Folklore & Religion
There are many facets to Ojibwe religion and folklore. There are even discrepancies within the Ojibwe about their beliefs; however, there are a few core components that most (if not all) Ojibwe commonly agree upon.
Folklore: The Main Players Nanabozho Nanabozho (also known as Nanabush, Nanabozo, Nanabojo, Winabozho, or Wenabozho) is the main character of many Ojibwe myths. He is the Culture Hero and Trickster, teaching and playing pranks on all the other characters. He takes on many forms, such as human, demigod, manito, wolf, hare, hero, trickster, and fool, sometimes changing form in the middle of a story. He can be smart or dumb, benevolent or malevolent, silly or cruel. He is also the model for many cultural values and norms, and is thought of as the one who is responsible for the way things are in the world. Nanabozho is credited for bringing fire to humans, and for teaching the Ojibwe dances, burials, ceremonies, and customs, as well as how to hunt, fish, and make snowshoes. He discovered wild rice and other types of food, and taught humans the secrets of medicine and disease. He is the creator of totems, the destroyer of witches and windigos (starvation spirits), and the ruler of the afterlife. He created the world in its current state, with two flat earths, separated above and below by water. The rest of the characters in Ojibwe myths, such as the Four Winds, the sun, the underwater manitos, and animals, are all in some way connected to Nanabozho. (Vecsey 84-96) The Manitos The Manitos are a sort of demigod in the Ojibwe system of beliefs. There are many types; some are friendly and some are malignant, but they all have power. Manitos were thought of as walking around the same earth as humans and as having the same interests and goals and humans, merely with much greater amounts of power. Ojibwes believed that they were the ultimate sources of hunting success (and therefore food); it was the manitos job to keep the Ojibwes well-fed and healthy. (Vecsey 72) Windigo The Windigo was a giant cannibal made of ice who symbolized winter and the starving time. The Windigo is referred to as one being, although there are also references to many windigos. When men and women could become possessed by windigos (which happened in times of starvation) they would begin to view fellow humans as beavers or potential food, and would develop an incurable craving for human flesh. When this happened, the community killed the possessed person, since they had ceased to be human. (Vecsey 77-78) ILLUSTRATION: MARY ANN CAIBAIOSAI Owners of Nature Aside from the manitos, every creature has an Owner, who is a sor tof protector figure. The most important Owners for the Ojibwe were Bear and Deer, as they were the most prominent sources of food. The Ojibwe believed that without assistance from the Owners, no animal could ever be caught. If an Owner were insulted, an Ojibwe would not be able to see, find, or kill any of that species. As a result, all kills were treated with the utmost respect, performing rituals in honor of the animal's death, and giving small offerings of tobacco as thanks to the Owner for allowing them the kill. Owners had influence in other realms of life as well: The Turtle was the Owner of the tent-shaking ceremony, and Nanabozho's grandmother was the Owner of herbal medicine. Natural features such as waterfalls and streams also had Owners. (Vecsey 76) Painting by Norval Morrisseau Totems Totems were the method of clan organization. Your totem was a part of your name and told you which clan you belonged to. There are seven main totems: Bear, Catfish, Crane, Loon, Turtle, Otter, and Marten. (Sometimes the bird changes, e.g. Kingfisher or Eagle.) Each totem is designated with a role within society. For example, the Bears were big, and therefore often warriors. Cranes were loud, and therefore leaders. (Vecsey 78) Flag courtesy of www.redlakenation.org |
Religious Beliefs Aside from the cultural behaviors dictated by myths and folklore, there were some core religious belief systems explaining their ethics, views on disease and sin, theories on life after death, belief in dual souls, and their strong connection to the environment through seasonal ceremonies.
Ethics "All objects have life, and life is synonomous with power, which may be directed for the [Ojibwe's] good or ill...Therefore the [Ojibwe] should treat everything he sees or touches with respect befitting a thing that has a soul and shadow not unlike his own." (Vecsey 62) General behavior was guided by belief in the power each being on earth, not just that of humans. Fear of manitos, witches, and spirits was a great governing force in how the Ojibwe interacted with their surrounding environment. The basic rule was, if you killed something you didn't need, the manitos or Owners would punish you (in some form or another...loss of hunting luck, disease, etc.) for your greediness. This fear also taught respect; if an Ojibwe did not dispose of the animal's remains in a properly respectful manner, they would be punished. The code of ethics was very strict concerning other animals and plants; without a code teaching temperance and respect, they would never have been able to survive in such a harsh environment. Disease & Sin For the Ojibwe, disease was a physical manifestation or punishment for sin and bad behavior. Interestingly enough, though, the time between the sin and the punishment was indeterminate, so you never knew which sin you were being punished for, or if indeed you would be punished at all. Disease was also explained by the lack of balance between humans and animals, caused by hunting. One myth explains that before humans started eating animals, there was no disease. Once they started, animals started killing each other as well, and so disease began. It is therefore a natural condition of the world, though no disease was considered normal. A third cause of injury or disease was through negative contact with manitos, sometimes resulting in soul-loss. The soul could be damaged by wandering away at night when an Ojibwe was dreaming; if it had negative experiences with a manito, witch, or dead spirit, the soul could be damaged. Someone's soul could also be dislodged from the body by external forces; the soul might also occasionally leave if the mental anguish of the person was too great for the soul to tolerate. The two great fears among the Ojibwe were that of starvation and sickness, and their beliefs regarding punishment of sin (generally regarding respect of life) reflected those fears. The Afterlife One reassuring belief among the Ojibwe is that nothing you do in this life will affect the quality of the afterlife. If you sin in this life, you'll only face consequences while you're still alive; there is no carry-over for bad behavior into the next life. When an Ojibwe died, they were buried with tobacco, food, and clothing for the next life. The journey into death took four days, during which the Ojibwe would have to demonstrate hunting and survival skills. If they made it all the way across, they found themselves in a happy place where the dead danced joyfully together, creating the northern lights. Practically everyone went to the same place when they died, humans and animals alike. When someone died, it was viewed as the ultimate separation of the souls from the body, and occasionally some souls stayed behind to interact with the living. Two Souls The Ojibwe believed that everything has two souls: a stationary soul that lives in the heart and stays with the body, and a travelling soul that lives in the head and could leave at will, going out to gather information. The travelling soul often ventured off at night during dreams, although it could also sometimes leave during the day. When the soul travelled, it could change shape and form, becoming other animals, plants, or other things (such as rocks and trees). Both souls and body made up an entire person; without all three, a person could not be fully himself. All other beings were viewed as having souls as well, therefore requiring the respect of the humans. Often, other beings were referred to as "brother" or "grandmother." "Animals in their present state possess their original soul and reasoning faculties, while they are deprived of speech, and...they will have a resurrection or second life as well as men." (Schoolcraft 1853-1857, vol. 3:520) Seasonal Ceremonies Throughout the couse of the year, there were certain seasonal occurrences that were celebrated. The main seasonal ceremonies were: the first maple sap run in early spring, the first appearance of each berry species through the summer, the wild rice harvest in the fall, and when the first animals were killed in late fall to prepare for the winter. Thanksgiving feasts occurred at each ceremony, where the Ojibwe would make offerings to the manito who helped them survive and flourish in the North Woods. (Vecsey) |
