12-13-02 @ 7:35 am EST

Some more articles on the Ojibwa, from a different site.

People of all nations in the world essentially have the same basic needs: food, protection, education, medicine and leadership. Traditionally, the Ojibway Clan System was created to provide leadership and to care for these needs. There were seven original clans and each clan was known by its animal emblem, or totem. The animal totem symbolized the strength and duties of the clan. The seven original clans were given a function to serve for their people.

The Crane and the Loon Clans were given the power of Chieftainship. By working together, these two clans gave the people a balanced government with each serving as a check on the other.

Between the two Chief Clans was the Fish Clan. The people of the Fish Clan were the teachers and scholars. They helped children develop skills and healthy spirits. They also drew on their knowledge to solve disputes between the leaders of the Crane and Loon Clans.

The Bear Clan members were the strong and steady police and legal guardians. Bear Clan members spent a lot of time patrolling the land surrounding the village, and in so doing, they learned which roots, bark, and plants could be used for medicines to treat the ailments of their people.

The people of the Hoof Clan were gentle, like the deer and moose or caribou for whom the clan is named. They cared for others by making sure the community had proper housing and recreation. The Hoof Clan people were the poets and pacifists avoiding all harsh words.

The people of the Martin Clan were hunters, food gathers and warriors of the Ojibway. Long ago, warriors fought to defend their village or hunting territory. They became known as master strategists in planning the defense of their people.

The Bird Clan represented the spiritual leaders of the people and gave the nation its vision of well-being and its highest development of the spirit. The people of the Bird Clan were said to possess the characteristics of the eagle, the head of their clan, in that they pursued the highest elevations of the mind just as the eagle pursues the highest elevations of the sky.

To meet all the needs of the nation, the clans worked together and cooperated to achieve their goals. The Clan System had built in equal justice, voice, law and order and it reinforced the teachings and principles of a sacred way of life. Today some people still follow their clan duties, but, for the most part, the original force and power of the Clan System has diminished to a degree of almost non-existence.

Resources

The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway Benton, Banai, Edward. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Indian Country Press, Inc. 1981

http://www.nald.ca/CLR/chikiken/page23.htm

There are many symbols, practices and customs, some of which are well-known to many people and some which are known only to a few. The following is a list with brief explanations about each. To achieve full understanding of some of these symbols and practices, one must personally experience them or be led to enlightenment through traditional teachings of an elder. The explanations for the items are therefore brief and are intended to provide a broad overview of things that may have different meanings to people of different cultural backgrounds.

Bear Claws are symbols that represent healing. The people who acquire these usually have to work hard for them. They also represent a medicine person as a helper in the healing process.

Elders are people recognized in a community as an 'elder'. These people are recognized as having experience in life and tend to be the more matured people who are held in high regard.

Fasting or Vision Quest is a ceremony in which a person would forego certain necessities in life, such as food, in search for answers to one's questions. The answers may appear to the person in a dream.

Feathers usually eagle feathers represent strength and courage and tend to be highly respected by those who understand the significance of this bird. To acquire a feather, people need to work hard for them.

Four Directions Teachings are Aboriginal teachings that represent traditional values, beliefs and ways of life.

Initiation is a ceremony in which people respond to a calling and are recognized in a form of 'rite of passage'.

Medicine Bundles include various articles that assist in the healing process.

Medicine Practices are various forms of healing that take place utilizing various herbal / root medicines and spiritual ceremony.

Medicine Men/Women are people who have learned to utilize various medicine practices.

Medicine Wheel is a way of presenting concepts about traditional teachings.

Metis Sash symbolizes togetherness, looking after each other, maintaining a nation and caring for one another.

Pow-Wows are primarily a form of entertainment, whereby people dance to the sound of a drum beat. For some people, pow-wows have a spiritual significance.

Shake - Tent is a ceremony in which people with questions of all sorts can receive answers.

Sunrise Ceremony is a gathering of people to greet the sun in the morning as it rises to begin a new day and to give thanks for another day of life.

Sweat Lodge is a place where people can participate in cleansing or healing ceremonies where water is poured on hot rocks to produce steam.

Sweetgrass is a medicine used for purification and represents kindness.

Talking, Sharing or Healing Circles are ceremonial gatherings where people come together for the purpose of talking, sharing or healing.

The Midewiwin (The Original Way) is a spiritual way of life in which Mide people aspire to live according to the original teachings.

Tobacco is a medicine used to communicate to the Spirit World. The smoke represents one's visible thoughts.

Source:

Communicating with Aboriginal People. Manitoba Civil Service Commission, c. 1989, 1993.

http://www.nald.ca/CLR/chikiken/page27.htm

You can find more articles...though oddly enough some seem to be English grammar lessons... o_O ...here:

http://www.nald.ca/CLR/chikiken/titleiii.htm