ALMANAC RETROSPECTIVE:THE OJIBWE PEOPLE

DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH, LIBERTY IS OUR BOND

CEDED TERRITORIES (DOES NOT INCLUDE CANADIAN OJIBWE LANDS)

Thursday, 9:00 AM.  18 degrees F at the ferry dock, 16 on the back porch. Wind S, calm at present.  The sky is cloudy and overcast and it is snowing lightly after depositing another 1.5" last night.  The humidity is 84%, the barometer at 30.06" and steady on.  High today low 20's, falling to mid-teens tomorrow with cloudy skies and wintry weather continuing throughout next week.
   One of the unique experiences of life in Bayfield is the opportunity to get to know the Ojibwe tribe of American Indians.  Like all great learning experiences, it takes an open mind and some effort to enter in, but once one has accepted those parameters, it opens a window on another culture within the  great phalanx of cultures and peoples that comprise The United States of America.
   American Indians are not a monolithic culture, but a collection of individual tribes, mini-nations each with their own unique history, struggles, customs and beliefs.  Sometimes these fit handily within the dominant society, sometimes not, but regardless of past and even present conflicts among themselves and with the American government, they are part of the American fabric, and are loyal Americans; they view America as their homeland and the United States as their government with as great or greater sincerity as any other group of citizens. They have not only fought against, but famously under, The Star Spangled Banner.
    Unfortunately they are often marginalized,  poorly appreciated and misunderstood, and living near and among them has given us an opportunity to closely observe these dynamics and form genuine friendships.
    I have  mentioned the territory of the Ojibwe Indians ceded to the United States by treaty, and their legal right to hunt, fish and gather on those lands under those treaties.  The accompanying map shows the ceded lands in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan covered by the various treaties. Without going into more detail than warranted, it can be said that these rights have been well defined in  case law and court decisions, and there is now a quite sophisticated arrangement for enforcement of treaty rights  between the Ojibwe and the federal and state governments. 
    The tribe has established the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wild Life Commission, which works closely with state and federal agencies to enforce regulations developed under the treaties, and to improve and regulate fish, game and wild rice populations and habitat.    There was a time thirty and more years ago when there was open conflict between Indians and others over those rights, but cooler heads, and reason, prevailed on both sides and there are few conflicts today.

OFFICIAL POW WOW FLAGS AND STAFFS

EVERYONE IS WELCOME AND CAN DANCE

TRADITIONAL DANCE REGALIA

REGALIA OPTIONAL

   We have never been to a really big inter tribal Pow Wow such as is held at larger venues, but would welcome the opportunity.  I have always felt welcome at the many Pow Wows I have been to, both here and elsewhere.  American Indian communities are invariably welcoming and friendly to visitors but if there is a serious religious ceremony involved,  attendance may be limited to tribal members.
Pow Wows are held on Indian time and a white man must show some patience.
   I once asked impatiently, "When does this thing start?"  Answer: "When everyone gets here,"  a perfectly logical attitude in a traditional culture that evolved without clocks and modern transportation.
    At the opening ceremony of one Pow Wow I attended the sacred eagle staff was accidentally dropped, the announcer exclaiming, "What the hell do we do now?"
   The answer came from somewhere, "Stop everything and ask one of the elders,"  and everything came to a sudden  and painfully long halt.
   The neighboring Red Cliff Reservation (The Rez) has many problems, among them alcohol and drug abuse, poverty, crime and ignorance, but these severe challenges are in many ways balanced by a culture that respects its traditions and its elders, and is sharing and compassionate in ways that go far beyond the parameters of the greater society. Many of their social problems stem from being in essence an often defeated and abused people, but they refused to give up.
    When the Ojibwe say, "Everyone is invited to the feast," they actually mean it.
    Diversity is our strength, liberty is our bond.