The Anishinaabe Community - Essay Example

Anishinaabe Introduction The Anishinaabe community represents a group of people from Northern America who firmly believed in kinship and clans. The Ashinaabe were Algonquian speaking people who have valued their clan culture from the ancient days. The kinship ties surrounding the clans were the major determiners of leadership and other aspects within the clan systems. There were traditions that dictated most of the activities in the clans. These traditions were firm and valuable to different clans and they govern marriage and other activities among the clans and tribes (Gross, 13). The odoodem, also known as clans were the units which divided the Anishinaabe people and through these clans they were able to determine their boundaries and social belonging. Experience with the Clan system/philosophies An experience with the Anishinaabe reverts to the history of the Anishinaabe community which claims that this community once aligned their homesteads against the Atlantic Ocean. The Miigis emerged from the ocean and they brought with them a new lifestyle, Mide. The Miigis were seven in number and six of them remained at the shore to instill more values on the clan system to Anishinaabe (Northup, 24). The message on odoodem was rubbed into the hearts of the Anishinaabe and they eventually acquired the clan system from that point. The Anishinaabe developed five totems or clans, namely, Wawaazisii, Baswenaazhi, Aan’aawenh, nook, and Moozwaanowe. All these clans had special symbols and meanings that differentiated them from one another. Each of the totems has their own council, which was self-regulatory (Gross, 24). The elders who constituted the council had the power to make decisions on matters involving the clan collective. There was a principle doodem that often represented the clan in matters of governance and social concerns. The Anishinaabe therefore developed a greeting that asked, ”What is your doodem? These greetings were functional in establishing a social level of conduct between the parties. Respect had to be upheld among the clans and especially the elderly members of the own clan or other clans. A deeper experience with different doodem introduced me to the idea that all five communities of the Anishinaabe community held different positions in the community according to their orientation. The Bimaawidaasi groups were specially recognized for their hunting skills. Members of these doodem were also gatherers and scouts and they collected hunted for game meat and other edible animals that served as food for their clan. Giishkizhigwan were responsible for providing healing substances and herbs to the community. They were also teachers and they educated the clans on different aspect to live in the Anishinaabe community and the wider society. Nooke were multi-talented people who provided the clan with security and also offered healing to those who were ailing (Northup, 24). Nooke later swallowed the bear clan and the vast population of the bear led to the division of the entire body into different parts. The skills possessed by the members of the wider clan were passed on to the younger generation as the defense was a crucial requirement in the clan. The Bemaangik were responsible for providing the clan with domestic communication. During this ancient time where technology and mass communication did not exist, communication was very crucial and the communicators had to ensure that she was nor distortion of the message. The message had to reach the intended receiver as intended by the sender and this clan interacted among the council to delegate on the matters of interest and the mode of communication. In the event of dialogues, a fire was lit during the conversations and matters involving the internal and domestic issues of the clan were addressed thoroughly. The kinship ties stretched to the extended families and there was regard for the grandparents all the way to the elder brothers who were known as Niyasenh (Northup, 24). The kins were all supposed to be in the same clan as they belonged to one lineage.. The clans who hailed from a different tribe were considered to have the same designation and these could be termed as legal doodem. The presence and regard of kinship ties formed part of the Anishinaabe’s lifestyle which was also its philosophy. Question of efficacy of restoration of the clan system of governance today The restoration of the clan system as a form of governance today is an impossibility. This is because the modern community revolves around business ideals that dictate the lifestyles of different people and their social positions. The business culture around the world has created the capitalist government system and lifestyle whereby every person works for their individual goals. These goals include earning wealth and improving life. Globalization is a product of modern trade and investments into different sectors and the world has embraced the inevitable move towards globalization. The clan system is therefore inapplicable in this era where governments are directed by trade and other economic aspects. The capitalist culture in most nations in the world has allowed people to move from one geographical area to another in search for education and economic opportunities. It is through immigration that people interact and accept the foreign culture and even intermarry. The boundaries of clans and kinship have no room in today’s world because people travel and settle in of different places and accept the new cultures as their own (Northup, 24). The clan system can only be practiced in communist governments that collectively own land and work to achieve goals in a communal manner. There is, however an exception if there are no movement and interaction among clan members since interaction among some clans in the Anishinaabe was sometimes illegal. Capitalist systems are very few in the world today and this means that the world cannot be restored to clan leadership as it is limited and time-barred. The trends in technology have changed the phases of life through communication, industries, and transport among others (Northup, 44). This means that the globe has taken remarkable steps into accepting the benefits of technology. Technology has liberated people’s way of thinking, their health, leadership, business entities, among others, has embraced the modern trends and there is no turning back. The clan leadership was appropriate for the era that it existed and time has taken over to eliminate its relevance in society. Time has brought changes into the world and the changes are inevitable (Northup, 18). Conclusion The study of the clan system and its impacts on the Anishinaabe community create awareness on the cultural values upheld by the Anishinaabe. This understanding provides a basis of argument on the validity and effectiveness of the clan system against other systems of governance. The value of unity and social cohesion as learnt from the Anishinaabe is an important virtue that we should uphold in society. Unity is strength and the study reveals that a community that ages and unites in all its activities is bound to succeed in all its objectives. Unity similarly eliminates vices in the community and enables people to live together in harmony. Works cited Gross, Lawrence W. Anishinaabe Ways of Knowing and Being. , 2014. Print. Northup, Jim. Anishinaabe Syndicated: A View from the Rez. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2011. Print. Read More