Reawakening of the Medicine People, part 2

- Updated: May 11, 2022

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Zhooniyaa, Precious Gift of the Underworld

Boozhoo,

This blog post is part 2 in a series titled "Reawakening Of The Medicine People." Today we will focus on zhooniyaa (silver) and the relation of this sacred metal to my art and to the traditions of my ancestors, the Ojibwe Anishinaabeg of the North American Great Lakes area. Zhooniyaa used to be a traditional metal to the Anishinaabeg, and, being an artist/storyteller who works with precious metals and being smart enough to be receptive to the suggestions made by my ex partner Simone, I decided to take her advice. So, in the Spirit Moon of the year 2015, I started to honor and restore the silversmithing tradition of my ancestors by designing a new line of (non-commercial) sterling silver storytelling rings. Miigwech nishiim!

Why silver rings?

Silver is much less expensive than gold;  extra thick plate is used to compensate the lower durability of silver. My silver rings feature inside graphics - some of which have multicolor gold inlays - stylistically inspired by mazinaajimowinan, the ancient pictographic art of the Anishinaabe Peoples. Some of these "spirit drawings" are eternalized on sacred birchbark scrolls, on animal hide, or copper items while others are painted on, or incised in, rocks and cliff walls in remote locations near coastlines and river banks where earth, water, sky, underground, and underwaters meet.

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"The Spirit of the Sleeping Giant." The rings are not available for purchase.

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The meaning and use of silver

Today’s blog post features a traditional story - accompanied by a set of storytelling rings designed by me and images of paintings by Simone McLeod, Roy Thomas, Norval Morrisseau, and myself - about Wenabozho, the Mighty Grandfather of the Deep Sea Water, and how he turned into Nibaad Misaabe, the Sleeping Giant in order to protect the sacred silver against the greed of the European invaders. But first, let me tell you something about silver itself and the meaning it holds for our People, the Gichi Gami-Ojibwe Anishinaabeg, whose ancestors for 1000 years or more have lived close to the water’s edge of the Great Lakes to survive.

Zhooniyaa as well as ozaawaabiko-zhooniyaa (copper, literally: “brown silver”), * has been mined for many thousands of years from deposits in the Thunder Bay area and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and has been used, worked, and traded by many generations of Native Peoples – probably even by those that lived there long before the Anishinaabeg arrived from the east. 

Because of their spiritual and economic importance to the Gichi Gami-Ojibwe Anishinaabeg, both metals were held in high cultural regard and formed the Anishinaabe identity to an extent that can hardly be underestimated.

Copper and silver, along with other beneficial “beings” such as fish and other sea creatures – like underwater serpents -, have always been deemed extremely sacred – and as such held various spiritual and symbolic meanings. Our ancestors regarded both copper and silver as gifts from the water spirits that dwell the underworld of the lakes; to them, the natural gloss of the metal reflected light against the darkness in which many spirits, some of which possibly malevolent, were suspected to lurk.

Because of the sacred nature of silver and copper the Ojibweg who mined these metals were usually very secretive about the locations of the mines – which in themselves, relating to  the extremely sacred mood or atmosphere of these places, were considered manidoowid (possessing sacred, spiritual powers), and I would not be surprised if the old ones regarded them as ideal locations for having dreams and, possibly, vision-seeking.

In the second half of the 18^th century, zhooniyaa - along with furs - became the most prominent trade good in the Great Lakes area, even more important than copper, miigisag (wampum), and glass beads. Arm bands, bracelets, rings, brooches, earrings, gorgets, hair plates, and a myriad of other silver jewelry items were crafted and traded back in those days. But the ancestors never forgot about the sacred nature of zhooniya as it infused great spiritual blessings and power into their sacred items – such as ogimaa dewe'iganag (big dance drums) that were sometimes decorated with silver plates or disks. So sacred was silver deemed that when an Ojibwe took the life of a bear, he sometimes adorned its head, along with miigisapikanan (wampum belts), with arm bands and bracelets of pure silver, after which the bear was laid on a scaffold within a lodge with a large quantity of asemaa (tobacco) placed near his  nostrils.

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"Thunder Bay" by the late Ojibwe painter Roy Thomas

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Nibaad Misaabe, the Sleeping Giant

There are several fascinating stories related to zhooniyaa. One relatively recent aadizookaan (traditional story) is connected with the southern tip of a rocky peninsula called Nibaad Misaabe (The Sleeping Giant).

According to a local Anishinaabe tradition, this majestic rock formation jutting out of Animikii-wiikwedong (Thunder Bay) – a body of water that forms the head of Gichigami, or Lake Superior - is the petrified body of Wenabozho. Our ancestors knew Wenabozho, who was also known as Nanabijou, or Nanabush, as the First Man who walked the Earth, a supernatural Grandfather and a Teacher who a long time ago was sent to Earth to clear the path for those that came after him, and give names to each and every part of Creation, including the lakes, rivers, and islands that make up the vast area that would become known as Anishinaabe Aki, the Great Land of the Anishinaabeg…

Wenabozho, who was truly fond of the Anishinaabeg – the Ojibweg of Miinoong (Isle Royal) for instance, gave him a prominent role  in their storytelling and honored him with the honorary title of the Spirit of the Deep Sea -, had gifted them with a mine rich with a vein of pure waabishki-zhooniyaa asiniiwaabik (silver ore).

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==WHO WAS WENABOZHO?==

"Who is the god of the Indian in this country, the people of this country, the Anishinaabe?

Who is the Indian spirit?

Who is our god?

Who is our creator?

Wenabozho!

Wenabozho's our god.

Why is he our God, the God of the Indians?

GICHI-MANIDOO, the Great God, is the one that selected Wiinabozho, the great man, to give the medicines to the people. He told Wenabozho, "You show the people what it's for." Wenabozho is the Indian medicine god, the Grand Medicine God. He's the leader. He tells stories of the history, stories of the history of medicine and everything. In the stories he tells us what to use. That's why he's our creator. He can show us the medicine. He can talk to us. He can show us the Indian way of life. He can show us what to use.

Wenabozho lived a long time. He talked to the trees. He talked to anything. Wenabozho  could talk Sioux; he could talk anything."

- Freely adapted from: When Everybody Called Me Gah-bay-bi-nayss, "Forever-Flying-Bird": An Ethnographic Biography of Paul Peter Buffalo**. Illustration: "Wenabozho Telling Stories" by Zhaawano Giizhik.

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According to one (probably 19^th century) tradition, GICHI-MANIDOO, the Great Mystery, had warned the Anishinaabeg not to reveal its location (now known as Silver Islet) to strangers, or Wenabozho would be turned to stone. Nevertheless, probably in the late 19^th century, a canoe guide of the Bwaanag (Dakota Nation) did disclose the secret, and the European intruders whom he led to the mine were drowned in a fierce storm that lashed the bay that night, leaving behind the poor scout drifted along in his canoe – reportedly in a crazed state of mind. The next morning, tayaa! the horrified Anishinaabeg, who for many generations had used the silver of the mine to craft jewelry and ornaments and tools that brought them much material wealth, noticed that, where once used to be a wide opening to the bay, now lied what appeared to be a sleeping figure of a giant! 

Wenabozho, hurt and ashamed, had been turned into rock overnight…GICHI-MANIDOO’s warning had come true and the beloved manidoo of the deep waters had been turned to stone for eternity…or will he perhaps awaken one day? 

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"The Silver Curse". Miskwaabik Animikii (Copper Thunderbird) made this painting in 1969 depicting the story of the Sleeping Giant. The Thunderbird he painted hovering over (or flying behind?) the Sleeping Giant might refer to Animikii-wajiw (Mount McKay) in Thunder Bay, home of the Thunderbirds and used by countless generations of Ojibwe Medicine People for sacred ceremonies; it is also possible - although highly speculative - that the Thunderbird is a reference to Miinoong (“the beautiful place”, present-day Isle Royal, Michigan) that lies circa 15 miles behind the Sleeping Giant. This island, as well as the nearby Keweenaw Peninsula, used to be a common hunting ground for Aboriginal Peoples from nearby Minnesota and Ontario. It has been inhabited by Ojibweg for at least 400 hundreds of years (it is said that the Grandfather Water Drum of the Midewiwin Lodge sounded its voice there too) yet it is also a fact that large quantities of ozaawaabiko-zhooniya (copper) were mined on the islands by many generations of Native Peoples over a time period of at least six thousand years. For the Anishinaabeg, who believed it was a sacred gift of the Underwater Spirits, copper was known to hold extraordinary healing powers as it possesses the best energies of the earth. In recent times (since the 19th or 20th century) copper is being directly related to the powerful Mishi-bizhiw (the Horned Underwater Lynx) and Animkiig (Thunderbirds) - Norval Morrisseau's traditional name, Piece Of Copper Thunderbird, is to be understood in the same context. The Midewiwin, the Grand Medicine Lodge of the Ojibweg, used miskwaabikoon (pieces of copper) in their ceremonies and the copper deposits were often frequented by Medicine People who came there to dream and have visions. Since the Ojibweg, in order to protect the sacred metal, sometimes pointed out relatively unimportant copper (or silver?) deposits to Europeans to steer them away from the sacred places, it is not unlikely that the Thunderbird in Norval Morrisseau's painting is a silence reference to the copper deposit that lies behind the abandoned silver mine in Thunder Bay - which would suggest that the story of the Sleeping Giant and the Curse of Wiinabozho was invented in a clever attempt to draw attention away from - and thus to protect and preserve - the much greater Secret of the sacred copper of Miinoong...

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The return of Wenabozho

Could it be that Nibaad Misaabe, the Sleeping Giant, represents the spirit of the Anishinaabeg? Might it be that he is ogimaa (chief) of the many Sleeping Medicine People out there, some of whom live dormant lives in each of our Native communities, while others are hidden disguised in many forms and shapes …either as natural phenomena or as grandfather rocks and other mystical landmarks scattered throughout the landscape? Who just need to reawaken what they have always had inside them? 

Is it possible that the Stone Giant, this spiritual being whose solidified presence now guards the ancient silver deposits of Thunder Bay, preventing any attempt to reactivate the silver mining of yesteryear, embodies not just a curse over mankind but also the awakening of a slumbering awareness?  Is it possible that the he is awaiting a time when a new generation of People will rise up that will walk the Good Red Road of the ancestors again? Could it be that one day, once the People return to mino-bimaadiziwin, the way of a good life, and start living according to a more intelligent and respectful worldview than we experience now, Nibaad Misaabe will wake up from his stone slumber?

Who knows?

If this is true, then, when that day comes, the beloved First Man Wenabozho, no longer hurt and ashamed of his People, will finally be among us again…  

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Aanji-onishkaa (Reawakening). Sterling silver ring set designed and handcrafted by Zhaawano, depicting the dramatic outlines of Nibaad Misaabe (the Sleeping Giant). The sides of the rings (which serve as storytelling mediums and are not for sale) show graphic insides containing ovally shaped designs of 14K red gold and sterling silver (the latter are not visible in the photo.) These inlays symbolize the, respectively, copper and silver deposits in the area of Thunder Bay, Ontario, which since time immemorial hold a sacred meaning for the Anishinaabe Peoples who inhabit the Great Lakes district. The ring set is not available for purchase.

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Giiwenh. That´s how far this blog story goes. Miigwech for reading and listening!

Bi-waabamishinaang miinawaa daga: please come see us again!

*Misko-biiwaabikoo ("miskwaabik") literally, red metal, is, another word in use for (a piece of) copper.

** Source: Winibozho and the Creation of the Current World.

> Click here to read part 3 of the series "Reawakening Of The Medicine People".

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Simone McLeod (her traditional name is Aki’-egwaniizid, which is an Ojibwe name meaning "Earth Blanket") is an Anishinaabe painter and poet, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1962. She belongs to he Name doodem (Sturgeon clan). Simone feels special kinship with her mother's people, the Azaadiwi-ziibiNitam-Anishinaabeg (Poplar River First Nation) of Manitoba. She descends from a long line of Midewiwin seers and healers and artists. Her artwork has been appreciated by several art collectors and educational and health care institutions from Canada, as well as by art lovers from all over the world.

Zhaawano Giizhik, an American currently living in the Netherlands, was born in 1959 in North Carolina, USA. Zhaawano has Anishinaabe blood running through his veins; the doodem of his ancestors from Baawiting (Sault Ste. Marie, Upper Michigan) is Waabizheshi, Marten. As a writer and non-commercial artist and jewelry designer, Zhaawano draws on the oral and pictorial traditions of his ancestors. In doing so he sometimes works together with kindred artists. He has done several art projects with Simone in the past.

 

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Reflections of the Great Lakes, part 6

Mishi-ginebig, Patron of Healing and Wisdom

Updated May 28, 2022

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Aaniin! Hello!

By way of a blog series called "REFLECTIONS OFTHE GREAT LAKES," accompanied by my own art and jewelry designs as well as artworks by kindred artists, I seek to capture, and pay homage to, the spirit and fascinating beauty and majesty of GICHIGAMIIN, the Great Seas of the Anishinaabe People, and all the creatures that live near, on, or beneath them. 

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To the Ojibwe Anishinaabeg, the waters themselves and their undercurrents and beaches and islands covered with mists have always evoked a myriad of mysterious representations of manidoo. These spirit beings occasionally appear in natural guise with distinct human or animal personalities; these include the mischievous water dwarfs called memegwesiwag and the friendly bagwajininiwag, the little wild forest people, creators of mystic glades in the woods, who are known to sometimes inhabit the sandy beaches, emerging from their sanctuaries on moonlit nights to dance in the shadows, warning passers-by of the fearful Mermaid. And the shining lodges of the mishiinimakinagoog, the turtle spirits, can be seen in the summer evenings when the moon shines on their island habitat; Ojibwe and Odaawaa fishermen, who steer their canoes near certain steep cliffs and jagged pinnacles at night, occasionally hear their happy voices echo across the dark lake. Others, however, are more indefinite and potentially dangerous - such as nibiininaabewag and nibiinaabekwewag (mermen and mermaids), mishi-bizhiwag (great horned underworld cats), and mishi-ginebigoog (great horned underwater snakes).

Throughout the ages many of these spirit beings have been perpetuated on the spot in stylized drawings or carvings in and on rocks in sacred locations, particularly in mystic places near the coastline where the sky, the earth, the water, the underground and the underwaters meet...

Today's blog story features a set of 14K gold storytelling rings designed and handcrafted by myself, portraying a design of the Midewiwin Life Road combined with the stylized image of Mishi-ginebig, the Great mythical Snake of the Anishinaabe Peoples. A drawing by me (see the picture below), and four images of powerful paintings by the late Miskwaabik Aninikii (Norval Morrisseau) have also been added serving as illustrations to the story. 

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Noojimowin miinawaa Nibwaakaawin: “Healing and Wisdom.” This is the name of the rings, which serve as storytelling tools and are not for sale.  I created the ring using the overlay technique. In this method, a design is cut from one piece of silver or gold and placed over another piece; the two are then soldered together, hence the term “overlay.” These rings are made from layers of various gold alloys in different colors: specifically, white gold over yellow gold and palladium gold, which is more grayish, over red gold.

Both the title of the ring set and the stylized depiction of head and body of Mishi-ginebig – which I merged into the age-old design of the Midewiwin Life Road - symbolize the great healing powers that since time immemorial have been accredited to this Supernatural Spirit Grandfather that is said to dwell in the underworld of many rivers and lakes – with Gichigami (the Great Freshwater Lake, Lake Superior) predominating...

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THE GREAT SEA SERPENT

In the old days, based on their understanding that existence is a dynamic and continuous interplay between all of creation, the Anishinaabeg considered the great sea serpent, as one of many aadizokaanag (Spirit Grandfathers) that dwell in the Universe, simply as part of gichi-bigwaji-bimaadiziwn, the greater cycle of nature. Despite its terrifying appearance this horned creature with its deadly tail was not necessarily deemed evil. As Mishi-ginebig was known to secure successful hunts and an abundance of food hunters often called upon it's power to secure a good fish catch; so powerful was he that some Medicine people addressed the Great Serpent to lend them its healing powers.

To my ancestors – that is, before they became influenced by the European settlers with their Christian dogmas - there was no sense of good and evil but only a natural balance of deeds; nature, however symbolized, qualified, or ritualized, simply existed. No matter how monstrous these and other underwater creatures appeared to be my ancestors have always been attentive to their medicinal significance. Despite the fear the Underwater Beings instilled in their hearts and minds minds, they were always respected and revered for their beneficial powers that helped sustain the delicate balance between the underworlds, the middle world, and the sky world…

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Painting on a hand drum by Norval Morrisseau depicting a Thunderbird and an Underwater Snake. Animikii Binesi (Thunderbird) and Mishi-ginebig are seen as inveterate enemies; thunder and lightning are supposed to be caused by the Thunderbird who hunts the horned Underwater Snake. The scene illustrates the eternal tensions between, and the interdepence of, the creatures in the sky and those in the upper and lower waters of lakes and rivers.

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MIDEWIWIN

Many Ojibwe stories portray Mishi-ginebig, whose stylized representations are to be found on many rock paintings and petroglyphs in hidden places throughout the Great Lakes area, as a metaphorical interpretation of a giigoonh, or fish being – and as such closely related to trout and sturgeons -, as bawaagan (a spiritual helper appearing in dreams), and, by extension, as a prominent aadizookaan, or patron, of healing and knowledge of medicinal herbs. Not only are these horned Beings, which are associated with drowning and floods and evil medicine as well as with good medicine, healing, and protection of women, said to be directly associated with the fertility of Omizakamigokwe (the Earthmother); they also play an important role in the Midewiwin (Grand Medicine Society) and its ceremonies.

This role has, of course, a dualistic nature; whereas in the second degree of the Midewiwin ceremony “evil” ginebig manidoog try to prevent a candidate member to reach the third degree, in the third degree the serpent manidoo “helps” the candidate by arching its body so he or she may pass beneath unharmed into the fourth degree of the Society. 

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Norval Morrisseau: Untitled Midewiwin Vision Quest Kenora tempera or acrylic on hide

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A SAFE PASSAGE

Because mishi-ginebigoog were regarded as guardians of the lakes and as such evoked reverance, awe, and sometimes fear, the old ones, in order to ensure safe water passage, never failed to offer tobacco (and perhaps other presents) at perilous places in the lakes and whirlpools and rapids of rivers. Because of the Underwater Snake’s sacred, seemingly dualistic nature and his ambivalent powers and because he was sometimes considered a bad omen in dreams and visions, our ancestors hardly ever uttered his name, except maybe for the winter time - as they probably figured that as long as the rivers and lakes were frozen mishi-ginebig was unable to exercise his formidable powers…

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The capricious Midewiwin Life Road design - consisting of four “hills” and seven “tangents” or side paths - that were cut out from the white gold exteriors of these storytelling rings symbolizes the life cycle of two individuals who share their joys and sorrows. Daily they face the challenge of struggling to stay on course when encountering sharp bends in the road of life and, in particular, of balancing the demands of their work and the demands of family life. Daily they face the challenge of solving problems and avoiding temptations (symbolized by the side paths of the design) leading them astray from the good path, with the prospect of living a long life together in harmony, wisdom, and good health. But a closer look at the rings reveals that the jeweler merged the essential “physical” features of the mysterious Mishi-ginebig into the design of the Midewiwin diagram, which since time immemorial has been passed on by the Medicine People of the Midewiwin – a society of seers and healers, respected guardians of the culture, history, and sciences of the Anishinaabeg Peoples. This spirit grandfather from the depths of rivers and lakes, often depicted with the body of a snake and a head equipped with horns, is a metaphorical interpretation of a fish. To date, this supernatural reptile/fish is regarded as a powerful dream messenger and a prominent patron of Medicine and knowledge of medicinal plants. 

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THE SUN AND THE MOON

The cut-out images of the sun and the moon of the interiors of these layered rings emphasize the virtue of wisdom and the dualistic nature of Traditional Healing - both in the physical/medicinal and the mental sense. After all, doesn't the old Anishinaabe tradition encourage the youth to seek wisdom, resilience, and (mental) healing in the vast blue of Father Sky and beyond, in the realms of the sun, the moon, and the stars? Did the Elders in the old days not teach the youth that wisdom and mental healing are primarily obtained by what they called, GIKINAWAABI, literally: to learn by, and from, observation? Didn't our children learn history, culture, and values from their grandparents through respectful observation, encouragement, and example?

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Untitled paintings by Norval Morrisseau depictig Mishi-ginebig. The top image depicts Mishi-ginebig carrying a medicine pouch, which illustrates his role as bringer and keeper of Medicine.

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Listen and learn, do not mirror yourself to others, draw from your own "medicine" (strength). Such is the simple but essential message that I sought to convey through the celestial bodies placed in the interiors of these wedding rings…

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Gigii-pima’adoon iwe mashkikiiwaatig. Inaabin, giizhigong ezhiozhaawashkwagoodeg, gimishoomisinaan onibwaakaawin. Ji-bimaadiziyan naagijitoon gimiinigoowiziwinan ji-mino bimaadiziwin. Gaawiin bezhigwan gidinaadizisii gaajiigidaamad. Weweni gigiiozhii’igoo. Giin wa’awe bezhig. Miigo awe gaajiigidaamad. Gaye mitigoog miinawaa waabigwan miinawaa waawaashkeshi miinawaa dibik-giizis miinawaa anang. Inashke naabiyan gigikendaan. Gegoo memwech michi-naanaagadawaabin. Gaye, bizindan. Naanaagijitoon ezhiseg gegooyan. Naanaagijitoon gibimaadiziwin gaye igiwedi aanind. Giishpin naanaagidawaabiyan miinawaa bizindaman mii’omaa ge-onjigikendaman gakina gegoo. Gikendamowin daagikendaagwad. Nibwaakaawin inaadizin. Inaadizin bagakendan.

(“To live wisely is to live according to your own, unique gifts…you are not the same as, and certainly no less unique than, the next person…just like a tree or a flower of a deer or the moon or a star in the sky were created special, were born as unique persons. All you have to do to understand this is  to look around you…ask no questions…just watch and listen…pay attention to what goes on around you…observe yourself and the lives of your relatives, the beings that surround you…all you need to know is out there…knowledge can be learned; wisdom must be lived. So, live. Live and learn!”)*

*A free adaptation from Seven Sacred Teachings by David Bouchard and Dr. Joseph Martin.

Click here to read #7 in the series Reflections of the Great Lakes.

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Jewelry photography by Zhaawano Giizhik. The jewelry serves as storytelling tools and is not available for purchase.                                              

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The author at Agawa Rock, Lake Superior, Ontario, July 2015. This 19th - (or, possibly, partially 17th and partially 19th) century Anishinaabe rock painting depicts several creatures, among which two Mishi-ginebigoog and another horned underwater manidoo (manitu) by the name of Mishibizhiw, the Great Lynx. The site's name in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) is Mazinaabikiniganing, which means "painted rock.".The sacred red occher paint used to depict this and many other similar accounts was typically created by mixing iron hematite with boiled sturgeon spine or bear grease. 

Both Mishi-ginebig (Great Snake) and Mishibizhiw (Great Lynx/Panther) are associated with the water realm, and revered by the Anishinaabeg and Cree as Fish Spirits who control the moods of the Lake and also as sometimes dangerous guards of rapids and swift or troubled waters. Particularly Mishibizhiw - who is said to be capable of shape-shifting - aids those who seek to cross dangerous water, provided that a suitable offer is made.

Some Anishinaabeg, particularly medicine men who seek to be granted the power to enter the sacred rocks, still leave offerings like asemaa (tobacco), clothing, and bundles of colored sticks at the rock site. The rock painting of Mishibizhiw was possibly created in the 19th century by Ojibwe ogimaa (chief) Zhingwaakoons (Little Pine) who led a war party against American miners who exploited a copper deposit in Gichi-gami (Lake Superior). After fasting several days at the Agawa rock to gain spiritual powers, Zhingwaakoons chose to paint Mishibizhiw because it was regarded as the holder and protector of the sacred copper in the lake. .

Photo by Simone McLeod.

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About the author/artist:

My name is Zhaawano Giizhik. 

As an American artist and  (non-commercial) jewelry designer currently living in the Netherlands. I like to draw on the oral and pictorial traditions of my Ojibwe Anishinaabe ancestors from the American Great Lakes area. For this I call on my manidoo-minjimandamowin, or "Spirit Memory"; which means I try to remember the knowledge and the lessons of my ancestors. The MAZINAAJIMOWINAN or ‘‘pictorial spirit writings’’ - which are rich with  symbolism and have been painted throughout history on rocks and etched on other sacred items such as copper and slate, birch bark and animal hide - were a form of spiritual as well as educational communication that gave structure and meaning to the cosmos. Many of these sacred pictographs or petroforms – some of which are many, many  generations old - hide in sacred locations where the manidoog (spirits) reside, particularly in those mystic places near the coastline where the sky, the earth, the water, the underground and the underwater meet.

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