The Organizational Background Of The Ojibway - Admission/Application Essay Example

 The Organizational Background Of The Ojibway In The North-East Introduction Among the biggest groups of Native American in the continent of NorthAmerica is the Ojibwe also known as the Ojibwa, Ojibway, Chippewa, or the Ashaninaabe. The Ojibwa are a woodland people and the First Nation occupants of the northeastern North America. At around the mid-17th C, there were approximately 35,000 Ojibwa on the North America continent. With reference to the 1990 census, the Ojibwe were the third-biggest Native group (with a population of 104,000), after the Cherokee and the Navajo. Federally renowned Ojibwa reservations are established in Minnesota, Michigan, Montana (Rocky Boy's), Wisconsin and North Dakota (Turtle Mountain). Though Ojibwa reserves are also in Saskatchewan and Ontario, this account emphasizes their history in the US(Hilger 111). The Ojibwa people call themselves the Anishinabeg or the Anishinaabeg, or if in singular form, Anishinabe; to mean "original" or "first people." In the 18th C, the French called Ojibwa living around the eastern shore of Lake Superior as the Salteaux or Salters, "People of the Falls." The Ojibway who consequently relocated to the prairie provinces of Canada has reserved the name Saulteurs. The Anishinabe attained the names Chippewa and Ojibwa from French traders. The English people preferred to use Chippeway or Chippewa names typically used in the treaties with the government of British and later with the U.S. government. In 1951, Inez Hilger(1951) noted that Ojibwa used more than seventy different names in written accounts. There is no standardized spelling in English, and deviations include Ojibway, Ojibwa, Chippewa, and Chippeway. Chippewa is the form used by a number of tribal organizations that are recognized by the United States. As noted earlier, the people call themselves Anishinabe- the preferred term the people chose to form their name (p. 302). Migration to the Great Lakes An investigation brought forth by Hilger noted that about 500 years ago, the Ojibwa people lived near the Saint Lawrence River (p. 97). At around 1660 they moved westward, guided by the vision of a floating seashell known as the sacred minis. At the Straits of Mackinac, the Anishinabe lost the uniting vision and divided into three groups. The first group, the Potawatomi, relocated south and settled between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. The Ottawa were the second group who moved to the north of Lake Huron. The Ojibwa were the last group and settled along the eastern shore of the Lake Superior. Due to this early association, the Ojibwa, Potawatomi, and the Ottawa are known jointly as the Three Fires. Misconceptions and Stereotypes The Ojibwa face similar stereotypes and misconceptions as applied to other Native peoples. Since the Ojibwa refuse to strip the bounty of the land, they have been considered unintelligent and lazy. Consumer product labels and Sports mascots targeted at the overall American public spread Native American stereotypes. The sacred religious beliefs of Ojibwa, for instance; the vision quests, have been seen misinterpreted and sold by pursuers of New Age thought. Almost every early treaty promised the Ojibwa that they have the right to continue fishing and hunting on the ceded land. Though any time the Ojibwa attempt to implement their treaty rights, there could raise conflicts with non-Native outdoors tourists and enthusiasts(Hilger 221-227). Traditional culture Within the tribe of Ojibwa, there are installed cultural values such as honesty, generosity, wisdom, the strength of character, and endurance through religious practice, education and by example. They gave each month a name, designating some event or natural feature. For instance, September, the month when tribes were harvesting wild rice alongside the lake shores, was named the "rising moon" or many mini kegiizis. Their culture was greatly inclined to the natural terrain as the tribe adopts their lifestyle to survive in a highly forested land traversed with a network of rivers and lakes. The Ojibwa people lived a semi-nomadic life, thereby moving a number of times every year so that they be close to sources of food. With exception of the Plains Ojibwa-who rode horses, the Ojibwa journeyed on land by foot and during winter they wore snowshoes, transporting items on dog sleds. The portable feature of Ojibwa lodging—the wigwam— facilitated such moves to be made easily and quickly(Hilger 194-8). The Ojibwa survived in hunting camps during late fall and winter. In winter, men hunted and trapped while women spent their time sewing and tanning hides as some families involved in storytelling. Gambling was another common pastime and a social event usually accompanied by singing and drumming. When the Ojibwa had not begun to trade with Americans and Europeans and, they wore clothing prepared from animal hides, basically from tanned deerskin. Their women wore leggings, moccasins, deerskin dresses and petticoats made of thistle fibers or woven nettle. The men wore moccasins, leggings, and breechcloths. The birch bark was the natural product from which the Ojibwa made many items, that includes storage containers, canoes, and bogans. Transformation of Culture The Ojibwa traditional life changed when they interacted with non-Native Americans. Fur trading caused the Ojibwa to become reliant on traded goods relative to clothing, weapons, and utensils. The creation of reservations constrained Ojibwa seasonal travel, initiation of formalized educational system distant children from their families, again the relocation policies by the government dispersed tribe members(Hilger 209). During the late 1880s, a number of Ojibwa lived in frame cabins, tar paper shacks, and one-room log cabins, rather than in the wigwams. At around mid-1940s, only the old were bilingual, and most Ojibwa wore in modern clothing. The birch bark canoes were mostly replaced by wooden and consequently aluminum boats. A few number of Ojibwa practiced the traditional religion of their people. Ojibwa culture is today experiencing a renaissance as non-natives and natives are studying Ojibwa myths, botany, crafts, and religion. Communal celebrations such as the "Honor the Earth" pow wows held at Lac Courte Oreilles every July has become a focal point of current -time Ojibwa culture and hundreds of dancers participate. There is a great concern by the tribe about environmental degradation due to industrial effluents and mismanagement. It is a common practice for Ojibwa to fish, hunt, and trap. Mide religion also has been revived as well, and traditional practices are still afforded to dreams and visions. Ojibwa gatherings usually begin with a prayer accompanied with ritual offering of tobacco as a show of respect and gratitude to the Heavenly Spirit. Powwows, currently compared to multi-band gatherings, are today elaborately staged festivals where costumed dancers perform to the sound of vocalists who sing while playing on the bass drums. Language Spoken Ojibwa or the Ojibwemowin is the Algonquin language with local dialectical differences. It is connected linguistically to not only the languages of the Potawatomi and Ottawa but also of the Menominee, Fox, and Cree. Because it was a spoken language rather than a written language, there are the varied spelling of Ojibwa words. Many Ojibwa shows the resurgence of interest in native identity by fancying to be called Anishinabe. Workshops and classes offered at state universities community colleges are occasionally broadcast to distant locations. An instructional material, as well as language texts in multimedia formats, workbooks, audiotapes and bilingual texts, have also been developed. Tribal newspapers entail Ojibwa-language columns on regular basis. Family and Community Dynamics In the culture of traditional Ojibwa, an individual lived in a band and he/she was considered the member of a clan. A number of individuals from a particular clan shared a common ancestor on the side of their father's family. Some other clans were matrilineal, and thus their children were affiliated with their mother's clan. People of the same clan claim a collective totem symbolizing a living creature. The seven original clans were the crane, deer, marten, bear, bird, catfish, and soon. Over twenty clans with more totems were later on added. A totem might signify an attribute such as knowledge, healing power, prowess, leadership, or sustenance. Bands comprised of groups of five to fifty families, about 400 people, and lived in the same village. For instance, Minnesota consists of five large bands namely: Mississippi, Pillager, Pembina, Red Lake, and the Superior. Marriage Soon after puberty, women were allowed to marry at age fourteen to fifteen. In the course of a woman's first menses, she fasted in a small wigwam for about five to ten days. Boys were permitted to marry sooner as they could show that they can support a family by means of hunting. In the course of courtship, the couple's contact was monitored. If the couple was found suitable to each other and acceptable to their families, then the man would move in with the family of the wife for a year(Hilger 76). The formal wedding ceremony was not being conducted. In a case where the wife failed to conceive or the marriage attested to be disharmonious, then the man returned to his parents. A couple that wished to endure living together when the one year has elapsed would build their separate residence. Marital separation was permitted, and after separation, individuals could remarry. There was room for polygamy provided one would be in a position to sustain more than one family. Intermarriage was allowed, and by 1900 most Ojibwa were of diverse heritage, usually the French and Ojibwa. Childrearing Parents selected an elder to give their baby his/her sacred, or dream name. Besides, the parents would give the child a nickname. Ojibwa babies before a period of one year were wrapped in swaddling, after which they were kept in cradle boards. Cattail down, rabbit skins and dried moss served as diapers. Grandparents normally had living with them at least a grandchild, and at least a granddaughter. Childhood was categorized into two periods: the period before a child walked, and the period from walking up-to puberty. Before the children reached the age of seven years, they were taught by their aunts, mothers, and elders. After the age of seven, boys were taught how to hunt and fish by the men, while girls learned domestic skills from the women. The elders taught moral values by example and through sessions of storytelling. Education Federal policy en route for Native education stressed Native American assimilation and incorporation into U.S. society. Consequently, training in vocational skills was encouraged over the Native traditions’ teaching. In fact, Native languages and traditions were prohibited in the educational context as structured by the government and mission schools. Attendance of school for the Ojibwa was compulsory in 1893. An important step in the direction of Native American education happened with the passage of an Act in 1934 of Johnson O'Malley, authorizing territories and states to contract for services that would include education services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Public schools were given encouragement to incorporate material on Native cultures into their educational curricula. Nowadays Ojibwa children who live off reservations attend to private or public schools. Private schools comprise those run by Native American organizations, for example, the Heart of the Earth Survival School found in Minneapolis and the Red School House in St. Paul and. Since 1989 the curricula of public school in Wisconsin are obligated by law to integrate programs on the culture of Native American; at around 1994 in Minnesota similar legislation was considered. Religion Even though religious observance was communal, the traditional Ojibwa religious practice was engrossed on inward personal experience. The Ojibwa people had a belief in spirits, known as Manitou or Manado. The creator was called Gitchie Manitou. There existed evil spirits (Manjimanidoo). Inanimate and animate objects had spiritual power, and the Ojibwa people considered themselves one element of nature, not less or greatly significant than any other particular living being. The Ojibwa acknowledged three additional directions: the position where an individual stands, heaven and earth. They considered tobacco to be sacred and was smoked in pipes or rather scattered on lakes to bless a harvest, a heard, a crossing or to seal agreements done by peoples of different tribes. Dreams were viewed to carry great significance and were pursued through purgative ceremonies or fasting. The name "dreamer" was purely reserved for tribal visionaries who were considered able to dream of particular powerful objects. Dreamers would also encounter prophetic dreams which they would convey to people to forestall danger(Hilger 243-251). The Ojibwa established a Grand Medicine Society is known as the Midewiwin (Mitewiwin) religion; abbreviated as Mide-meaning "good-hearted."In the early 19th C, a number of Ojibwa became cliques of the Shawnee Prophet(Lalawethika) and his multi-tribe Shawano cult -whose members supported a return to traditional living and substituting Mide rites with the new ceremonies. Christianity was adopted gradually, but most modern Ojibway are either Roman Catholics or the Protestant Episcopalians. There was the conflict between full-blooded Ojibwa, who opted to adhere to a more customary way of life emphasized on Mide or the Episcopalian values, and the mixed-blood Ojibwa, who naturally were Roman Catholic and trailed a more acculturated way of life. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) usually settled disagreements amid the two factions by siding with the progressives who supported majority culture values like the small business enterprises and the agronomy. Politics and government Federal policy stressed the assimilation of the Ojibwa into the U.S. society. The policy has taken these forms: establishment and removal of reservations; individual allotments; relocation; treaty making;  and cultural affirmation self-determination. Work Cited Inez, Hilger. Chippewa Child Life and Its Cultural Background [originally published, 1951;] reprinted St Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1992.Print. Read More