasten to the village, when he said, “Get the women to make a wiigiwaam (lodge) of bark, put the boy in a covering of wiigwaas (birch bark) and place the body on the ground in the middle of the wiigiwaam.”

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“On the next morning after this had been done, the family and friends went into this lodge and seated themselves around the corpse. When they had all been sitting quietly for some time, they saw through the doorway the approach of a bear, which gradually came towards the wiigiwaam, entered it, and placed itself before the dead body and said, “ho, ho, ho, ho,” when he passed around it towards the left side, with a trembling motion, and as he did so, the body began quivering, and the quivering increased as the bear continued until he had passed around four times, when the body came to life again and stood up. Then the bear called to the father, who was sitting in the distant right-hand corner of the wiigiwaam, and addressed to him the following words:

Noos gaawiin anishinaabewisii, ayaawiyaan manidoo ningwizis.
Bi-mayaa-miniik niiji-manidoo mayaa zhigwa ji-gi-aawiyan.
Noose, zhigwa asemaa ji-atooyeg. E-mikondem mii eta
aabiding ji-gashkitood wenji-bimaadizid omaa agaawaa
bimaadizid mii omaa; niijii-manidoo mayaa zhigwa ji-giiweyaan.

(“My father is not a human. I, a son, am a Spirit.
Just as - my fellow Spirit - you now are.
Father! Now, you shall put out tobacco. Recalling that he could do this
only once in order to barely live here, thus he lived here;
my fellow Spirit, so now, I must go home.”)”**

“The little bear boy was the one who did this. He then remained among the Anishinaabeg and taught them the mysteries of the Midewiwin; and, after he had finished, he told his adopted father that as his mission had been fulfilled he was to return to his kindred manidoog, for the Anishinaabeg would have no need to fear sickness as they now possessed the Midewiwin which would enable them to live. He also said that his spirit could bring a body to life but once, and he would now return to GIIZIS (the sun) from which they would feel his influence.”***

Another aadizookaan (sacred story) about the origin of Midewiwin relates of Nigig the Otter and how he brought the Ojibweg Medicine and the Mide drum. Wiinabozho, the beloved, benevolent aadizookaan (Spirit Helper) of the Anishinaabe Peoples, noticed that the Ojibweg were vulnerable and helpless against famine, sickness, and death, and he decided to help save them from extinction.

“When Nanabozho (as Wiinabozho was called by Nookomis, his grandmother) was pensively drifting across the center of Aki (the Earth), he heard laughter in the distance, and as he moved closer he perceived a dark, slender, fast-moving object on the surface of the Big Lake to the west, and then in all four directions; and then, within the blink of an eye, the directions were brought together in what appeared to be a madoodiswan (purification, or sweat lodge) in the center of Aki. It was in this sacred place, where sky, water, and land come together, that Nanabozho saw Nigig, the Otter. Nanabozho, understanding and appreciating the magic phenomenon he had witnessed before his very eyes, instructed the Otter in the mysteries of the Midewiwin and he gave him a Midewewe’igan (Ceremonial  Drum) and the Miigis (cowrie) shell, telling him how they should be used at sacred feasts and during the ceremonial of initiation; he also gave him a Zhiishiigwan (Ceremonial Rattle) to be used when curing the sick, and Asemaa (tobacco) to be utilized in invocations of the Spirits and in making peace with enemies.”

Nigig offered these sacred objects and instructions to the starving Anishinaabeg and thus saved them from extinction, and they gratefully chose him as symbol of Healing and elected him the patron of their Lodge. Nigig has various ceremonial roles in the Midewiwin Lodge, and it is said there are pictorial representations of him inscribed in several origin-migration birch-bark scrolls and in no fewer than seven scrolls containing mnemonics of Mide songs, and in at least two locations near a body of water sacred rock paintings of Otter can be seen with power lines emanating from his body. He gives his skin for the Midewayaan (Medicine Bag) that carries the medicinal herbs, charms, and miigisag (cowry shells) used for symbolically "shooting" novices during their initiation into the Mide Lodge, and in the old days his power was multiplied by the Anishinaabekweg (women) who portrayed his abstract, patterned image on various ornaments, costumes, utensils, weapons, and sacred objects…particularly that of the zigzag trail of the otter and its tail-swaying movements when pursued – as it tries to deceive the predator or hunter by changing its course. Often called a lightning pattern, this design element, traditionally occurring, often in doubled or even tripled form, in Anishinaabe quill and bead work, is said to represent not only Otter’s zigzag stride but also his extended power, reaching far into the sky, into the realms of the Thunderbirds who create thunder and lightning (see the zigzag outlines at the bottom of  the cylindrical bolo tie tips in the photo). 

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The people that belonged to Zhaawano’s doodem (clan), Waabizheshi or Marten, sometimes depicted Otter as a hunter and warrior/strategist, and to this day, his characteristics, like his playfulness, craftiness, adaptability, industriousness, and his adventurous and autonomous nature, are still core aspects of the teachings and the leadership of the Midewiwin Lodge. Otter symbolizes new life, and all of life is seen as an extension of Otter’s magical power. Just as the Anishinaabeg have drawn from time immemorial on the resources of both land and water to survive, so too the Otter, being one of their most important mediators between the physical world and the spirit world, lives in both environments, and the People have always tried to emulate his talent for moving through both worlds with ease, playfulness, and humor. 

But above allt, Nigig, who first and foremost discloses his power through sound, is respected and revered for having brought the Anishinaabeg the Gift of Medicine and the sacred drum whose pulsating sound reaches far and corresponds with the voices and the heartbeat of the cosmos...

Giiwenh. That´s how far this blog story goes. Miigwech for reading and listening!

The next blog story will be about the history and spirit powers of the Mide Miigis shell. 

Bi-waabamishinaang miinawaa daga: please come see us again! 

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Sources:

* Traditional story freely adopted from Young Otter woman Design.** Translation by Charles J. Lippert.

***Traditional storyfreely adapted from the Gutenberg files.

Jewelry and jewelry photography by ZhaawanArt Fisher Star Creations.

Acrylic painting of drummers by Cecil Youngfox.

Acrylic painting of Bear by Simone McLeod.

Acrylic painting of Otter by Bruce Morrisseau.  

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About the authors/artists:

Simone McLeod (her traditional name is Aki’-egwaniizid, which is an Ojibwe name meaning "Earth Blanket") is a Cree/Anishinaabe painter and poet, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1962. She belongs to he Name doodem (Sturgeon clan) of her mother's people, the Azaadiwi-ziibi Nitam-Anishinaabeg (Poplar River "#16" First Nation) of Manitoba. Simone descends from a long line of Midewiwin seers and healers and artists. Her artwork has been appreciated by several art collectors and educational and health care institutions from Canada, as well as by art lovers from all over the world.

Zhaawano Giizhik, an American currently living in the Netherlands, was born in 1959 in North Carolina, USA. Zhaawano has Anishinaabe blood running through his veins; the doodem of his ancestors from Baawiting (Sault Ste. Marie, Upper Michigan) is Waabizheshi, Marten. As an artist, a writer, and a designer of Native American jewelry and wedding rings, Zhaawano draws on the oral and pictorial traditions of his ancestors. In doing so he sometimes works together with kindred artists. He has done several art projects with Simone and hopes to continue to do so in the future.

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"Innour culture, the stars are used for directions. The moon tells us what month we’re in. The sun is used to tell time. The turtle shell is our calendar."

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Boozhoo, biindigen minawaa. Hello and welcome again. 

Today's story is about how Gookomisinaan Dibik-giizis, Our Grandmother Moon, was created. and why the Anishinaabeg Peoples follow the circular dance of the moon around the earth to track the months of the year. Also, it is explained why we do not use a paper calendar, but the drawing on the back shield of the turtle instead. In other words: why do we traditionally use a dibik-giiziso-dashwaa  (lunar turtle shell calendar) instead of a giiziso-mazina'igan (solar paper calendar)? This explanation is followed by a very old, and truly fascinating, story of the coming of Wiindigoo,  the Spirit of the Cold North (link to a new story), and why this almost forgotten event explains why the Anishinaabeg start their yearly lunar cycle in January. A couple of illustrations of my artwork add extra depth and meaning to the stories.

Part 1:  How the Moon was created

There are several stories of how the Moon was created. Our word for the moon is niibaad-giizis ("sleeping sun") or, as our relatives in the west call her, "dibik-giizis" (night-sun). 

An intriguing explanation is offered through the gikendaasowin-dibaajimowin (scientific theory) that, 5 billion years ago when Mother Earth was still young, a huge aadawaa'am ogimaa (planet) drifting through space the size of Ogichidaa (planet Mars) hit her and knocked her off-kilter. It blasted a big hole in her surface., which sent a huge amount of cosmic dust into the Earth's orbit. That dust, in time, became Gookomisinaan Niibaad Giizis - our Grandmother Moon.

Then there is the more traditionalist version of the Creation Story that could be summarized as follows:

"Many moons ago, when the World was not yet born, there was only something, a Great Mystery that perhaps comes close to what we would call a Dream. This Dream, or Vision, was filled with a vast sky filled with many stars and the day-sun and the night-sun, and beneath it was the earth in the form of a giant sea turtle. One day this Dream, or Vision, was materialized into rock, water, fire, and wind.

These substances were born spontaneously, seemingly out of nothing, and into each was breathed a sacred life breath that our People nowadays call GICHI-MANIDOO (Literally: Great Mystery, or sum of all Mysteries). So it is understood that from these four sacred substances, each gifted with a different soul and spirit and nature and shadow, was created Cosmos, or Order. This brand new Order was filled with what could be called akiwag, or worlds. These akiwag were a family unit of the Sun and lesser stars, the Moon, and the Earth as well as many other planets."

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Yet another, (more recent) traditional story, which speaks of the moon as Wezaawi-giizhigookwe ("Yellow Sky woman"), goes like this:

"The first mother of the Anishinaabeg was once an aadizookaan, a supernatural being residing alone in the sky. Her name was Giizhigookwe, or Sky Woman. GICHI-MANIDOO, the Creator of Earth and Skies, sent a male aadizookaan to Sky Woman to keep her company. Animikii (Thunder), for that was his name, traveled to the lodge of Sky Woman and from the union that took place (rumor has it that Sky Woman showed her lover every hole and corner of the universe!) were born the ANISH-I-NAAB-EG (a twin brother and sister), whom she placed on the back of a giant Mikinaak (snapping turtle).

Giizhigookwe nurtured the twins to manhood and womanhood, and then, as her purpose and nature were finally fulfilled, she ascended back into the sky, where she changed her name in Wezaawigiizhigookwe, Yellow Sky Woman, and became known as Nookomis Dibik-giizis, Grandmother Moon. From here on, Nookomis Moon watched over her children by night; by day Gimishoomisinaan Giizis (the Sunfather)  and Ogashinan (the Earth-grandmother) took care of them. And Nookomis’ existence, her gift of life, and the primacy of women are still remembered by the Anishinaabeg each time Dibik-giizis, the Night Sun shines on their precious island-home.”

Then there is another, very old aadizookaan (sacred story) that is one of my favorites and that goes like this:

"A long time ago the ancestors of the Anishinaabeg lived on the moon. The moon  was created from the cosmic dust that jiingwanag (comets) had blown into the orbit of a bigger aki (planet) that existed near the moon. One bad day the moon started to dry out and before long all the animals died. Since the People had nothing left to eat they decided they had to find another aki (world) to live in. A medicine man found a hole that went through the moon, and looking down he saw this bigger aki, which to him looked a perfect place to live for his People because it was all green and lush and had plenty of water. It was then that he decided that this big aki was where he would move the People. He asked Asibikaashi(spider woman) to lower the people down on her web, and since he had great power, Asibikaashi fulfilled his wish. 

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The animals on this big aki were gigantic, covered with thick scales, and so Wenabozho, the Great Hare Spirit who was their friend, gave the People arrows of flint. Life on the new Aki called  Maamaaman Aki (Mother Earth) was easy, but the People were warned of a jiingwan  coming from gichi-giizhig (outer space) that would burn everything.  The medicine man, who had the power to foresee events, told them to hide in bogs and holes in the ground. He instructed them to take air sacs from name, the sturgeon fish, and breathe through those. 

The Genondawe'anang ("Long Tailed Heavenly Climbing Star") came as predicted. This star, which had radiation and burning heat in its tail, scorched the new-found world. Only the humans who maintained their spiritual beliefs heard the warning and they fled to a bog and rolled themselves up in the moss and mud to protect themselves; others hid in the water and breathed through the air sacs. When the comet hit, its fiery tail spread out over the entire landscape. Nothing survived the heat. It was so hot that everything, even the stones, were cooked, and most of the humans and giant animals and trees were killed off. You can still find their bones and fossilized wood today in the earth! Only those Anishinaabeg who rolled up in the moss and mud and hid under the water lived to tell this story.

Up until that time the people were hairy, but the genondawe'anang burned off their hair and baked them in the mud, turning their skin brown. New animals emerged. They, too, were hard to kill and life for the surviving humans was difficult. Wenabozho, who had his domain on the Morning Star, returned to Earth help them, and he shrank all the animals, since they were too big for the humans to hunt. Also, seeing that  the humans never slept, Nanabush hit them in the head to give them a rest! 

Wenabozho began walking the earth in search of other Human Beings who had survived the comet impact. He allegedly carried Nookomis, his grandmother, on his back. He walked from Gichigami (Lake Superior) to Gichi-adaawe-wiikwed (Hudson Bay). Wenabozho had many adventures along the way. When he reached wiisagiwi-gichigami, the salt water sea in the East nowadays called Atlantic Ocean, he was swallowed by bichinaaneg, a whale!  

After genondawe'anang had hit planet Aki she was cooked, and gold and copper welled up and filled the cracks on the land and beneath the lakes. This is why Anishinaabeg believe it is best not to bother wth the sacred copper, which can be found in the ground and in michi-gami (Lake Superior)!  The earth was bare, but soon the human beings, who now called themselves Anishinaabeg, walked about on the earth and fertilized it, and everything began to grow. Back then the earth was still soft and, in some places, Wenabozho left his footprints or rested; for example, you can still see his chair at the place nowadays called Kensington Point! The land was flat when Nanabush found it. The people asked the spirits for a rough land to protect the animals because the animals needed a place to hide. That is when Wiikobidoomaagan-aki(the Gravity Star) came down and pulled up all the mountains. That is how the earth came to be with water and green hills and all the animals...

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Grandmother Turtle and the Dance of the Thirteen Moons. Visit the website to view details.

Part 2:  The 13 moons on the shell of the turtle

The Anishinaabeg traditionally follow nookomis dibik-giiziso-mazina'igan (a lunar calendar), in contrast with mainstream society, which follows a solar calendar - called the Gregorian calendar.

The solar calendar is based on the movement of Gimishoomisinaan Giizis, the Sun. Nookomis dibik-giiziso-mazina'igan is based on the movement of Nookomis Dibik-giizis, the moon.

According to a traditional Anishinaabe creation story, the world was created when a muskrat brought mud from the bottom of the sea to be placed on the back a giant snapping turtle. The turtle’s shell has thirteen central plates, called scutes.

The Anishinaabeg have always known the wisdom of the Turtle and followed a 13-month calendar. Theirs was not a calendar made of paper -- which is merely an artificial construct --  but of shell.

According to Anishinaabe tradition, when Aki, the Earth, was created, Mikinaak the Turtle was a witness to the creation Aki and all its peoples.

When the Jaasakiidjig, the Shaking Tent Seers, perform their ceremony, Mikinaak is always the first to speak, as Mikinaak serves as a gatekeeper between the physical world and the world of the Manidoog (Spirits). Mikinaak is associated with the Moon; according to tradition it was GICHI-MANIDOO, the Great Mystery, which etched the sacred cycle of the Moon onto Mikinaak's back.

The drawing on a turtle's back or upper shell resembles our lunar calendar. This is Anishinaabeg's way of dating seasonal changes and all the natural events that occur during each season. The lunar calendar followed by the majority of traditional Anishinaabeg Peoples dictates that a moon (month) has 27 to 29 days – with an average of 28 days. In other words: In every year, there are 13 of those moon cycles, each with 27-29 days from one full moon to the next.

The average time it takes for Grandmother Moon to orbit our Earth is 28 days, the same as a woman’s menstrual cycle. This is why, in our culture, the moon is a feminine spirit who  symbolizes the primacy of ikwewag - our women.

Each of the 13 moons of the year holds its own story. It is said that Turtle holds the mystery of each moon on the shell of her back and gives each moon its power.

The shell of the turtle represents the body of events, teachings, and origins of the Anishinaabe. The thirteen large sections on the back of the turtle represent thirteen moons in the Earth’s rotation around the sun. Thirteen also represents the four seasons in the Earth’s cycle around the sun, plus the nine moons it takes for the developing of a human child in the mother’s womb. The scutes (scales) that surround the outer represent the number of days that make up the lunar cycle from full moon to full moon.

For the Anishinaabeg Peoples, the turtle is like a grandmother. She represents the spirit of the people, the women, and the land.

Since the region the Anishinaabeg live in is so large, the moons and the full moon(s) that shine(s) during a month may not be called the same thing for all areas. Some nations, tribes, and bands have more than one name for each moon as there are so many specific (area-related) things going on in the natural world at that time. 

The names of the moons (months) in Anishinaabemowin (the Ojibwe language) are as follows:

Southeastern Anishinaabemowin:

Manidoo Giizis (Spirit Moon) - January Makwa-Giizis (Bear Moon) - February Onaabdan-giizis (Snow crust Moon) - March Pokwaagami-giizis(Snowshoe Breaking Moon)- April Namebine-giizis (Suckerfish Moon) - May Baashkaabigonii-giizis (Blooming Moon) - June
Miin-giizis (Blueberry Moon) - July
Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon) - August
Waabaagbagaa-giizis (Leaves Turning Color Moon) - September
Binaakwe/Binaakwii-giizis (Falling Leaves/Autumn Moon) - October Baashkaakodin-giizis (Freezing Moon) - September Manidoo-giizisoons (Little Spirit Moon)

Southwestern Anishinaabemowin:

Gichimanidoo-giizis (Great Spirit Moon) -January Namebini-giizis (Suckerfish Moon) - February Onaabani-giizis (Snow crust Moon) - March Iskigamizige-giizis (Sugarbushing Moon) - April Zaagibagaa-giizis (Budding Tree Moon) - May Ode'imini-giizis (Heart (Straw)berry Moon) - JuneAbitaa-niibini-giizis (Halfway Summer Moon) - July
Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon) - August
Waatebagaa-giizis (Leaves Turning Color Moon) - September Binaakwe/Binaakwii-giizis (Falling Leaves/Autumn Moon) - October Gashkadino-giizis (Freezing over moon) - Novembe Manidoo-giizisoons (Little Spirit Moon)

Northern Anishinaabemowin:

Gichi-giizis (Big Moon) - January. Migiziwi-giizis (Eagle Moon) - February Niki-giizis (Returning Goose Moon) - March Omagakiiwi-giizis (Frog Moon), Synonyms: Maango-giizis (Loon Moon), Bebookwedaagime-giizis (Snowshoe Breaking Moon) - April. Zaagibagaawi-giizis (Budding Tree Moon) - May. Northeastern Ojibwe synonym: Maango-giizis (Loon Moon) Baashkaawano-giizis (Egg Breaking Moon) - June Abita-niibino-giizis Halfway Summer Moon - July Waatebagaawi-giizis (Leaves Turning Color Moon) - August Moozo-ga-wiijindiwaad-giizis (Moose Mating Moon) - September Binaakwe-giizis (Leaves Falling Moon) - October Gashkadini-giizis (Freezing Over Moon) - November Manidoowi-giizis (Spirit Moon) - December (solstice)

Particularly the moons called June and June on the Gregorian calendar have many names:

June:

Ode'imini-giizis (Heart (Straw)berry Moon) Baashkaawano-giizis(Egg Breaking Moon)
Gitige-giizis (Planting Moon)
Mishiikenh-giizis (Mud Turtle Moon; term used in in the southernmost parts of Anishinaabewaki) 
Ozhibinigaawi-giizhis (sic: Term used by Nakaweg-Ojibweg from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta)
Waabigonii-giizis (Flower Moon)
Waabigwanii-giizis (Flower Moon)
Waabigwaniwi-giizis (Flower Moon)
Waawano-giizis (Egg Moon)
Zaagibagaawi-giizis, or -biisim (Budding Moon; term used by Nakaweg-Ojibweg from Northwestern Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta, and by the Northern Ojibweg/Anishininiwag (Oji-Cree)) 

The Anishinaabe calendar, which goes from Full Moon to Full Moon, is unique as other Indigenous soli-lunar calendar systems go from New Moon to New Moon, or from sliver crescent after the New Moon to the sliver crescent after the New Moon. According to the Anishinaabe calendar, leap month happens in the December-January time frame (New Year begins with the Full Moon on or after the Winter Solstice).

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©2022 Zhaawano Giizhik

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"Epiitaagoojingig: Grandmother's Dance around the Earth."© 2022. The dance of the Moon around the Earth as seen from the gichi-giizhig (outer space) over the North Pole, with the corresponding epiitaagoojingig (moon phases) as seen from Earth. The Earth is depicted as a Turtle. Giizis, the Sun grandfather who dances through the galaxy shedding his rays on the Earth and the Moon is depicted to the right.

Part 3:  Grandmother's dance around the Earth

Part 4: Why our lunar calendar starts in winter

Welcome back in My Storyteller Lodge...

Today, I will tell an awechigan (parable) about the need for humbleness; How the supernatural hero Wenabozho attained magical power but then lost it because of his laziness and vanity...

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Boozhoo! Biindigen miinawaa nindaadizooke wigamigong; enji-zaagi'iding miinawaa gikendaasong. Ningad-aadizooke noongom giizhigad! (Hello! Welcome back in my Storytelling Lodge where there is love and legends and teaching stories are told. Let’s tell a sacred story today!)

This blog story is another episode, the fourth in a series named "Stories from the Land of Crane and Turtle." The series features teaching stories that encompass the unique worldview and cultural perspective of the Anishinaabeg Peoples.

Today's story, a Wenabozho tale, is woven around a sterling silver bracelet (see the inserted image) handcrafted in my jeweler's studio and illustrated with several of my paintings - including a painting that I did a while ago, titled "Wenabozho and the Creation of the Milky Way" (see the above image) - to add meaning to the story and help making it visually attractive...

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>Click here to view details of the bracelet________________________________

Part 1: Birth of the Great Hare

The story that I will relate today is about Wenabozho (“His Trembling Tail”), also known as Mishaabooz, the Great Hare. Wenabozho, who was born on an island at the outlet of Gichi-Anishinaabeg-gami (Lake Superior), lived with ookomisan (his grandmother) in a wiigiwaam¹ on the shore of the big lake. His mother, whose name was Wiininwaa (“Nourishment from the Breast”), had miraculously disappeared into the sky the instant he was born, never to be seen or heard from again, so this is why his grandmother raised him.

After Wenabozho’s birth the people in the nearby summer village whispered that Wiininwaa died and disappeared from the face of the earth because she had faced the wrong wind after being warned by Nookomis not to face in such direction...

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Wenabozho Ondaadiziwin ("Wenabozho's Conception"),  © 2023 Zhaawano Giizhik

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There are several theories about te origin of Wenabozho's name; it is very plausible that the name Wenabozho derives from an Ojibwe word meaning "His Trembling Tail." When you break down the name that Wenabozho's grandmother used to address her grandson with ("Nanabozho"; vocative form "Nanabozh"), you have the prefix n-. short for niin which means "my," and naning, or nining, meaning "trembling," and ozow, or onzow, which is the Ojibwe word for tail. The suffix w-, as in Wenabozho, is short for wiin which is a third-person pronoun; Wenabozo, therefore, possibly means "his trembling tail."His Trembling Tail could be a reference to timidity and unwillingness to take risks or responsibility; two of many human traits that Wenabozho possesses and reflects in his - extremely complex - character.

Aaniin igo, anyway! Wenabozho loved his grandmother a great deal. He would gather misan (firewood) for ookomisan, he brought her giigoonh (fish) and wazhashkwedowag (mushrooms) and ojiibikan (wild roots) and helped her pick miinan (berries) and trap the waaboozoog (rabbits) that lived in the underbrush. A good and dutiful grandchild he was! But he also had another side. In fact, he had many sides.

Geget sago, Wenabozho was truly not a typical man. It was commonly believed that Gichi-manidoo, the Great Mystery, entrusted him with the task to teach the People, and one of his first tasks was to name all the plants and animals and to teach the Anishinaabeg the curative powers of plants and mino-bimaaadiziwin: how to live a good, long, and prosperous life. Since he was sired by E-bangishimog (the Wind Spirit of the West) and born of an anishinaabekwe (woman) and thus aabitaa-manidoo (half spirit) aabitaa-anishinaabe (half human), he possessed tremendous abilities and strengths – qualities that people nowadays would regard as extraordinary but back in the days were accepted at face value and not thought to be very unusual at all.

The reason Wenabozho was so well-loved, therefore, were not his supernatural powers, but how he used them; the Anishinaabeg loved him, not just for naming the plants and the animals, but also for introducing medicine to cure the sick and, last but not least, for his tireless efforts and inclination to help little children, the poor, and the weak.

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Wenabozho Babaamaadiziwin ("Wenabozho's Journey") ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik

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Part 2: Wenabozho the Mighty Creator and Shapeshifter

There was truly not much that Wenabozho could not do in order to help his People! He roamed freely with the spirits of the land, the sky, and the waters and had the ability to shapeshift at will into virtually any creature and form, including a rabbit or hare, a tree, or a rock! His creation of the second world after the first flooded, his role as securer of the right for the Ojibwe people to hunt and fish and as artist who showed them how to paint their dreams and visions on the rocks, and his embezzling of fire to give to his Grandmother which in turn gave fire to the Ojibwe people, are among the many things that made him the most beloved aadizookaan (supernatural character) in their aadizookaanan (sacred stories).

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Wenabozho the Mighty Hunter Shoots the Moose out of the Sky ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik

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He conversed with every creature in the Universe, inclusing those that live in the Sky. He mastered every language known among men and spirits. He even knew what the bineshiinyag (birds) were saying in their songs, and he was even known to walk among the stars and converse with the spirits that dwell there! There were so many things Wenabozho could do! He could run gabe-giizhig (from dawn until dusk); he could swim in the coldest of ziibiwan (rivers) and zaaga'iganan (lakes). Some say that his footsteps were so long that he could easily cross the widest gami (big lake) in one step! Ishte, some folks even claimed that they had seen him seize the lightning in his hands and that at his command terrible storms broke loose from their caves! Yet at the same time, on his command also, the gentle winds blew, the mountains became green and the flowers of spring bloomed everywhere…²

Mii gwayak, yes, this and many more things Wenabozho was capable of! All these things, and many more things, he could do so well that probably his greatest liability was his being unconscious of his many shortcomings and weaknesses…³

“What shortcomings and weaknesses are those, exactly?” you might ask. “I thought you just said Wenabozho was a good-natured fellow and a hero to his People?”

Haw dash, well now, if you really want to know… be sure to continue reading, nindinawemaaganidog…⁴

¹ Wiigiwaam: domed lodge covered with sheets of wiigwaas (birchbark)

² Source: Indian Legends of Canada, Ella Elizabeth Clark, McClelland and Stewart Ltd, 1960

³ Source: Whispers of the Ancients, Tamarack Song and Moses (Amik) Beaver, p. 84

⁴ Nindinawemaaganidog: my relatives.

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Wenabozho and the Mighty Warrior from the South ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik

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Part 3: Nookomis' Assignment

Ahaaw sa, okay, this is how the story begins. So one morning Ookomisan said to Wenabozho: “Listen Nanabozh (because that was how she usually addressed her grandson), very soon you will meet a gichi-minisiinoo (big warrior) from a far-away land in the south who is making his way to the great lake in order to steal zhooniyaa (the silver) that Gichi-manidoo placed in the depths of the water to be of good use to the Anishinaabeg.

 “How will I know him nooko (granny)?” Wenabozho asked. “He will be tall and handsome and dressed in rich garments decorated with silver jewelry and stones the color of a clear blue sky,” Ookomisan replied. “But his most distinctive feature will be a richly decorated quiver that he carries with him holding a magic bow and arrows the color of zhooniyaa. So powerful is his medicine and so powerful his bow that he is known to shoot stars out of the night sky as if they were migrating birds. If you manage to stop this giant bowman, Nanabozh, the sacred zhooniyaa from the lake will be safe. Also, if you can make him hand over his magic bow to you, you will be forever successful in the hunt and invincible against the dreaded Wiindigoo and the Underwater Beings.” ⁵

“But remember Nanabozh,” grandmother concluded, “as soon as the magic bow is in your possession, be sure not to abuse and misuse its power but instead use it wisely to benefit your People.”

Wenabozho was now overly excited. He kept asking ookomisan many questions about the gichi-minisiinoo from the south – it was the bow his grandmother had told him about that particularly aroused his curiosity and stirred his imagination – but all that she told him was, “take your jimaan 5a and cross the great lake, then continue into southeastern direction, follow the waterways along the rapids and falls of Baawitigong, 5b then head south, then cross Naadowewi-gichigami 5c  and there, on top of a large point of land 5d  that is covered with kettle-shaped stones and overlooks the lake, you will find the big warrior. He is on his way to our lake. You best hurry. Find him and stop him.” 

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Wenabozho Meets the Big Warrior from Dinetah ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik

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Part 4: The Big Warrior from Dinetah

Since Wenabozho loved his nooko very much, he did as she had told him. He jumped into his canoe, and because he had powers that went beyond human capacities it took him only a few hours before he reached the opposite shore of the big lake. It took him another day to reach the southeastern shore of the Great Rattle Snake Lake! After drawing his jiimaan up on the rocky shore he climbed on a high point of land that jutted into the lake. On top of the point, he sat down to rest a little. Then, taayaa! from the corner of his eye he saw a shadow of something big that made his heart skip a beat. A hundred feet away from him stood one of the most impressive warriors he had ever seen in his life!

As the gichi-minisiinoo, the big warrior, was walking toward him Wenabozho (who could be self-confident and even heoric, but also surprisingly meek when caught off guard) did something that lived up to his name; he started to tremble with fear - or was it excitement? Aanish, well, whatever it was that made einabozho tremble, the minisiinoo approaching him was exactly like Ookomisan had described him!

The gichi-minisiinoo walked with big steps toward Wenabozho and looked at him in the self-confident manner of a great warrior. Then he spoke in formal, somewhat mangled, Anishinaabemowin,⁶ with a strong accent that sounded strange (even in Wenabozho’s ears!):

“Aaniin Manabozh, Mishaabooz! Asiniiwinini niin nindizhinikaaz. Bikwakininiwag niin nindoodem. Wajiiwan miinawaa wiikwajitamaazowinan aki zhaawanong niin nindoonji.”

(Greetings oh Trembling Tail, Great Rabbit! Stone Man is my name. I belong to the clan of the Arrow People. ⁷ I come from the land of mountains and deserts in the south).”

Wenabozho, without properly introducing himself, said to the stranger, “Daa, niwiijikiwenh geget sa onizhishi gi-mitigwaab. Shkomaa biish, ninga-gagwedaagibiinaa (“Well, my friend, truly handsome is your bow. Just hand it over to me, I wish to see how it pulls.”) The warrior replied, “Aa, gaawiin! Gaa wiikaa awiya nindawi’aasii  (Ah, no! Never do I turn it over to anyone!)” But Wenabozho, who could be very persistent, tried again,“ Aa, maanoo, nijiii, gaa na gegoo ajina!” (Oh, please chum, only just for one moment!”) “Gaawiin! No!” The stranger retorted, frowning. Wenabozho, thinking it wiser not to insist any longer, then said, “Aaniish naa ningwi, aandii ezhaayan? Well then my companion, where are you heading?” ⁸ He also asked the stranger how he knew his name, and what the wanted from him. Herupon the latter answered that he, like Wenabozho, spoke every language in the world and conversed with every creature in the Universe. Also, many people and spirits had already told him about the Great Hare, this great friend of the Anishinaabe Peoples who lived with his grandmother by the Great Sea called Gichigami. He informed Wenabozho that he had come to the north country on a special mission to find the silver ore buried in the Great Lake to the west, not far from where Wenabozho lived, and that he also wanted to test how brave Wenabozho was.

If Wenabozho could put him down, the stranger added, his life would be spared and the quiver filled with the magic bow and arrows would be his price; if not, his body would be chopped into pieces and thrown in the Great Rattle Snake Lake that lay in front of them, and the Anishinaabeg would be stripped of all the silver that lay buried in the great lake to the west.

“And even though you are a manidoo (spirit) in nature and essence and therefore gijichaak (your spirit) can’t be killed, I will make sure you will never again roam freely through the Universe like you used to,” the tall stranger, who clearly had a great sense of drama, added. “In order for you to prevent this you must wrestle me to death Mishaabooz; only by defeating me you will gain possession of my magic weapon and do great deeds with it that will help your People, who, I am told, depend on you for survival.”

5 Wiindigoo: Cannibal monster from the North. Mishiginebigoog and mishibizhiwag, serpentlike and catlike underwater spirits, guardians of the waters who control the moods of the lakes and rapids and currents. They are inveterate foes of Wenabozho and of the Thunderbirds that live in the sky.

5aJiimaan: canoe

5b Baawitigong: Place of the Rapids; present-day Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Ontario.

5cNaadowewi-gichigami: Great Rattle Snake Lake, present-day Lake Huron

5d A large point of land: Kikonaang (Kettle Point), present-day Wiikwedong, Ontario.

6 Anishinaabemowin: the Ojibwe language.

⁷ K'aa' dine'é or Arrow People: a clan of the Dine’ (Navajo).

⁸ Source: Baadwewedamojig “Those that come sounding.” 

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Aaron Paquette, acrylic on canvas, Manitou stone  (With the permission of the artist)

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Part 5: The Star from Kikonaan

Upon hearing Stone Man’s words Wenabozho’s mind started to work quickly on how he might escape; the strange man from the south looked like a seasoned warrior and Wenabozho feared he was no match for him. Stone Man was much bigger than Wenabozho was, armed to the teeth, and obviously in possession of exceptional skills and magical powers that exceeded his. Then he remembered a story ookomisan had told him when he was still little, about a big stone – which the local Anishinaabeg called Anang, or Star – that was said to possess a temperamental, if not moody, nature. A long time ago this stone had fallen out of the sky and since then lay buried in the bottom of the Great Rattle Snake Lake. Wenabozho, the Great Hare, straigtened his back, looked Stone Man straight in the eye, and said:

“Ningwi, my companion, you strike me as a mighty vain fellow who has not accomplished much in his life. Courage makes a man; it is not the richness of his garment, or the glitter of his weapons, or the eloquence of his words, that makes one a true man. Had you been a man of courage, you would carry the same amount of battle scars as I do. Instead, you waste my time trying to impress me with your jewelry and fancy bow and arrow that you carry around the way a gichi-gwanaaj-binesi (peacock) struts its tail feathers. You strike poses with a rather self-absorbed attitude, but your frivolous nature does not impress me nor do I think your spirit powers can rival mine. Life doesn’t consist of merriment alone. While I, Wenabozho, have challenged and used my warrior skills and magic powers to defeat many enemy warriors and monsters from the Underworld and from the cold north, you, niwiijikiwenh, have done nothing except showing off your weaponry and bragging about your big medicine. I therefore will not fight you. You are no match for me. Wa’aw mii’ow miinik waikidoo-an noongom. This is all I am going to say.”

Of course, Wenabozho’s words were like straight arrows, fast and penetrating the proud heart of the the tall and powerful warrior who came from the land of deserts and mountains to find the silver ore that lay buried in the depths of Gichi-Gami, the Great Sea of the Anishinaabe Peoples. Trembling with rage the stranger shouted at Wenabozho, “Aaniin danaa, what the heck! Name any warrior, and I will show you my strength. Name any danger and I will show you my courage. Name any spirit from the underworld or from the north country and I will show you my powerful Medicine. Name me any mighty adversary you can think of and I will kill them on the spot with my magic bow and arrow.”

“Aaw niwiijikiwenh ” Wenabozho responded. “No one has defeated the restless and moody Anang, who is a powerful and malicious spirit living at the bottom of this here lake. I can certainly handle him; but I would like to see what you can do with your bow and arrow. Aaniin igo, anyway, if you cannot defeat Anang with your weapon, hand it over to me and I shall do it for you!”

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>Click here to view details of the bracelet

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Part 6: The Magic Bow

Before Wenabozho could count to three, the battle between Stone Man and the Thunderbirds was over. The eyes of the animikii-binesiwag flickered off toward the heavens. Their voices faded. Wenabozho’s father rolled away the clouds and when Wenabozho peeked from his shelter in the fallen tree he noticed the lake was tranquil again and had regained its previous surface level. The stone named Anang, whose old battle spirit the Stone Man from Dinetah had conjured up by defying him with his arrows, had calmed down and sunk back to its abode on the bottom. Wenabozho looked about for Stone Man, and tayaa! Right where his antagonist had stood a few moments earlier shooting arrows in the lake, now sat a gichi-asin (big rock)! The rock had big cracks and was still smoldering from the searing fire from the sky.

Pieces of red-hot stone, which had been chipped off Stone Man’s petrified body, were flying like fireflies and still landing in the scorched-black grass in a wide circle around the rock!

Next to the smoking rock was the quiver the stranger from the south had carried on his back. It looked battered. Very quickly the Great Hare jumped out of the hollow tree and changed back to his human form and, heart throbbing in his throat, sped to the quiver; to his relief he found the beautiful silver bow and arrows to still be intact!

As he carefully took the shiny bow out of the dented quiver he saw from the corner of his eye that the cracks in the smoldering boulder were filled with the sky-blue stone that his grandmother had told him about and that he had seen the Stone Man from the south carry as adornments in his ears and strung around his neck and wrists. Since he, apart from being very cunning and resourceful, possessed great artistic skills (in fact he could be or do anything he wanted), Wenabozho took out a hard-bladed knife that he carried in his belt and expertly started cutting the blue stone out of the cracks in the scorched boulder. These nuggets he crafly fashioned into a set of earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace, which he then adorned himself with. Pleased with the result, Wenabozho picked up the bow and, deciding he should personalize his newly attained price, carved a stylized arrow flanked by arrow tips in it, which he then inlaid with pieces of the sky-blue stone. The arrow he gave two tips that pointed into opposite directions, symbolizing his man-spirit nature. As he looked at the result and, being mighty cheerful now, he started to sing to the bow and said, ambe! Anishinaabewishimon! (Come on! Dance Native style!). The bow here upon started to dance in front of Wenabozho’s eyes, who began to coo like an abinoojiins (baby)! After playing a while with his new weapon the Great Hare regained his serious demeanor and he started to evaluate the spring of the bow, and when he noticed it pulled finely, do some target practice on the kettle-shaped rocks that lay around him. To his surprise, hoowah! the arrow points effortlessly penetrated the hard rocks, silent witnesses of the once mighty warrior whom Ookomisan had put on his path…

Of course, Wenabozho being Wenabozho, he wouldn’t be himself if he heeded Ookomisan’s warning…

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Wenabozho and the Creation of the Path of Souls © 2012-2023 Zhaawano Giizhik

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Part 7: Grandfather Turtle and the Creation of the Milky Way

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Wenabozho Flies with the Geese ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik

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Part 8: The Goose Hunt

Mighty pleased with himself, Wenabozho, the Great Creator, commenced his journey back to the shore of the big lake of the Anishinaabeg Peoples where Ookomisan, his grandmother, lived. Being true to his playful and adventurous nature, however, he took his time and ample of detours. From lake to lake, down rushing rivers, across hills and mountains and forests thick and thin, past cascades, and across the swampy marshlands he traveled. In the daytime, after drawing his jimaan up on the beach of lakes and rivers where he decided to stay overnight, or sometimes for a couple of days, he played with his silver-and-turquoise bow and used for target practice the countless fish in the waters and birds in the sky and at night he shot at the stars that now illuminated the once so dark night sky. In order to replenish his supply of arrows he looked for the strongest cedar trees whose wood he then expertly crafted into arrow shafts, which he then tipped with chipped points made of the blue stone that he carried with him, and fletched with sections of eagle feathers that he found on the beach. Some arrows he provided with a blunted end which he used for hunting birds and small game.

Then, one day, after many suns of travelling and many night-suns of shooting at the stars, Wenabozho paddled his canoe along the shore of the lake, toward the western end where the lake narrows at the approach to Gichi-gami, the Great Lake. He decided to spend the night on the north shore of Ishkonigan-minis (Sugar Island), which is not far from the rapids and cascades of Baawiting (the place of the rapids on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula).

The travelling and star-shooting had made the Great Hare hungry, and since he had a big appetite and didn’t feel like spending too much of his precious arrows on small game, he pondered ways to fill his empty stomach with the least possible effort.

Suddenly, he heard a great commotion overhead! He looked up and saw a flock of ikakoog (geese), wheeling overhead preparing to land on the bay in order to replenish their reserves before continuing on their journey south. With a great flurry and folding of wings the waterbirds landed on the water! Wenabozho, hurrying to the shore, felt his mouth watering at the thought of sinking his teeth in that delicious bird meat. He was so hungry that he could eat at least 30 ikakoog!

Realizing that if he dashed among them he would catch only one or two, he had tot think of a scheme to capture as many ikagoog as possible. Quietly, not letting the ikagoog out of his eyesight, Wenabozho went back into the forest. Here, he sought out a tall giizhik (cedar) and he peeled off strips of its bark. This he used to make a long rope. Then he slowly walked back to the shore and, after he laid down the quiver with bow and arrows on the beach, he slipped quietly into the water, being careful not to disturb the weary ikagoog. Quietly, he started to swim underwater toward the birds and once he was under them he carefully tied their legs together with his cedar rope. He made sure he tied each ikagoo to the next one, hoping he could pull them up all at once and drag the whole flock to the shore.

Initially, Wenabozho carried out his plan so cunningly and swiftly that the geese did not notice what he was doing. But, gichi-wiiyagaaj, bummer! Wenabozho wouldn’t be Wenabozho if his legendary greed didn’t get the best of him! True to his nature he just couldn’t be happy with a two or three geese! Of course he had to to tie up the whole flock of ikagoog!

Even supernatural heroes need to breathe once in a while, so moments before he had finished his job, he had to come up for air. This made such a loud whoosh that the ikagoog became alarmed! The ogimaa (leader) of the flock, whose legs happened to be tied to the middle of Wenabozho’s rope, was the first to fly up and before Wenabozho could blink his eyes twice, the rest of the flock followed, and because they were tied togeher, oonyooy! they formed a V, and poor Wenabozho found himself dangling at one end!

Wenabozho, panicking, shouted Aieeeeeeeee! Niisnishing! Niisnishing daga! let me down! let me down please! but his shouting only made the geese beat the air more desperately with their strong wings. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation he had gotten himself in, Wenabozho let go of the rope when the ikagoog flew over a stretch of soft, swampy ground. With a loud thud he landed in a bed of oozing mud while the ikagoog continued on their way – as far away from their tormentor as possible.

Wild geese have been flying in a V formation ever since, as you can see if you look up into the autumn sky when they go calling past. And when you listen carefully you will hear a note of laughter in their cries as they mock Wenabozho for his foolish attempt to deceive them...[11]

[11] Nanabozho and the Wild Geese

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Wenabozho and the Giant Moose from the Sky ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik

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Part 9: The Moose Hunt

Muddy, frustrated, and hungry, and also realizing that maybe one or two geese – instead of a whole bunch of them, let alone a complete flock - had been sufficient for him to feast on, Wenabozho picked up his bow and arrows where he had left them and decided to walk back into the island’s thick forest of cedars and pine to look for a deer, elk, or moose. After an hour walk, dusk had already settled in and the moon and the stars were out, he came to a big clearing. In the Fall sky the shape of a moose appeared, shining down on the hungry Wenabozho full strength. It was the biggest ayaabe (bull) he had ever seen in his entire life! Without thinking twice and with lightning speed Wenabozho shot an arrow into the direction of the moose. The moose,  head down, descended with the speed of a falling star, which led Wenabozho to think he was mortally wounded. But the Mishi-ishpiming-mooz (Big Sky Moose), somehow managed to adjust his freefall to correct his descent! Hovering above the treetops, his mighty antlers cast a giant shadow over the forest clearing where Wenabozho stood. Next, something happened that surpassed all logic!

Wenabozho, who despite his unfortunate adventure with the geese still had some of his magical powers intact, jumped up into the sky, far enough to stand face to face with the moose. Dancing above the treetops, his bow in one hand and three arrows in the other, the light of the moon disclosed to him the reason why the moose had not crashed to the ground. The arrow stuck in his flank, and a tiny stream of blood oozing from the wound indicated that the sky buck was only superficially wounded. With bewildered eyes, wondering what had hit him, Mishi-mooz looked at the strange fellow dancing in front of him, but his small brain could not grasp the meaning of what had happened, let alone what was going on in front of him. Then, his anger steaming from his nostrils, he said to himself: moowich! shit! I do not know what caused me to lose my balance up there, but I do know this: There’s that son of a gun Mishaabooz, covered in mud! I suppose I ought to make tracks, back into the sky, or that sly two-legged bully of a hare is going to talk to me! I have enough problems of my own, and he is the last person I want to speak to! Hereupon Michi-mooz started ascending back to where he came from, and not without reason, because sure enough Wenabozho - who had already forgotten about the painful lesson the ikagoog had taught him - called out to him, “Ah niikaan ayaabe, oh brother bull, hold up for a minute before you head back, I want to have a little chat with you!”

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Mishi-mooz, being the decent and kind-hearted soul he was, stopped right where he was, and as soon as Wenabozho, still dancing his silly dance, caught up with him he said, “How come you’re always trying to avoid me niijii? Don’t you ever want to talk to me? Are you scared of me? Am I not to be trusted?” Mishi-mooz, who didn’t trust Wenabozho one bit but was too polite to say it straight to his face, held his breath and said nothing. Then Wenabozho, pretending he was out of breath, said, “tayaa! oh boy! You should have seen the place where I just came from! There’s crazy folks with bows and arrows shooting stars out of the sky! It’s just too terrible for words what I just experienced.” And as he was talking, Wenabozho strung three arrows into his bow, and swinging his bow up and down and around from left to right and from right to left he said, “Those folks are aiming over this way! And they’re aiming over that way!” Suddenly he aimed one arrow right at the big ayaabe, and before the surprised colossus could jump away, Wenabozho shot him, straight into his heart. Within an eye-blink his heart was pierced by three arrows! The moose dropped down, and as his heavy body thumped on the earth, his last thoughts were, “sha naa, dammit! I knew I shouldn’t have trusted that giiminijaagan (bastard) Mishaabooz!"

The Great Hunter Wenabozho had deceived and killed the big sky moose! He was so mighty pleased about himself and his great hunting skills! He congratulated himself for being so clever and said, “Hoowaah! I’m going have plenty to eat for a while and I can save my precious arrows for some more target-shooting at the stars!” But of course, being Wenabozho, he wanted to eat as much of the great heap of food that was in front of him right then and there! So, without much further ado our hero took out his knife and started to cut up the mishi-ayaabe that had fallen out of the sky.

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Wenabozho's Thanksgiving ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik. Visit the webshop to view details of the print.

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Part 10: The Offering

Being an expert hunter, he first looked for a big sheet of wiigwaas (birch bark) which he then put down on the ground. Then he cut up all the various parts of mooz and spread the chunks of moozowiiyaas (meat) on the birch bark. Next, he started a fire. He made a spit out of a slender tree branch, stuck it through a big prime chunk of meat and placed the meat over the red-hot fire. Next, he hung a wiigwaasi-makak (birchbark cooking pot) filled with meat over the fire, ready to simmer for the rest of the day. The fat he had cut off the meat he strung up in the lower branches of a nearby zhingob (spruce tree). 

Wenabozho, the Great Hunter, worked up quite an appetite! He could hardly wait for that nice steak to get done on the fire!  Finally, it was smelling good, and his stomach was rumbling away. “Wiishtaa taa haa! I can’t wait!” he said to himself. When it was done, he took the meat off the spit and, his mouth watering, sat down to have himself a real nice meal! But then, ay ay ay, alas! As he was just ready to chomp into his first bite, a stinge of remorse cut through his heart like an arrow. He suddenly realized that the mooz he was about to eat was truly no ordinary mooz! He, Wenabozho, the great creator of the star trail called River of Souls, had robbed the autumn night sky from one of its shiny beacons – the Mooz constellation! Instead of using his hunter skills and exploring the bush to look for a terrestrial moose, he had been so lazy and careless to shoot an easy target out of the sky…now, despite his appetite, he feared for the consequences of his impulsive deed…what will Nooko say when she finds out?Wenabozho, the Great Hunter, worked up quite an appetite! He could hardly wait for that nice steak to get done on the fire!  Finally, it was smelling good, and his stomach was rumbling away. “Wiishtaa taa haa! I can’t wait!” he said to himself. When it was done, he took the meat off the spit and, his mouth watering, sat down to have himself a real nice meal! But then, ay ay ay, alas! As he was just ready to chomp into his first bite, a stinge of remorse cut through his heart like an arrow. He suddenly realized that the mooz he was about to eat was truly no ordinary mooz! He, Wenabozho, the great creator of the star trail called River of Souls, had robbed the autumn night sky from one of its shiny beacons – the Mooz constellation! Instead of using his hunter skills and exploring the bush to look for a terrestrial moose, he had been so lazy and careless to shoot an easy target out of the sky…now, despite his appetite, he feared for the consequences of his impulsive deed…what will Nooko say when she finds out?

In a pensive mood and intent on easing his guilt, Wenabozho, as he muttered to himself “Hoowaah! Instead of eating the mooz I am eaten up with the guilt,” took his opwaagan (pipe) out of his gashkobidaagan (pipe bag) and lit it. He remembered something Ookomisan had told him about smoking the pipe and sending good thoughts out there. “When you puff smoke to all directions, noozis,” she had told him, “make sure to send good thoughts along with the smoke, and with a little luck they will become stars. This way, each time you look up in the night sky, your thoughts will not just be tiny meaningless lights, but guides that will travel with you as long as you walk the earth.” Wenabozho smiled, thinking back to Grandmother’s wise words, and thought by himself, “What if my thoughts turn into stars? What if I were able to return the spirit of the Mooz to his moozomii (trail) in the night sky? As soon as night falls, I will search the sky for the thirteen stars that make up the Mooz constellation!" 

Wenabozho sat down and smoked and allowed good thoughts to rise with the smoke of his pipe. With the speed of running hares his prayers traveled to the four corners of the earth and the sky world! Next, as an apology to the spirit of the mooz, he walked toward the moose's head that lay nearby in the grass and carefully blew puffs of smoke in his moozoshkiin (nostrils). Next, he hung the giant moose's head, to which he had tied two eagle feathers, from the strongest branch of the thickest mitigomizh (oak) he could find.

Feeling much better about himself, Wenabozho walked back to the cooking area and laid aside his opwaagan. Then, just as he was finally about to take a bite of the juicy meat, again a thought flashed through his brain. He suddenly remembered another lesson Ookomisan had taught him! “Whenever you hunt and shoot Gidinawemaaganinaan Mooz (Our Relative the Moose), never forget, after you cut him up, to hanghis omoodayaan(beard or "bell") from a tree! This way, you pay respect to the spirit of the mooz and, at the same time, acknowledge the presence of the mooz in the sky lodge! Always remember, noozis, as it is below, it is above, so always acknowledge and honor the ways things and beings of the above and below worlds are connected! Hanging the omoodayaan from a tree branch reflects how the stars hang from the sky vault, attached with invisible strings to the Great Mystery of the Universe that sits on top of the sky lodge…”

Sighing, cursing the fact that Grandmother’s wise lessons had a way of ruining his appetite, Wenabozho again laid aside the mouthwatering piece of moose meat and, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to appease the spirit of the mooz by a food offer,sliced off a little bit of fatty tenderloin. Next, hewalked back to the mooz's head and cut off the omoodayaan, after which he walked to the zhingob tree where he had hung all the moose fat. Figuring that the higher he placed the offerings, the closer they would be to the star world, he slung his bow over his shoulder and started to climb up into the tree - which wasn’t an easy task since he had to skip the lower branches, which sagged under the weight of the moose fat! Way up in the upper branches of the tree he climbed! As he placed the offerings where he thought they were closest to the stars, he said, “Haw dash, niin ishpiming inawemaagan! Owe miijin.” (“Well now, my sky relative! This you must eat!”) 

Of course, as he was putting down the food and tying the moose bell to the branch, a big gust of wind came up and moved the tree with such force that he lost his balance! Even the fat that he had put in the lower branches dropped to the ground! As he fell, just before he hit the ground, his bow that he carried on his back got stuck between the lower branches and he found himself helplessly dangling from the tree, his feet unable to touch the ground! Try as he might, his bow was seriously stuck and there was no way he could free himself! All he could do now was wait until the wind was going to come up again and make the branches let go of his bow…

He hung there for a great while, and as he was hanging up there, swinging back and forth in the wind, meanwhile repenting his sins while his tummy made terrible grunting noises, he noticed to his dismay that the smell from the moose meat that he had cooked and put out had attracted all kinds of awesiinhyag (animals) to his camp! All that poor Wenabozho could do was look down from where he was hanging and watch all the ma’iinganag (wolves), gwiingwa’aageg (wolverines), ojiigag (fishers), waabizheshiwag (martens), and waagoshag (foxes)  – enh, even the waawaabiganoojiinyag and enigoog (mice and ants) - feast on the meat he had prepared and arrayed with such great care! Atayaa! As they feasted, he yelled at them and cursed and threatened them, but to no avail! The awesiihnyag laughed at poor Wenabozho! So many times he had played tricks on them, but this time the joke was on him! So, they had a good feast and teased him, and said “Giga-waabamin Mishaabooz! See you later Great Hare!”

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Wenabozho and the Moose Head ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik

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Part 11: The Little Mouse

When the wolves, wolverines, fishers, martens, and foxes were long gone and only a handful of mice toddled around the camp searching for left-overs, the wind came up again. Wenabozho’s bow was released from between the entangled mass of branches, and he finally managed to free himself from his tight spot. As he walked around the tree, he noticed to his horror that the fire had died down and everywhere he looked were moozoganan (moose bones), picked clean by the animals. Even the moozaanow (tail) was gone! All that was left was mishi-mooz’s head hanging from the mitigomizh tree branch!

Trembling Tail looked at the big head dangling from the tree branch and he was so starved by then that he could eat just about anything! So he took it down and started to gnaw on the ojaash (nose) of the big head. Ay ay ay that wasn’t very good unless he cooked it, but he was too hungry to even bother rekindling the campfire! Then, he turned the moose head around, and he looked inside of there. It was too dark to see but he figured that there must be some nice-looking brains still way in there inside the moose head! And he said to himself, “Tayaa, oh boy! How would I love to set my teeth in those juicy moose brains!”

And he tried to stick his hand in there, but the head was too big and his fingers wouldn’t reach it. He tried sticking his tongue in there as far as he could - he just couldn’t reach those juicy brains that he knew were in there inside that moose head!  He said, “Sha naa! How am I going to get those out of there?” Then, as he noticed the ookweg (maggots) had eaten away the moose’s eyes he took his bow and stuck it in one of the eye sockets, poking around in there hoping to winkle out those nice juicy brains. But oonyooy! Again, the bow got stuck! This time inside the big moose’s head! Wenabozho, patience not being his strong point, braced his foot on the moose’s head for support as he, grunting and sighing, tried to wrench it loose. He felt the bow slowly begin to give, but it was too slow to his taste, and, being hot-tempered as usual, and unaware of his muscle strength that was quite extraordinary, he started to wrench more forcefully, but then, tayaa! the bow – although it was very powerful and could bear a great burden - broke in two pieces and poor Wenabozho fell backwards, iyoo! flat on odiy (his butt)!

For a while he sat there, dazed and confused, looking at his broken bow, and it slowly dawned on him that his magic bow that he had obtained from the tall stranger from the South was damaged beyond repair…tayaa, what will nookomis say? he thought to himself. “If you can make the gichi-ogimaa from the South hand over the magic bow to you, you will be forever successful in the hunt and invincible against the dreaded Wiindigoo and the Underwater Beings,” she had told him… Maybe I best not tell her about the bow, he said to himself…

Then he noticed his growling stomach, and he thought to himself, “the day is almost over, I must find a way to get to those moose brains or I will starve and never see nookomis again.” More desperate than ever Wiinabozho, the Great Hunter, looked down and there he saw a waabiganoojiiyens,a little mouse, going along in the grass. "There is that Wenabozho," the mouse thought by himself, "he always thinks he's so clever! Wait, I will give him some more brains to chew on, heh heh."  

“Boozhoo niikaan” he said to the mice, “Hello cousin!” “Can you help me?” he said. “I need some help!”

The mouse stopped right where they were and, with his most innocent snout, glanced up to Wenabozho, who still sat there in the grass, looking desperate and defeated because the trauma he had just aquired (his magic silver-and-turquoise bow breaking in two pieces) made him feel powerless; it seemed as if his supernatural powers had left him just when it mattered the most! Ay ay ay! He could not even change himself into a hare anymore like he used to! Or into a little rabbit or mouse for that matter!

“Aaniish, well, I am just a waabiganoojiiyens, what am I supposed to do Mishaabooz? Gaawiin geget! I can’t help you! You know I'm too small!” the cunning little mouse said. Wenabozho, true to his manipulative nature, responded, “Geget niikaan, gidaa-gashkitoonaawaa na gaye niin i’iw ji-iniginiyaan eyaniginiyeg? You have some magic you can do cousin! Surely you can make me small like you are?” And the mouse said, “Aa, gaawiin geget! I don’t think so! Ozaam gi-mindid Mishaabooz, you are just too big, Great Hare; I could never make you as small as I am!” But the mighty hunter and warrior Wenabozho, who was known all over Turtle Island to have battled and defeated many powerful enemies and monsters that dwelled in, on, above, and underneath the earth and the lakes, said in his most whiny voice, “Aa, daga, daga! Oh, please, please! I’ll do anything! Please help me to get into the head of the moose!”

Waawaabiganoojiinh, the little mouse, feigned to pity the great Wenabozho and he said, “Ahaaw isa, all right then. I will use our mouse magic and make you small enough to be able to climb into the moose's head; maybe then you would be able to reach those brains! Aaniin igo! However! You have to remember that you can’t climb too far in that skull or move around too much in there or else the spell is going to be broken!” “Geget, geget, booshke giin! Yeah, yeah, whatever! Whatever it takes!” said Wenabozho, who now grew really impatient. The little waawaabigonoojiih, who had positioned himself on top of the moose's head then worked his magic and shrunk Wenabozho to the size of an enigoo (ant) ..He then climbed into the opening in the bottom of the skull. He climbed it in there as far as it would go and the little mouse warned him once again, “Bekaa go wiisinin, make sure to eat slowly.”

Wenabozho tried to get in the moose head as far as he could, stretching his neck to reach the brains. “Gego ombikweniken,” he heard the mouse saying, “Do not lift your head!” But of course, Wenabozho would not be Wenabozho if he had heeded Waawaabiganoojiinh’s warnings, and being greedy as usual, he lifted his head too high in his attempt to reach those juicy moose brains. And all of a sudden, he sensed that the moose head was shrinking rapidly. The mouse used his magic to shrink the size of the big moose's head to that of a regular mooz! Panicking, Wenabozho moved backward in an attempt to prevent from getting stuck in that dark hole of a moose head! He managed to wrestle and wiggle his body back through the opening but, tayaa! Wenabozho’s head remained stuck fast inside of the moose head! Try as he might, his big head was seriously stuck and there was no way he could free himself!

Trembling Tail, now panicking, got up off the ground as fast as he could, and he lifted the moose head up! That made the Waawaabiganoojiinh giggle, it was truly an odd sight to behold! Wenabozho, not knowing where he was going, tried hard to keep the moose head from falling over; then, as he was stumbling around like a headless chicken (or rather, a mooseheaded demi-spirit), bang! He ran into something.

“Awenen giin?”  he spoke. “Who are you?” To this he was answered, “Always on the ridge do I stand.” “Aa,” Wenabozho said,”You must be Wiigwaas (birch tree).” “Giiyak’go!” answered the birch, “Niin wiigwaas sa.” A birch tree it was. And Wenabozho said, “A’aam zha, miigwech, okay, thanks.”  He stumbled along trying to keep up to the big heavy moose head, and bang! He ran into something else! He almost got knocked right over backwards! He got back up and said, “Awenen giin?”  And to this he was answered “Always on the hillside do I stand.”  And Wenabozho said, “Aa! You must be Zhingob (pine tree) then!” “Giiyak’go! That’s me, niin zhingob sa,” said the pine tree. “A’aam zha, a’aam zha, onjida,” mumbled Wenabozho, “okay, okay, thank you greatly.”

He stumbled on, and this time he felt like he was running down a hill. Faster and faster he went! He could hardly keep up with that heavy moose head, and then, bang! Once again, he hit something! This time he got knocked right over backwards! He almost got knocked right out! He said, “Aaniin danaa, awenen giin?? What the heck! Who are you??”  And to this he was answered, “Always by the water do I stand.” “Oh well you must be Maanazaadi (balsam poplar) then”, said Wenabozho.” “Giiyak’go! That’s me, niin azaadi sa,” replied the poplar tree. “Mii sa besho jiigibiig indayaamidog,” answered Wenabozho, “Then close to the edge of a stream or lake must I be.” “Enh geget sa go noozis” replied the poplar, “Certainly so, my grandchild.” “Miigwech nimishoomis, thank you my grandfather,” Wenabozho said, “Nimaamendam, excuse me, but I must keep going.”

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Nandoomoozwewin ("The Moose Hunt") ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik. Visit the webshop for details.

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Part 12: The Moose Sturgeon

By now Wenabozho realized he was going out into the water of the bay, and not only that, but he was going deeper and deeper! As he was desperately swimming and paddling to keep the moose head up and keep from falling over, he heard somebody calling from a distance away. It happened to be that on that day, some giigoonyikewininiwag (fishermen) armed with spears headed out into the lake into their canoes to hunt for Na-me (sturgeon).

“Ha!” Wenabozho heard them shout, “Nashke gosha ezhinaagozid wa’aw name. Wadakani’ind igo moozong ezhinaagozinid wadakani! Hey! Look at how this sturgeon looks! He has horns like a moose, he has horns like him!” Wenabozho heard the fishermen come closer and he tried to paddle and swim as far and fast as he could away from the approaching canoes, and then one of the giigoonyikewininiwag shouted,“Let’s go get him!” And before he knew it, they speared him! A big spear almost penetrated the moose’s head! Ay ay ay!

Now, all the giigoonyikewininiwag in their canoes surrounded poor Wenabozho, and they said, “Hoowah! It really does have horns! So this adizookanaa giigoonh, this magic fish spirit is a manidooname (sacred sturgeon)! We’d better let him go his way!”

Then the men smoked and put asemaa (tobacco) on the water. After they smoked, they went their separate ways, leaving Wenabozho, who kept his breath and tried to move as little as possible until the gogoonyikewininiwag were out of sight. Then, when he thought he was safe, he swam and paddled on, hoping he could make it to the other side of the lake.

As he was floundering along, ay ay ay! He noticed that another group of Anishinaabeg, who were out hunting moose, approached him in their canoes, and he heard them say, “Hey look at that mishi-mooz out there on the water! Someone threw a spear in its head! Let’s go get him! Tayaa! We’re going to have some mino-moozowiiyaas to eat today! Tayaa!”

Quickly Wenabozho turned about and swam for his life, back into the direction of the island, and just when he thought he couldn’t go any further, he felt ground under his feet. Out of breath he stumbled onto the island shore. The nandomoozwewininiwag (moose hunters) who had chased him in their canoes saw to their amusement the moose head housed no one else than Wenabozho, their beloved spirit hero! The nandomoozwewininiwag cheered at Wenabozho and they had a big laugh! But Wenabozho, the Great Hare and hero of the Anishinaabeg Peoples, he kept on running, but gichi-wiiyaagaaj! He slipped on some slippery rocks! He fell, and the moose head hit a big rock and split right open! Finally, he could see again!

Wenabozho, who never before in his life had been so tired and humiliated, as he stumbled ahead on the shore, started to laugh! He said, Waahowaa! We’re going to have some mino-moozowiiyaas (good moose meat) today! – Ishte! Gaawiin ningodano Wenabozh – Aha! I don’t think so Wenabozho! Ay ay ay! Nibagandiz! I am a stupid! What will Nookomis say! Ay ay ay!  What will Nookomis say!

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Wenabozho and the Bear ©2023 Zhaawano Giizhik

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Part 13: The Angry Bear

And as he was running, he shapeshifted himself into a big hare so he could run even faster. He ran right through shrubs and bushes that lined the river and he was in such a hurry to return to Nookomis’ camp that he didn’t notice a big makade-noozhek (black female bear) that was squatting down in a field of waabigwaniin (flowers) and miinagaawanzhiig (blueberry bushes), eating berries. When he bumped into something soft and furry it was too late…the bear, annoyed at the disturbance, the moment she realized it was Wenabozho who had run into her, remembered how the Great Hare had once, rather discourteously, roused her from her winter sleep and whacked her nose, now grew really angry at the unpleasant memory. Growling with anger she began to chase Wenabozho as fast as her bulk permitted! But Wenabozho would not be Wenabozho if he didn’t take advantage of the situation at hand (after all, he was still mighty hungry, and those juicy berries were within reach)! With his mouth full of miinan, flowers and butterflies flying around everywhere, and the angry makade-makwa (black bear) close behind him, the Great Hare, his nose quivering and his long ears flying, raced along the bank of the river in the direction of the Great Lake whose water he saw shimmering in the distance. After he had, hastily, swallowed most of the berries, he quickly grabbed a handful of stones and threw them out into the water of Gichi-gami. Using the little magic power he had left, he made the stones grow larger and before his eyes they multiplied and turned into a long bridge of stepping stones across the great lake!

Quickly Wenabozho skipped to the other side and once he was sure he had left the angry makade-makwa behind him, Wenabozho sighed with relief at the narrow escape. Of course, Wenabozho being Wenabozho, he was mighty pleased with his own cunning tricks - but still he kept on running; he ran and he ran and ran, exclaiming, Ay ay ay! Nibagandiz! I am an idiot! I wish I had my magic bow! What will Nookomis say! Ay ay ay! What will Nookomis say! until he finally reached Ookomisan’s camp…

Mii sa ekoozid. Miigwech gibizindaw noongom mii dash gidibaajimotoon wa’aw aadizookaan. And that is the end of the story. Thank you for listening to me today, for allowing me to relate to you this traditional tale. Giga-waabamin wayiiba, I hope to see you again soon.

Mino bimaadizin! Live well! Migwechewendan akina gegoo ahaw! Be thankful for everything!

> Read part 5 in the series

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Migizi, Migizi
Ninzhiibendam
Nasawaabide’igong
Gi-ga waabandan zaaga’igan.

(The eagle, the eagle
Patient like him.
From the forks on high
You will perceive a lake.)

- Ojibwe Medicine song for good hunting¹

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Flight of the white-headed eagle 

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Today, I am pleased to present part 15 of a blog series connecting my jewelry and graphic art as well as artwork by kindred artists with the Seven Grandfather teachings of the Ojibwe Anishinaabe People. 

These Grandfather Teachings, kept safe for thousands of years by countless generations of Medicine People of the Anishinaabe Peoples, are passed down orally and from the sacred birch bark scrolls that still exist today.

Today's blog story features a drawing, titled "A Prayer for Life," and two ring sets created at my workbench.

Migizi, the Bald Eagle, symbolizes in our culture virtues like courage and pre-knowledge and is therefore emblematic of leadership. The Anishinaabeg regard Migizi as gimishoomisinaan (our Grandfather), and a special messenger of GICHI MANIDOO, the Supreme Spirit Being of the Universe. His sacred feathers, which are animated by his vision, strength, and courage, have always been used as offerings and as decorations for ceremonial costumes and regalia. To be given an Eagle feather is one of the greatest honors to receive because it recognizes achievement and great acts or deeds.

 

According to Anishinaabe tradition, Gimishoomisinaan Migizi (Our Grandfather the Bald Eagle) was a long time ago chosen by GICHI-MANIDOO (the Great Mystery) to represent the Teaching of Zaagi’idiwin (Love).

 

The reason for this is that Migizi flies high above the earth and sees all that is true. Since he is closer to GICHI-MANIDOO than any other creature he was touched and even infused by GICHI-MANIDOO's love for all creatures. Our ancestors also understood that Love is the most elusive of all virtues...no other creature is so elusive as this mighty spirit-bird, and love has the same light and airy nature as his feathers...

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Ingii-bawaadaan

Babaamaashiyaan

Dibishkoo migizi

Giizhigong.

I dreamed

I was soaring around

Like an eagle

In the sky.

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Spirit flight, quest for a life-guiding vision

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GICHI-MANIDOO, after creating Aki, the World, spoke about the importance of mino-bimaadiziwin; living a life according to the Seven Grandfather Teachings.

Gimishoomisinaan Migizi became inspired and told Great Mystery that he, since his feathers symbolized the intermediate region between things of the spirit world and the earth, would like his feather to be gifted to the Anishinaabe person who’s the most brave and guided the most by the Teachings.

Migizi’s generous offer prompted GICHI-MANIDOO thereupon to tell the Anishinaabeg of the Teachings of the Feather. It (GICHI-MANIDOO) instructed the Elders of the Nation about the power of spirit flight and the importance of young adolescents engaging in what would become the most vital of human ventures: waaseyaabindam, the quest for life-guiding visions – particularly during the passage from boyhood into manhood. It (GICHI-MANIDOO) also instructed them that no Eagle be harmed for their feathers, which were manidoog (spirits) in themselves, and that whenever a person saw an Eagle fly overhead, this mighty spirit bird must be honored with tobacco. GICHI-MANIDOO added that any person, no matter what gender or age, living their life according to the Seven Teachings would be gifted with a feather….

As the eagle is anami’ewin mizhinawe, a prayer carrier of messages and giving thanks, healers who belong to the Medicine Lodges of the Anishinaabeg Peoples sometimes envision themselves turning into eagles as they pray for another person and to GICHI-MANIDOO, the Great Mystery, asking the eagle to carry the sickness up to GICHI-MANIDOO in order to heal the patient.

So highly esteemed were its spiritual powers that in the old days, an Anishinaabe person would never gaze up to a flying eagle without offering a prayer with asemaa (the sacred tobacco) in hand!

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The inlaid, respectively appliqued, wing feathers of the above sets of silver wedding rings, which I titled Waaseyaabindamowin Miigwan (Vision Feather) and Manidoo Waabiwin (Seeing in a Spirit Way, literally: spirit-seeing), symbolize manidoo (spirit), reminding the wearers of the rings that eagle feathers, regardless if they are from the bald eagle or the golden eagle, have the power to convey human thoughts and feelings and provide persons with an opportuni­ty to speak directly to the spirits out there with debwewin (a straight mind) and bekide'ewin (a pure heart). 

The marquise-cut, sparkling blue sapphire adorning the feather of the Manidoo Waabiwin ladies' ring represents the eagle's vision, emphasizing that he flies high above the earth and sees all that is sacred and true.

 

Click here to view details of the Waaseyaabindamowin Miigwan ring set.

Click here to view details of the Manidoo Waabiwin ring set.

So the story goes...

Giiwenh. So the story goes about the symbolic meaning of the eagle feather. and the phenomenon of ‘‘spirit flight.’’ Miigwech gibizindaw noongom mii dash gidaadizookoon. Thank you for listening to me today. Giga-waabamin wayiiba, I hope to see you again soon.

Click here to read the first story in the Teachings of the Eagle Feather series, which centers around a set of wedding rings titled ‘‘Growth is a Mystery.’’

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¹ Source: Basil Johnston, Ojibway Ceremonies, p. 105

Images: 

Wedding ring photos by Zhaawano Giizhik.

Illustration"A Prayer for Life (Spirit Flight)" by Zhaawano Giizhik © 2022 Zhaawano Giizhik. See the webshop for ordering details of the print.

Video editing by ᔦᐊᒪᑌᑕ ᐊᒪᐱᒣ ᑫᓴᐊᓇᒋᓴᒣ (Makade Migizi/Bryce Morison).

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About the author and his sources of inspiration:

My name is Zhaawano Giizhik. My clan is waabizheshi, the marten.

As an American artist and jewelry designer currently living in the Netherlands, I like to draw on the oral and pictorial traditions of my Ojibwe Anishinaabe ancestors from the American Great Lakes area. For this I call on my manidoo-minjimandamowin, or "Spirit Memory"; which means I try to remember the knowledge and the lessons of my ancestors.

The mazinaajimowinan or ‘‘pictorial spirit writings’’ - which are rich with symbolism and have been painted throughout history on rocks and etched on other sacred items such as copper and slate, birch bark and animal hide - were a form of spiritual as well as educational communication that gave structure and meaning to the cosmos.

Many of these sacred pictographs or petroforms – some of which are many, many  generations old - hide in sacred locations where the manidoog (spirits) reside, particularly in those mystic places near the coastline where the sky, the earth, the water, the underground and the underwater meet. It is these age-old expressions that provide an endless supply of story elements to my work; be it graphically, through my written stories, as well as in the context of my jewelry making.

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