A Shared Heritagewith Anishinaabe / Ojibway

People were here beforeactive European

settlement. They werethe Anishinaabe or

Ojibway people.

Settlement requiredTreaty agreements and

the Lac du Bonnet area isnow on Treaty One &

Treaty Three Land

Sunrise Schools areintroducing aboriginal

learning into theircurriculum.

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Seven Teachings of Anishinaabe• The traditional concepts of respect and sharing that form the

foundation of the Aboriginal way of life are built around the sevennatural laws, or sacred teachings. Each teaching honours one of thebasic virtues intrinsic to a full and healthy life.

• Each of these teachings are recognised in our own culture to some extent inour own culture

• Each law is embodied by an animal to underscore the point that allactions and decisions made by man are manifest on a physical plain.The animal world taught man how to live close to the earth, and theconnection that has been established between the animal world andthat of man has instilled a respect for all life in those who follow thetraditional Aboriginal way.

• The Sharing Circle; 509 Century. Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada. R3H 0L8

• http://www.thesharingcircle.com/sacred_teachings.html

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LOVE - EAGLE

• To feel true love is to knowthe Creator. Therefore, it isexpected that one's first loveis to be the Great Spirit. He isconsidered the father of allchildren, and the giver ofhuman life.

• Love given to the Great Spiritis expressed through love ofoneself, and it is understoodthat if one cannot loveoneself, it is impossible tolove anyone else.

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RESPECT - BUFFALO

• The Buffalo, through giving it'slife and sharing every part of itsbeing, showed the deep respectit had for the people. No animalwas more important to theexistence of Indigenous familiesthan this animal, and it's giftprovided shelter, clothing andutensils for daily living.

• Native people believedthemselves to be true caretakersof the great herds, anddeveloped a sustainablerelationship with the Buffaloresulting in a relationship thatwas a true expression ofrespect..

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COURAGE - BEAR

• The Bear provides many lessons in theway it lives, but courage is the mostimportant teaching it offers. Thoughgentle by nature, the ferociousness ofa mother Bear when one of her cubsis approached is the true definition ofcourage.

• To have the mental and moralstrength to overcome fears thatprevent us from living our true spiritas human beings is a great challengethat must be met with the samevigour and intensity as a mother Bearprotecting her cub. Living of the heartand living of the spirit is difficult, butthe Bear's example shows us how toface any danger to achieve thesegoals.

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HONESTY - SABE

• Long ago, there was a giantcalled Kitch-Sabe. Kitch-sabewalked among the people toremind them to be honest to thelaws of the creator and honestto each other. The highesthonour that could be bestowedupon an individual was thesaying "There walks an honestman. He can be trusted."

• To be truly honest was to keepthe promises one made to theCreator, to others and to oneself.The Elders would say, "Never tryto be someone else; live true toyour spirit, be honest to yourselfand accept who you are the waythe Creator made you."

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WISDOM - BEAVER

• The building of a community isentirely dependent on gifts given toeach member by the creator and howthese gifts are used.

• The Beaver's example of using hissharp teeth for cutting trees andbranches to build his dams and lodgesexpresses this teaching. If he did notuse his teeth, the teeth wouldcontinue to grow until they becameuseless, ultimately making itimpossible for him to sustain himself.

• The same can be said for humanbeings. One's spirit will grow weak if itis not fulfilling its use. When usedproperly however, these giftscontribute to the development of apeaceful and healthy community.

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HUMILITY - WOLF

• Recognizing and acknowledging thatthere is a higher power than man andit is known as the Creator is to bedeemed truly humble.

• To express deference or submission tothe Creator through the acceptancethat all beings are equal is to capturethe spirit of humility. The expressionof this humility is manifested throughthe consideration of others beforeourselves.

• In this way, the Wolf became theteacher of this lesson. He bows hishead in the presence of others out ofdeference, and once hunted, will nottake of the food until it can be sharedwith the pack. His lack of arroganceand respect for his community is ahard lesson, but integral in theAboriginal way.

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TRUTH - TURTLE• To know truth is to know and understand

all of the original laws as given by theCreator- and to remain faithful to them.

• It is said that in the beginning, when theCreator made man and gave him the sevensacred laws, the Grandmother Turtle waspresent to ensure that the laws wouldnever be lost or forgotten.

• On the back of a Turtle are the 13 moon,each representing the truth of one cycle ofthe Earth's rotations around the sun.

• The 28 markings on her back representthe cycle of the moon and of a woman'sbody.

• The shell of the Turtle represents the bodyreal events as created by the HigherPower, and serves as a reminder of theCreator's will and teachings.

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OJIBWAY CLAN SYSTEM 1

• People of all nations in the world essentially have the same basicneeds: food, protection, education, medicine and leadership.Traditionally, the Ojibway Clan System was created to provideleadership and to care for these needs.

• There were seven original clans and each clan was known by itsanimal emblem, or totem. The animal totem symbolized the strengthand duties of the clan. The seven original clans were given a functionto 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 balancedgovernment with each serving as a check on the other.

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OJIBWAY CLAN SYSTEM 2

• Between the two Chief Clans was the Fish Clan. The people of theFish Clan were the teachers and scholars. They helped childrendevelop skills and healthy spirits. They also drew on their knowledgeto solve disputes between the leaders of the Crane and Loon Clans.

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

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

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OJIBWAY CLAN SYSTEM 3

• The people of the Martin Clan were hunters, food gathers andwarriors of the Ojibway. Long ago, warriors fought to defend theirvillage or hunting territory. They became known as master strategistsin planning the defense of their people.

• The Bird Clan represented the spiritual leaders of the people andgave the nation its vision of well-being and its highest developmentof the spirit. The people of the Bird Clan were said to possess thecharacteristics of the eagle, the head of their clan, in that theypursued the highest elevations of the mind just as the eagle pursuesthe highest elevations of the sky.

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OJIBWAY CLAN SYSTEM Summary

• To meet all the needs of thenation, the clans workedtogether and cooperated toachieve their goals.

• The Clan System had built inequal justice, voice, law andorder and it reinforced theteachings and principles of asacred way of life.

• Today some people still followtheir clan duties, but, for themost part, the original force andpower of the Clan System hasdiminished to a degree ofalmost non-existence.

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The Seven Clans of Anishinaabe / Ojibway• Depending on the geography of nations, each nation would have had

differences in their clans.

• For example, the Crane Clan may have been the Heron Clan. Also,when looking deeper into oral history of the Elders, many clans hadsub-clans as communities became larger and dispersed.

• The Marten Clan spawned the Otter Clan and the Beaver Clan. TheFish clan spawned the Sucker clan and the Turtle Clan.

• If a clan is not specifically listed in this teaching, there is a possibilitythat is part of or descended from one of the seven original clans.

• The Clan system provides a way to recognise the differences betweenpeople.

• European culture uses a similar approach in the various personality systems

• Sourcehttp://ojibweresources.weebly.com/the-clan-system.html

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Crane Clan

• The crane stands in the waterobserving the world above thewater line.

• Because the crane observes theoutside world the Crane clan isknown as the Outside Chief.

• The outside chief isresponsible for negotiating withpeople from other communities.

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Loon Clan

• The loon dives and sees thehappenings inside the water.

• In this way the Loon Clan isknown as the Inside Chief.

• They are responsible for settlingdisputes and issues within theirhome community.

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Bear Clan

• The mother bear protects her cubswith ferocity.

• She is also cunning andknowledgeable about the plants ofthe forest.

• Like the mother bear, the Bear Clanis responsible for protecting theirpeople.

• It is said that people of the BearClan are short tempered and live onthe outside of the village to ensurethe safety of the gentler clansinside the village.

• The bear clan are also the medicinepeople for they know the healingways of the plants available tothem.

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Deer or Hoof Clan

• The Deer or Hoof Clan wereknown for their kindness, gentleand soft spoken nature like theanimals they represent.

• The Hoof Clan were responsiblefor looking after the socialaspects of the communityincluding ceremonies andcelebrations.

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Bird Clan

• The bird can fly high in the skyobserving the world at greatdistances.

• Like the Eagle, the bird is knownto be closest to the creator asthey are part of the sky worldand can access his/her wisdom.

• The Bird Clan are the keepers ofknowledge and responsible forspreading the seeds ofknowledge.

• The Bird Clan were traditionallythe teachers and farmers.

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Marten Clan

• The small agile marten is limber,quick tempered, and ferocious,has quick reflexes and is anexcellent hunter.

• Members of the Marten Clancarry these characteristics andas a result are the strategists,warriors and builders withintheir community.

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Fish Clan

• The fish watch the sky and havethe knowledge of the sun, starsand moon.

• In this way the Fish Clan holdthe most intelligence and arethe peoples philosophers.

• They are also advisors to theChief Clans.

•

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MythicalCreatures

Wendigo inAnsihinaabe

Vampire inEuropean

Of interest there isan island in Lac duBonnet calledWendigo Island

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The Wendigo Legendhttp://www.gods-and-monsters.com/wendigo-legend.html

• The Wendigo is a demonic spirit believed by Algonquin-based NativeAmerican tribes to possess humans and turn them into cannibals.

• The term "Wendigo" or "Windigo" is used to describe both the evil spirit aswell as the creature that humans can become when possessed by the spirit.

• The "monster" version of the mythical creature is human-like, but very talland gaunt, with deeply sunken eyes and yellowish, decaying skin. They areimpossibly thin and have an unending hunger that craves only human flesh.

• The best known way to become a Wendigo is through cannibalism. Byeating another human being, even out of necessity for survival, a human canbe overcome by these spirits and be transformed into one. The fear ofturning into this creature was so strong that it was preferable to kill one'sself rather than resort to cannibalism.

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The Wendigo Legend (con’t)

• The Wendigo legend was prevalent in the northern United States andCanada, and particularly roamed around woods and forests in thecoldest areas where food was scarce and survival was challenging.

• There is a condition known as "Wendigo Psychosis" under whichpeople who have reasonable access to other food sources wouldinexplicably become overcome with the need to consume humanflesh. One such person, a Cree man named Swift Runner, famouslyslaughtered his entire family in 1878 and ate them, despite beingonly 25 miles from the Hudson Bay Company's supply post.

• In 1907 a Oji-Cree man named Jack Fiddler and his brother werearrested for killing over 14 people who he claimed were Wendigos orabout to become them.

• As tribes have been more and more influenced by surroundingculture, the reports of the Wendigo have declined over the years, butas with most evil spirits, it is doubtful that this creature is gone forgood.

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Location of all Anishinaabe Reservations/Reservesand cities with an Anishinaabe population in NorthAmerica, with diffusion rings about communitiesspeaking Anishinaabe languages

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The Anishinaabe people over theyears slowly diffused from the SaultSaint Marie region of Ontario to thepresent extent as viewed on this map.

Timeline of Significant Dates by Year

• 1493 Papal Bull• Europeans given permission by

Pope to subdue natives if theywould be Christianised

• Used as justification for residentialschools

• 1763 Royal Proclamation

• 1780’s or so Ojibway start movingWest from Lake Superior underChief Peguis

• 1817 Lord Selkirk signs Treaty atRed River for Selkirk settlers withChief Peguis

• 1867 Canada Confederation

• 1871 Treaty 1 signed• Used for justification to clear

natives from their traditional lands• Reserves established as based on

Treaty

• 1876 Indian Act passed

• 1885 Pass system in Canada set up

• 1910 Native farmers at St. Peter’sParish near Selkirk were movednorth to new Peguis Reserve

• 1901 Railroad building to Lac duBonnet

• 1919 RM of Lac du Bonnet formed

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Exposure to EuropeansExperience was Not Positive; Unequal

• Guns• More efficient and effective way to

kill

• Advantage over spears and arrows

• Germs• Disease

• Small pox and tuberculosis

• Brought diseases with them

• Starvation• Loss of bison as food and shelter

source

• Steel• More technology

• Tools, improved housing & agriculture

• Horses

Guns Germs & Steel by Jared Diamond

• Clan System of Governance• Ruled themselves in peaceable

manner• No nobility; everything was

shared

• European System• Nobility

• Took their share first.

• Kings

• Chief Peguis• Friend of the settlers• St. Peter’s Church and Reserve

until 1910

• Clearing the Plains• J. Daschuk

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MB in1871

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Treaty Discussions at Lower Fort 1871Proposed

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River Lot System ofLand Distribution

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Brokenhead and Sagkeeng wereestablished after 1871 and before 1891 33

Realities of Treaty

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Canada Pass Permit to visitchildren

So.African

PassBook

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Further Reading andStudyMemorable Manitobans: Peguis (c1774-1864)

From MB Historical Society

Saulteaux Chief Peguis.

James Daschuk; Clearing The PlainsU of R Press

A Plainly Sad Story

James Daschuk probes a dark period inCanadian history from an environmentalperspective

Review by Gregory Beatty

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Links to recorded CBC Material

• To

• http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/canada-s-original-promise-still-waiting-to-be-realized-1.4185851

• As Canada turns 150, the final talk brings the series back home, with Indigenous educationadvocate Roberta Jamieson. Roberta was the first woman chief of Six Nations of the GrandRiver, the first Indigenous woman to earn a law degree in Canada, and she holds anastounding twenty-five honorary degrees. She believes Canada is at a make-or-breakmoment where it has a chanc e to recast its historically troubled relationship with FirstNations for the next 150 years. She sees the hope for that renewal in the very moment ofcontact between settler Europeans and her ancestors: "Our people consciously decided toshare. And we had a choice. We were the majority then. And we made a conscious decisionto share. And to help people survive. So I think we still have that choice as Canadians. AndI'm very optimistic and very hopeful -- and I'm going to work very hard to see that we live upto that promise".

• http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/cree-academic-and-novelist-tracey-lindberg-on-reconciliation-before-reconciliation-1.3945719

• Dr. Tracey Lindberg calls it (W)rec(k)-onciliation, and uses that as the title and theme of alecture she delivered at Vancouver Island University, the second in an Indigenous SpeakersSeries. Dr. Lindberg is a Cree academic and writer. In her talk and an interview with PaulKennedy she explores the importance of reconciliation with self, with community, and withIndigenous peoples in advance of reconciliation with Canada. **This episode originally airedJanuary 23, 2017.

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EndMeegwetch

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A comment from BrokenheadOjibway Nation.“The PowerPoint is veryinteresting. No concerns forpublishing.”Maryanne Folster, BrokenheadOjibway Nation