Promotional Information

"Pomedli's book is a work of careful, well-documented scholarship on animal symbolism in the Ojibwe Midewiwin, an important topic which has not been much addressed by earlier scholars. The author has clearly done an enormous amount of careful research, gathering information from many kinds of sources, including traditional narratives, birchbark scrolls and petroglyphs, and textiles and other media." -- Lawrence Martin, Professor Emeritus of American Indian Studies, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire "Living with Animals is the work of a mature scholar, based on years of experience in the field. Pomedli's unique methodology has applications in Native Studies beyond the discussion of Algonquian culture." -- J. Douglas Rabb, co-author of 'Indian from the Inside: Native American Philosophy and Cultural Renewal'

Table of Contents

Preface

• Challenging Western thought
• The power of bear grease
• Bears as persons
• Transformative possibilities make definitive judgments difficult

Introduction

• Scope of this book
• Geography of the Ojibwe
• Goals and methodology
• Use of terms; spellings, illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• Genesis of this book
• Permissions

Chapter One: The Grand Medicine Society, the Midewiwin

• Membership
• Wabeno, Jessakkid, and Midewiwin
• Origins of the Midewiwin
• Cosmic ordering
• Nanabush
• Health and the Midewiwin
• Functions of the Midewiwin
• Sound of the drum
• Medicine bags
• Birch bark scrolls, the lodge, teachings, ceremonies
• Midewiwin and rock art
• Bear, the “guiding spirit of the Midewiwin”
• Megis/shell
• Midewiwin and leadership

Chapter Two: “Paths of the Spirit”: Moral Values in the Writings of Four 19th-Century Ojibwe in the Spirit of the Midewiwin

• Peter Jones: Like the “red squirrel” who stores nuts, store works of the Great Spirit
• Andrew J. Blackbird: “The Great Spirit is looking upon thee continually”
• George Copway: “I am one of Nature’s children.”
• William Whipple Warren: ”There is much yet to be learned from the wild and apparently simple son of the forest”

Chapter Three: Otter: the Playful Slider

• Physical otter
• Otter as representational
• Otter as patterned
• Otter and Ojibwe standards of life

Chapter Four: Owls: Images and Voices in the Ojibwe and Midewiwin World

• Classification and characteristics of owls
• Owl as bad luck, bad medicine
• Owl as protector and healer
• Owl as a teacher of altruism
• Owl and directions, winds and seasons
• Owl and the dead
• Owl and conservation
• Owl and origin of day and night
• Representations of owl

Chapter Five: Omnipresent and Ambivalent Bears

• Bears’ anatomy, physiology, and behavior
• Ojibwe relationships with bears
• Representations of bear in ceremonial performances
• Near identity of bears and Ojibwe
• Bear in the Midewiwin ceremonies
• Totems/dodems, clans
• Evil bears
• Bear as archshadow
• Bear as celestial
• Bears and visions of sound
• Bear as medicine and healer: following the bear path
• Bear as patterned
• Bear as child abductor
• Bear as environmental guardian, mother
• Games
• Bear and greed

Chapter Six: Water Creatures

• Harmful creatures
• Snakes and the afterlife
• Helpful creatures
• Women, water and snakes
• Sea creatures and copper
• Sea creatures and silver
• The Little People

Chapter Seven: Thunderbirds

• Thunderbirds as givers
• Interrelationships among humans, sky and water creatures
• Birds and play
• Thunderbirds and Ojibwe life
• Thunderers as communicators and protectors
• Thunderbird symbolism

Conclusion

Appendix A
Leadership among Ojibwe

Appendix B
The sweat lodge

Appendix C
Bear as celestial

Appendix D
Ojibwe historical relationship with copper

Appendix E
Lacrosse and war

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Michael Pomedli is an emeritus professor of Philosophy at St Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan.

Reviews

‘An impressive piece of scholarship and it breaks new ground regarding the Midewiwin or Grand Medicine Society… Living with Animals is a welcome resource for students and scholars and I also highly recommend to general readers who have an interest in native spirituality.’
*Prairie Messenger July 2, 2014*

‘This engaging and engrossing study focuses on the cultural forms of Native expression in 19th-century Ojibwe medicine societies and communities… Living with Animals offers an impressive amount of meticulous data—including traditional narratives, scrolls, textiles, and petroglyphs.’
*Choice vol 52:02:2014*

‘This book makes a unique contribution to the literature on Ojibwe culture by emphasizing the place of animal and spiritual beings in nineteenth-century Ojibwe ontology, behavior and world view.’
*The Canadian Journal of Native Studies vol 34:02:2014*