The Indian Languages website has a good portal to Ojibwe websites. It's a good starting place, and a good place to go back to if you want to find out more about the Chippewa or Anishinaabe people.
This YouTube video called "Ojibway Heartbeat" will help us get in the mood to learn more about the people. It combines pictures from a powwow, a social dancing event, with nature shots of northern Minnesota or Wisconsin to a sound track of pow wow drumming. In a few days, we'll read a story that involves Ojibwe drumming. So listen up!
The Mille Lacs Band of Minnesota has a website on Ojibwe culture with links to a variety of brief essays. They are excellent.
We'll start with one by Don Wedll, who is developing a 50-year plan for the Band that addresses education, housing, health care, and other needs, on "Ojibwe History – Why It Matters" ... it gives a very brief sketch of the Band's history. "History isn’t about a bunch of places, names and dates – it’s about people<" Wedil said. "People whose lives were shaped centuries ago by events, and people whose lives are being shaped today by the echoes of the same events." Another good starting point is an essay by Natalie Weyaus, an elder of the Mille Lacs Band, tells of "Growing up on the reservation" ... and the sense of community there. "When people talk about old times, they always talk about our families being poor," she said. "But we weren’t."
Elder Jim Clark tells a legend on the origin of drums in a skirmish between white soldiers and unarmed Ojibwe people. "The soldiers went to where the Anishinaabe were, and they saw this drumming and dancing and all these people having a good time. And the soldiers dropped their guns and went over there and joined the people." Upshot: The people will be safe from soldiers with guns as long as they have their drums.
Powwows. Lynelle Northbird, Mille Lacs Band member who has been dancing since she was a toddler and got her first eagle feather "because I don’t run around and raise hack, and [for] the respect that I show for my elders," tells about what it's like "On the powwow trail" ...
Also The Meaning of Powwows" by Amik (Larry Smallwood), an elder if the Mille Lacs Band. He says:
- "Big Drum Ceremonial powwows that are used to pray for life and goodness for all Anishinabe people ... held in the fall and spring, 26 weekends in all. This is where people bring their asaymah (tobacco), to offer prayers to the Creator for the goodness of their selves, their children and grandchildren.
- "Our Grand Hinckley celebration held yearly is a huge Competition powwow that attracts dancers and singers from all over the US and Canada. These dancers dance in certain categories such as jingle, fancy, traditional, grass, etc. ... Competition powwows need singing judges for the singing groups and dance judges (male and female) to judge the dancers. These judges are picked from the head judge from different areas such as different reservations and different states. To make sure everyone gets an equal chance at the prize money."
- A Mille Lacs Band "annual powwow held in August ... also referred to as a “Traditional powwow.” This is a powwow where all people are invited to com sing, dance and visit. The majority of the songs and dances are called intre-tribal and not restricted to a special dance category or age group. This is a good social inter-tribal dance celebration, with plenty of leisurely dancing for everyone to enjoy."
Intermission. Let's try to learn how to say "hello" in Ojibwe in this language instruction video. The Ojibwe or Anishinaabe people are making great efforts to revive their language. Listen carefully at the beginning and you'll hear them called "Anishinaabe" in their native language.
Finally, a powerful video called "Knowing the Ojibwe" combines footage from a pow wow on a Minnesota reservation with an interview with Richard Morrison, a pipe carrier or traditional spiritual leader. Technical quality isn't great, but what Morrison has to say is worth listening to. His traditional Native American religion was banned for a time during the 20th century, and parts of it are still not shared with outsiders. But he explains some of the ethical principles behind it in terms that are common to many of us. Watch for what he says at the end of his interveiw about what each of us can do in our own communities. Something to think about.
27 comments:
This video gives a brief glimpse of Anishinaabe culture by showing scenes from a powwow and an interview with religious leader Richard Morrison. What is your overall impression of it? Of the dancing and singing? Of Morrison's philosophy?
For the most part, I couldn't really relate to what he was saying except for the part where he talks about we can't change who we are because that is very true. We are who we are. We can try to change, but we can never change who we are.
1.What strikes you about him, what do you notice?
I noticed that he is very passionate about what he speaks of. He is very descriptive in the way he describes the North South East and West. He also states we are who we are and we can’t change that.
2.Agree or Disagree?
I agree with him when he says we are our environment. It is true if we don’t take care of what is around us then we will have nothing left. I also believe he is right in saying that we are who we are. We will always be our own person.
3. My impression of the singing and dancing is that it takes a certain person to be so comfortable with their culture and beliefs to do that. His view is opening and helped me see what their culture is about.
to me it seem like they enjoy what they are doing and dancing for them just like any other person is a form of art or a way for them to exspress themself.They have a different style that many people are not use to but they still find ways to get the message across
1. My overall impression is that Morrison is a very smart man who has his roots deeply ingrained in him. I like the story behind the directions, and how every tiny detail always seems to have a meaning or story behind it.
2. The dancing and singing is not bad, i think though that when i see one Native American dance, they all remind me of each other.
3. His philosophy is one that can be applied to the world outside of the reservations too. He says "where's the love?" It shows we need to remember that we're all together when it comes down to it.
I agree with Morrison on where is love. We live in a society full hate and racisim, that we only care about ourselves and no else. I really agrree on his philosophy about where is love? The singing and dancing brings everyone together and you can't find that in American society. Its amazing how everyone comes together and does not care what the person is wearing or he/she is like.
Everyhting coordinates east to west.
All societys and cultures refect and influnece one another in everyday life, the way you think about things, or how you see things.
Music, dance, and clothes are all very expressive having multiple meanings and purposes.
Who is the best person to please? the enviroment.
Whatever are incestors fights and battles its still present today, but were is the love? you can change and make a difference.
The only part of his interview i agree with, is the part that he says we cant change who we are. The rest however, i feel is not very applicable to the majority of the people. As for the people of that specific culture, it seemed as if they were doing what they loved, and no matter what negative attitudes are displayed toward them, they will continue to do this.
I really liked it when was commenting about where is the love? I wrote down that there is not enought love in this world today. There is not enought respect eather for each other as human beings and not enought respect for mother nature as well. I always love listening to differnt cultures kind of music. If it is from celtic to native american. when i hear music that is different i do not say i dont like it for giving it a chance to maybe understand where it comes from first. I think it would be cool to learn how to dance the different kind of dances like they do i think it would be fun.
I really liked it when was commenting about where is the love? I wrote down that there is not enought love in this world today. There is not enought respect eather for each other as human beings and not enought respect for mother nature as well. I always love listening to differnt cultures kind of music. If it is from celtic to native american. when i hear music that is different i do not say i dont like it for giving it a chance to maybe understand where it comes from first. I think it would be cool to learn how to dance the different kind of dances like they do i think it would be fun.
In the video we watched, a man discussed how we should not fight with eachother and let the past go. He went to a convention where people with many different backgrounds attended and they began to argue with eachother because their ancestors were betrayed or hurt by another ancestors. The man on the video asked where is the love, why should there be fighting. They were at the convention to come together as one. He shows that this is possible through song and dance. I agree with his opinion- we should let go of the past and I do believe people can unite through song and dance because it is a universal occurence.
the overall impression of the interview was that peopole have change for the good. "wheres the love" is what he wanted to know. how come people kept up all this hatered bottle up for so long. he just wanted peace for everyone.
I thought that the dancing in the video was a little more relaxed than the other videos. The children who were participating in the singing and dancing seemed alot more free and easy, instead of following a line of people, or a set order of where to go.
As far as the man speaking in the video. Not really sure that I know what he was even talking about.
While listening to the interview with Richard Morrison,I noticed first and foremost that he was part of a tribe...and that tribe happenen to be with the Ojibwe Indians. In the interview, he explaines how he ventures to different places and associates with different groups of people. And by doing this, i believe that he realizes that some cultures are different and will never be like the group/culture that he's known or is used to. With his religion being banned for some time, this has actually made him more open and willing to stand up for his culture. During this process, he has also made an effort to teach others about his culture. By sharing his experiences with other cultures, others will see what has to happen in order for most of them to maybe live a beter lifestyle, or simply be happy.
But what he states and discuss is true and i fully agree with it.as long all work together we can achieve new heights and goals.
I thought it was interesting the way Morrison talked about the East and West being the beginning and end of life. How life starts in the East, the same direction the sun rises from. One of the clips of a dance I didn't even know they were dancing. It just looked like people walking around. I was honestly not looking very closely to the costumes. I liked the story he told about the conference when people from all different ethnicities were blaming each other for their troubles in the past. He was the voice of reason.
The dancing and singing in the video is very culturalistic. To me all of the videos we watch on Native Americans dancing look and sound the same. This guy was rumbling his voice loudly to the beat of the drum. But since he was explaining what it meant and talked more about their culture it was one of the better videos we have watched. As far as the costumes they were I guess you could say realistic to how it would be way back when they actually had to wear them. It is always interesing to watch them dance and sing!
My impression of this video is that it seems very spiritually oriented. He talks alot about how he can feel the battles and pains of his ancestors and other peoples ancestry. The dancing looks like any Indian dance. Very Lively. Morrison talks about how we are the environment and what we do in it may change it or change our lives.
I only agree with the part where the man says that we can't change who we are. I would also have to say that i liked the dancing more than the singing.
1. My overall impression of the powwow is that they are very passionate about their history and this is the best way they know how to express that. They love their culture and they want to keep it alive in any way they can.
2. The dancing and singing are very interesting. It is hard for me to understand what is really going on with it but I'm sure it is important to them.
3. Morrison seems very wise and has good philosophy that we can apply to our everyday lives. What he is talking about doesn't just apply to their life on the reservation.
Everyhting coordinates east to west.
All societys and cultures refect and influnece one another in everyday life, the way you think about things, or how you see things.
Music, dance, and clothes are all very expressive having multiple meanings and purposes.
Who is the best person to please? the enviroment.
Whatever are incestors fights and battles its still present today, but were is the love? you can change and make a difference.
My impression is that even in todays world, they still find time and ways to express their culture and keep it alive. The dancing and singing is a great example. They must have a great beleif in order to do that in front of so many people and strangers at that. It's impressive how passionate he is about his culture. The way he embraces nature in a technology based world is very respectable.
The video wasnt bad. It conveyed many good points throughout it. Such points include that we cant change who we are and when he asks where is the love. The singing and dancing are a way that the native americans express who they are and their culture. Morrisons philosophy makes sense because we are who we are. we can try to better ourselves but we cant change where we came from or what our heritage is. When he asks where is the love i think its a question that many other people in the world today are also asking. Its a good question that sadly many dont know the answer to.
1)One thing that I liked the most was the pow wows. I love how they express themselves with dance, and how everyone joins wether they are young or old.
2)I found what Richard Morrison said was very relatable about how "We can't change who we are" Wether we accept it or not, we can't change it.
This video shows what the native american dance and singing is like. Also it talks about the meaning behind each song. Many people disagree with how they show their heritage. They enjoy expressing themselves with song and dance. I didn't really understand what they were singing about but thats just the way they express themselves.
The video gave me a good idea of what some native americans enjoy doing. He pointed out that we cant change who we are, which is very true. The way they sang and dance gave me the impression that they do it because they were taught by their ancestors, and they want to keep thier culture alive. Morrison's philosophy was basically based on the fact that we cant change who we are. No matter what you have to just continue the way you live your life and cant just do other things to make people happy.
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