Midewiwin

The Midewiwin (also spelled Midewin and Medewiwin) or the Grand Medicine Society is a secretive religion of the aboriginal groups of the Maritimes, New England and Great Lakes regions in North America. Its practitioners are called Midew and the practices of Midewiwin referred to as Mide. Occasionally, male Midew are called Midewinini, which sometimes is translated into English as either "shaman" or "medicine man".

Name

The preverb mide can be translated as "mystery," "mysterious," "spiritual," "sanctimonious," "sacred," or "ceremonial", depending on the context of its use. The derived verb midewi, thus means "be in/of mide." The derived noun midewiwin then means "state of being in midewi." Often mide is translated into English as "medicine" (thus the term midewinini "medicine-man") though mide conveys the idea of a spiritual medicine, opposed to mashkiki that conveys the idea of a physical medicine. A practitioner of Midewiwin is called as midew, which can also be rendered as mide'o... both forms of the word derived from the verb midewi, or as a medewid, a gerund from of midewi. Specifically, a male practitioner is called a midewinini ("midew man") and a female practitioner a midewikwe ("midew woman").

Origins

Commonly among the Anishinaabeg, Midewiwin is ascribed to Nanabozho as its founder, but to Mateguas among the Abenakis. However, Hoffman records that according to the Mille Lacs Indians chief Bayezhig ("Lone One"), Midewiwin had it origin as:

In the beginning, Gichi Manidoo made the mide manidoog. He first created two men, and two women; but they had no power of thought or reason. Then Gichi Manidoo made them rational beings. He took them in his hands so that they should multiply; he paired them, and from this sprung the Anishinaabe. When there were people he placed them upon the earth, but he soon observed that they were subject to sickness, misery, and death, and that unless he provided them with the Sacred Medicine they would soon become extinct.

Between the position occupied by Gichi Manidoo and the earth were four lesser manidoog with whom Gichi Manidoo decided to commune, and to impart to them the mysteries by which the Anishinaabeg could be benefited. So he first spoke to a manidoo and told him all he had to say, who in turn communicated the same information to the next, and he in turn to next, who also communed with the next. They all met in council, and determined to call in the four wind manidoog. After consulting as to what would be best for the comfort and welfare of the Anishinaabeg, these manidoog agreed to ask Gichi Manidoo to communicate the Mystery of the Sacred Medicine to the people.

Gichi Manidoo then went to the Sun Spirit and asked him to go to the earth and instruct the people as had been decided upon by the council. The Sun Spirit, in the form of a little boy, went to the earth and lived with a woman who had a little boy of her own.

This family went away in the autumn to hunt, and during the winter this woman’s son died. The parents were so much distressed that they decided to return to the village and bury the body there; so they made preparations to return, and as they traveled along, they would each evening erect several poles upon which the body was placed to prevent the wild beasts from devouring it. When the dead boy was thus hanging upon the poles, the adopted child—who was the Sun Spirit—would play about the camp and amuse himself, and finally told his adopted father he pitied him, and his mother, for their sorrow. The adopted son said he could bring his dead brother to life, whereupon the parents expressed great surprise and desired to know how that could be accomplished.

The adopted boy then had the party hasten to the village, when he said, “Get the women to make a wiigiwaam of bark, put the dead boy in a covering of wiigwaas and place the body on the ground in the middle of the wiigiwaam.” On the next morning after this had been done, the family and friends went into this lodge and seated themselves around the corpse.

When they had all been sitting quietly for some time, they saw through the doorway the approach of a bear, which gradually came towards the wiigiwaam, entered it, and placed itself before the dead body and said, “ho, ho, ho, ho,” when he passed around it towards the left side, with a trembling motion, and as he did so, the body began quivering, and the quivering increased as the bear continued until he had passed around four times, when the body came to life again and stood up. Then the bear called to the father, who was sitting in the distant right-hand corner of the wiigiwaam, and addressed to him the following words:

Noos	gaawiin	anishinaabewisii,	ayaawiyaan	manidoo	ningwisis.
My father	is not	an Indian not,	I am	a spirit	son.

Bi-mayaa minik	niiji-	manidoo	mayaa	zhigwa	ji-gi-aawiyan.
Insomuch	my fellow	spirit	clearly	now	as you are.

Noose,	zhigwa	asemaa	ji-atooyeg.	E-mikondem
My father,	now	tobacco	you shall put.	He mentions of

mii	eta	aabiding	ji-gashkitood	wenji-	bimaadizid	omaa
that	only	once	to be able to do it	why he shall	live	here

agaawaa	bimaadizid	mii	omaa;	niiji-	manidoo
scarcely	he lives	thus	here;	my fellow	spirit

mayaa	zhigwa	ji-giiweyaan.
clearly	now	I shall go home.

The little bear boy was the one who did this. He then remained among the Anishinaabeg and taught them the mysteries of the Midewiwin; and, after he had finished, he told his adopted father that as his mission had been fulfilled he was to return to his kindred manidoog, for the Anishinaabeg would have no need to fear sickness as they now possessed the Midewiwin which would enable them to live. He also said that his spirit could bring a body to life but once, and he would now return to the sun from which they would feel his influence.

This event is called Gwiiwizens wedizhichigewinid—Deeds of a Little-boy.

Origins of Hourglass Motif on Wigwaasabak

A much earlier origin of Hourglass motif used on Midewiwin Wiigwaasabak was suggested by Greenman. "A prominent feature of the pictorial art of the Algonquians around Lake Superior and Michigan is the use of an hourglass shape to portray the human form. There are many examples of it on birch bark records and in drawings made by Indian Informants. They seem to be derived ultimately from the upper paleolithic figures." Several arguments were included in the same issue. Juan Schobinger wrote in reply "A detailed analysis of the comparisons and the accompanying illustrations show Greenman to be even more incorrect. I shall only discuss some critical facts on rock-painting and engraving. The hourglass shape has nothing to do with palaeolithic art...". Greenman stated stated in response to Schobinger: "Schobinger says the double curve motif is world-wide. I do not question that, but I know of no group of them that have the specific character of those of the Algonquian and the Upper Paleolithic of Spain."[4] The Winnebago utilized reciprocal hourglass patterns on their fiber bags as an abstract assemblage of human figures, as did the Makusi Indians of Guiana on beaded apron, and the hourglass is seen on engraved shell from Argentina.. "It is the result of a constantly refined tradition. Over ten thousand years of history lie behind that design, Not by borrowing and not by invention, but only by long inheritance can we explain these widespread, remarkable parallels." [5] Numerous hourglass motifs are used to represent the Thunderbird on such scrolls as shown in Hoffman's study.

Associations

Tribal groups who have such societies include the Abenaki, Quiripi, Nipmuc, Wampanoag, Anishinaabe (Algonquin, Ojibwa/Chippewa, Odawa/Ottawa and Potawatomi), Miami, Fox, Sac, Sioux and the Winnebago. These indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (North America) known either as First Nations or as Native Americans passed along birch bark scrolls, teachings, and have degrees of initiations and ceremonies. They are often associated with the Seven Fires Society, and other aboriginal groups or organizations. The Miigis shell, or cowrie shell, is used in some ceremonies, along with bundles, sacred items, etc. There are many oral teachings, symbols, stories, history, and wisdom passed along and preserved from one generation to the next by these groups.

Whiteshell Provincial Park is named after the white shell (cowrie) used in Midewiwin ceremonies. This park contains some petroforms that are over 1000 years old, or possibly older, and therefore may predate some aboriginal groups that came later to the area.

Degrees

The Mide practitioners are initiated and ranked by "degrees." Much like the apprentice system or an academic degree programs, a practioner cannot advance to the next higher degree until completing the required tasks and gain the full knowledge of that degree's requirements. Only after successful completion, may a candidate be considered for advancement into the next higher degree.

Extended Fourth

The accounts regarding the extended Fourth Degrees vary from region to region. All Midewiwin groups claim the extended Fourth Degrees are specialized forms of the Fourth Degree. Depending on the region, these extended Fourth Degree Midew can be called "Fifth Degree" up to "Ninth Degree." In parallel, if the Fourth Degree Midew is to a doctorate degree, the Extended Fourth Degree Midew is to a post-doctorate degree.

Medicine bag

Main article: Medicine bag

Medicine lodge

Madoodiswan

Main article: Sweat lodge

Ceremonies

Annual

• Aabita-biboon (Midwinter Ceremony)
• Animoosh ([White] Dog Ceremony)
• Jiibay-inaakewin or Jiibenaakewin (Feast of the Dead)
• Gaagaagiinh or Gaagaagishiinh (Raven Festival)
• Zaazaagiwichigan (Painted Pole Festival)
• Mawineziwin ("War [Rememberance] Dance")

Rites of passage

• Nitaawigiwin (Birth rites)—ceremony in which a newborn's umbillical cord is cut and retained
• Waawiindaasowin (Naming rites)—ceremony in which a name-giver presents a name to a child
• Oshki-nitaagewin (First-kill rites)—ceremony in which a child's first successful hunt is celebrated
• Makadekewin (Puberty fast rites)—upon reaching puberty, a child goes through a vision quest to determine path into adulthood
• Wiidigendiwin (Marriage rites)—ceremony in which a couple is joined into a single household
• Bagidinigewin (Death rites)—wake, funeral and funerary feast

Teaching objects

Teaching scrolls

Main article: Wiigwaasabak‎

Called wiigwaasabakoon in the Anishinaabe language, birch bark scrolls were used to pass on knowledge between generations. When used specifically for Midewiwin ceremonial use, these wiigwaasabakoon used as teaching scrolls were called Mide-wiigwaas ("Medicine birch [bark scroll]"). Early accounts of the Mide from books written in the 1800s describe a group of elders that protected the birch bark scrolls in hidden locations. They recopied the scrolls if any were badly damaged, and they preserved them underground. These scrolls were described as very sacred and the interpretations of the scrolls were not easily given away. Current theories claim the Ojibwe Nation is possibly descended from the Hopewell People who formed a vast trading network across the North American continent. The historical areas of the Ojibwe were recorded, and stretched from the east coast all the way to the prairies by way of lake and river routes. Some of the first maps of rivers and lakes were made by the Ojibwe and written on birch bark.

"The Teachings of the Midewiwin were scratched on birch bark scrolls and were shown to the young men upon entrance into the society. Although these were crude pictographs representing the ceremonies, they show us that the Ojibwa were advanced in the development of picture "writing." Some of them were painted on bark. One large birch bark roll was "known to have been used in the Midewiwin at Mille Lacs for five generations and perhaps many generations before", and two others, found in a seemingly deliberate hiding place in the Head-of-the-Lakes region of Ontario, were carbon-dated to about 1560 CE +/-70. The author of the original report on these hidden scrolls advised: "Indians of this region occasionally deposited such artifacts in out-of-the-way places in the woods, either by burying them or by secreting them in caves. The period or periods at which this was done is far from clear. But in any event, archaeologists should be aware of the custom and not overlook the possibility of their discovery."

Teaching stones

Teaching stones known in the Anishinaabe language as either Gikinoo'amaagewaabik or Gikinoo'amaage-asin can be either petroglyphs or petroform.

Three creational ages

Ancient

The three creational ages begin with the Ancient age where humanity and animal-life are undifferentiated.

Golden

In the Golden age animals are still humans, but quantitatively different.

Present

With the Present age, animals and humanity are totally differentiated.

Seven prophetical ages

Main article: Seven fires prophecy

Seven fires prophecy is a prophecy originally taught among the practioners of Midewiwin. Each fire represents a prophetical age, marking phases, or epochs, in the life of the people on Turtle Island (North America). The Seven fires prophecy represent key spiritual teachings for North America, and suggest that the different colors and traditions of the human beings can come together on a basis of respect. The Algonquins are the keepers of the seven fires prophecy wampum.

See also

• Animism
• Hopewell culture
• Abenaki mythology
• Anishinaabe traditional beliefs
• Walam Olum

External links

• Encyclopædia Britannica article

References

• Barnouw, Victor. "A Chippewa Mide Priest's Description of the Medicine Dance" in Wisconsin Archeologist, 41(1960), pp. 77-97.
• Benton-Banai, Edward. The Mishomis Book - The Voice of the Ojibway. (St. Paul: Red School House publishers, 1988).
• Blessing, Fred K., Jr. The Ojibway Indians observed. (1977, Minnesota Archaeological Society).
• Deleary, Nicholas. "The Midewiwin, an aboriginal spiritual institution. Symbols of continuity: a native studies culture-based perspective." Carleton University MA Thesis, M.A. 1990.
• Densmore, Frances. Chippewa Customs. (Reprint: Minnesota Historical Press, 1979).
• Dewdney, Selwyn Hanington. The Sacred Scrolls of the Southern Ojibway. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1975).
• Hoffman, Walter James. "The Midewiwin, or 'Grand Medicine Society', of the Ojibwa" in Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Bureau of Ethnology Report, v. 7, pp. 149-299. (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1891).
• Johnston, Basil. Ojibway Ceremonies. (1990, University of Nebraska Press).
• Landes, Ruth. Ojibwa Religion and the Midéwiwin. (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1968).
• Vecsey, Christopher. Traditional Ojibwa Religion and its Historical Changes. (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1983).