Anishinaabe traditional beliefs cover the traditional belief system of theAnishinaabeg peoples, consisting of theAlgonquin/Nipissing,Ojibwa/Chippewa/Saulteaux/Mississaugas,Odawa,Potawatomi andOji-Cree, located primarily in theGreat Lakes region ofNorth America.
The Anishinaabe have four different Medicine Societies.
TheMidewiwin (also spelledMidewin andMedewiwin) is theGrand Medicine Society of the indigenous groups of theMaritimes,New England andGreat Lakes regions in North America. Its practitioners are calledMidew and the practices ofMidewiwin referred to as theMide. TodayMidewiwin the society, aka "Little Shell", is not secretive spiritual way of practice, requiring an initiation, and then progressing to four (eight) levels of practitioners, called "degrees". Today, the Midewiwin as it once was (pre-colonial) is open to all ages. The Midewiwin practitioners had to go into deep hiding, as Christian church and federal police threatened to destroy and burn our ceremonial national spiritual treasures. The current national museums (Canada and USA) hold many of the Midewiwin ceremonial items. Primarily, the Midewiwin written ancient bark Scrolls. Spiritual persecution was rampant from early 1800's to 1970's. In some cases by our own peoples and federally reserve or reservation system councils.
TheWaabanowin (also spelledWabuowin,Wabunohwin andWabunohiwin) is theDawn Society, also sometime improperly called the "Magical Dawn Society". Its practitioners are calledWaabanow and the practices ofWaabanowin referred to as theWaabano. TheWabanowin are distinct society of visionaries. Like theMidewiwin, theWaabanowin is a secretiveanimistic religion, requiring an initiation. But unlike theMide, theWaabano have sometimes two levels and sometimes four, with this variation being dependent on the particular lodge. They were systematically imprisoned inmental hospitals by the United States government in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Because of this persecution theWaabanowin went underground and have just begun to reemerge since the passage of theAmerican Indian Religious Freedom Act. The ceremonies and traditions are closely guarded.
TheJiisakiiwin are also known as theShaking Tent or theJuggler's Tent. Among the Anishinaabeg, a particularly powerful and well-respected spiritual practice. Those who had trained from childhood are called aJaasakiid orJiisakiiwinini, also known as a "Juggler" or "Shaking-tent Seer."
According to the written (bark Scrolls) and oral history of the Anishinaabe, the origins of the migration was from shores of the "Great Salt Water". The migration was both spiritual and physical. According to numerous Anishinaabe scholars, the migration bought into the interior inland seas, a spiritual governing system. They were instructed by seven prophets to follow a sacredmiigis shell (whiteshell) toward the west, until they reached a place where food grew upon the water.[2] Current, Anishinaabe data suggests that the movement began much earlier - around 600 ad. They began their migration some time around 950,[3] stopping at various points several times along the way, Odanak near current Montreal; PQ; Niagara Falls; Waawayaatanong - Round Lake, (Lake St.clair); Manitoulin Island Ontario; And most significantly atBaawitigong,Sault Ste. Marie. According to written scroll records, the tail end of the migration while at the Soo, heard of the European arriving upon the Northern Shores (Cartier?).
Eventually,lands of Northwestern Ontario, Minnesota and Wisconsin (wild rice being the food that grew upon the water) and madeMooningwanekaaning minis (Madeline Island: 'Island of theyellow-shafted flicker') their new capital. The Governing Council continued until conscious decision to dismantle and hide, as the reservation (reserve) systems would greatly alter Anishinaabe life ways. In total, the migration took around ten centuries.[3]
Storytelling is one of the most important aspects of Anishinaabe life. Many Anishinaabe people believe that stories create worlds,[4] are an essential part of generational connection by way of teaching and listening,[5] and facilitate connection with the nonhuman, natural world.[6][7] Oral storytelling is often considered unimportant in settler colonial society; however, this form of communication, connection, and teaching has been used for centuries, and is still used to pass down Anishinaabe traditional beliefs through generations.[8]
Storytelling is often used to teach life lessons[9] relating to traditional and current beliefs. In Anishinaabe traditional stories, Nanabush, Amik (beaver), and Nokomis (grandmother figure) are important characters.[4] Anishinaabe stories feature activities and actions involving generation, an important concept among Anishinaabe peoples such as participating in ceremonies, experimenting with new ideas and people, and reflecting on the outcome of events.[10] Nanabush stories carry the message to young Indigenous peoples that it is okay to make mistakes, and that things are not always black and white.[11] This is different from many settler colonial narratives which usually clearly define story characters as good or bad.[12]
Amik (beaver) is a being in traditional Anishinaabe stories that creates shared worlds.[4] The stories of Amik’s creations and how Amik teaches their child about the world serves to provide a greater understanding of relationships and what is important in life. Nokomis (grandmother) is another being from Anishinaabe folklore. Nokomis and Nanabush stories are usually utilized to teach about important life lessons.[4]
Generational storytelling creates a bond between tribal elders and younger Indigenous people.[13] Elders are known as "knowledge keepers"[13] and are highly respected for their knowledge about stories, language, and history.[13] Teaching through storytelling and learning to listen and understand requires a strong connection between the storyteller and the ones hearing the story. In this way, storytelling connects generations of Anishinaabe people.
Nanabozho (also known by a variety of other names and spellings, includingWenabozho,Menabozho, andNanabush) is atrickster figure andculture hero who features as the protagonist of a cycle of stories that serve as theAnishinaabe origin belief. The cycle, which varies somewhat from community to community, tells the story of Nanabozho's conception, birth, and his ensuing adventures, which involve interactions withspirit and animal beings, the creation of the Earth, and the establishment of theMidewiwin. The myth cycle explains the origin of several traditions, includingmourning customs, beliefs about theafterlife, and the creation of the sacred plantasemaa (tobacco).
In Anishinaabe traditional belief, everything in the environment is interconnected and has important relationships with the things around it.[6] Non-humans, and ecosystems are viewed as having great worth and importance, in addition to humans.[4] One such relationship in Anishinaabe homeland (what is now known as the Great Lake region) is betweennmé (lake sturgeon),manoomin (wild rice),nibi (water), and humans.[6] Similar relationships are exemplified in stories. For example, in her bookA Short History of the Blockade, Leanne B. Simpson tells a story about Amik (beaver), stating "They [beavers] are consenting to giving up their bodies to help the Nishnaabeg feed their families."[4]
These relationships between humans and the other-than-human can continue to be used in current times with regard to conservation and the environment. According to Potawatomi scholarKyle Powys Whyte, "...indigenous conservationists and restorationists tend to focus on sustaining particular plants and animals whose lives are entangled locally—and often over many generations—in ecological, cultural and economic relationships with human societies and other nonhuman species."[6] Having an understanding of the relationships between humans and the other-than-human strengthens the desire to respect the environment and practice Nishnaabeg conservation.
The Seven Grandfather Teachings are traditional guiding principles for living a good life still in use by Anishnaabe peoples today. (They originate from the Potowatomi and Ojibwe tribes specifically.)[8] These teachings include wisdom, respect, love, honesty, humility, bravery, and truth, and are supposed to be practiced towards humans, the earth, and everything in the environment.[8] According to Leanne B. Simpson inA Short History of the Blockade, the Seven Grandfather Teachings were "...gifted to the Nishnaabeg by Seven Ancestors, a group of loving Elders and advisors that taught a young child these practices as recorded in one of our Sacred Stories." Each of the teachings has an animal that represents it.[4]