OJIBWE Newsletter

CULTURAL
FOUNDATION Volume 5, Issue 3
May 2010

In the OCF Gallery May 3 - June 30

Ahmoo’s Prayer Inside this issue:

1, 12
Ahmoo’s Prayer
OCF gallery exhbiition

2-5
Anishinaabe Amiikan
A story from Dan Pine

6-7
Gashkibidaagan:
Medicine Pouches of
the Anishinaabe
Upcoming museum
exhibition

8-9
Above: Ahmoo Angeconeb - “Family Migration,” 2000 Artists of
Nnisidwaamdis
We are proud to be hosting an exhibition of the art of Ahmoo An-
geconeb this May and June. Ahmoo is an Anishinaabe of Sioux Lookout,
and currently lives in Lac Seul (Obishikokkang), Ontario. His striking 11
prints are a familiar sight at the OCF: bold, thick black Woodland-style OCF Calendar of Events
forms on coloured paper. This exhibition, “Ahmoo’s Prayer: Drawings Summer 2010
from Obishikokaang,” showcases a sample of his drawings. It is orga-
nized by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery and has toured the country before
coming to the OCF gallery.
These drawings hang in the OCF gallery like huge black mirrors
thinly traced with electric blue lines. Each drawing is a dense array of
pictographic figures, repeated again and again in various configurations.
His lines are meticulous, his practice ritualistic, and his subject matter
spiritual. As Glenn Allison’s exhibition essay emphasizes:
“The formulaic character of the figure is essential. Repitition and
formula are implicit in the structure of oral traditions.They are mnemonic
(continued on back page)
 Page 2
From the Community
Anishinaabe Amiikan
Debaajmod/Storyteller
Dan Pine
Garden River First Nation, December 22, 198~
Anishinaabewisidood/Transcriber
Evelyn Roy
Aankinootmaagejig/Translators
Evelyn Roy and Kate Roy
Gii kendan kina gegoo Mnidoon ga miingojin, ga
tamaagjin ma akiing.
He knew what the Creator gave him, what was on the
earth for him.
Nikeya gezhi bmaadsid gehi waaji bmaadsiimaajin,
kina ga-chigaadegin weweni wii aabjitoonan.
The way he was to live with his fellow man, every-
thing that was put there should be used well.
Gii miigwechwige pane.
He always gave thanks
Pane temgag bmi giizhgag ki-zheb.
There is always another good day in the morning.
Gii wii jiindaan kina gegoo.
He was connected to everything.
Mii go bi-gshkozid bi-zaaghiwed giizis, mii go
gewii kizheb paamse ma giizhaa nkweshkwaad
mishoomsan, waawiijiwgojin gbe giizhig.
He would rise as soon as the sun came up , go for a
walk to meet with his Grandfather who was going
to walk with him all day.
Aan, ni-naakshig ni-bnghishmod giizis, mii go
miinwaa oodi.
By evening as the sun is about to set, it is the same
thing.
Mii kina gegoo mkwendang ga-zhichgesig gaazhi
wnijged.
There he remembers the things that he did not carry
out, his faults.
Kina go gegoo mii ma temgadnig.
Everything is there, this is where it is.
Gii aahaabwewendizo ma, jibwaa bngishmod giizis.
That is where he forgave himself, before the sun
went down.
Mii gii waamdang wdoonchigewin, wewiib kina
gegoo gii nnaawtoon, ji-bwaa bngishmod giizis.
That is where he saw what he did wrong, right away
he would straighten everything before the sun went
down.
Ji-mno- nbaad, jii nanaagdowenmigzid e-piichi
nbaad.
So he can sleep good, so he can be watched over
while he is sleeping.
Miinwaa kizheb weweni ji zhi-naagdinig wedi
zhayaawin.
The next morning his way of life will have a new
start in the morning.

From the Community
Gkendand aanii nikeya waazhi maajaad miijmiwninig
da-zhaa.
He knows which way to go, where there is food.
Kina gego dizhchigewin Anishinaabe mii geye ga-
zhayaad aapji besho gii-nowendaanan kina gegoo ne
ga-tamaagejin Mnidoo nikeya gezhi bmaadsid.
Everything that Anishinaabe did, this was his way of
life, he was closely related to everything, what was
put here, the way the Creator wanted him to live.
Gezhi wii ji bmaadsiindang kina gego mishoomsan,
gookmisan (aki) ngooki.
How to live with everything, his grandfather, grand-
mother, the earth.
Aapji go gii-gchi twaawendaan kina gegoo.
He was very honoured with everything.
Gaawiin gii aawsii ge aanjtoopa gegoo.
He was not the kind of person to change things.
Ji-aanjnaagog gegoo, ji-aanjnaadinig gegoo.
To change something else to something different
Gaawii nikeya giizhi nokiisii.
This is not how he worked.
Mii go pane wi- ga-chigaademgadnig mii go gaazhi
mnwendang gaazhi bshigendan kina gegoo ezhnaa-
gog Mnidoon gatamaagjin nikeya ji zhinaagdinig,
bmaadsiwiin ji-zhiwaamdang enso giizhig bmosed
ma akiing .
Everything that was created pleased him and he em-
braced it, and all that is seen and given by the Great
Spirit reflects all life form everyday that he walked
on this earth.
Gii-bshigendaan kina gegoo.
He was pleased with everything.
Gii miigwechwendaan ge, miinwaa ge niijaansan, gii
kinoomoowan weweni binojishoyaad wa binoojiinh
gma go nignad, mii zhgo maajii ga-giigdad maajii
nanaagdowendang zhgo.
He was thankful, including his children, he taught
them well from infancy to childhood, up to the time
they learned to speak.
Page 3
Mii maajii kinoohmoowad.
That is when you start teaching him/her.
Niwen ge wgwisan, gii kino-mowaan gwisenhsan
nikeya ezhayaamgadnig kojiing nokiiwin.
And his son, he taught his little son how life works.
Ge-ezhiyaad, ge chi bmaadsid geye ngoding.
How he is going to be, for some day he is going to get
old too.
Gaawin ngoding pane wii wa-wiijiiwaasiin oosan.
Some day, he is not going to live with his father.
Ngoding go gewii dani bkiwzi.
Some day he will have a life of his own.
Ni wiidged shkinwe.
When the young man gets married.
Gewiin, shgewiin go dani yaamgadni ngoji.
Him too, it will happen somewhere.
Da-nidaa ngoji.
He will have a home.
Miish go ji bminang wdi-zhayaawin geye.
Then he will have to start providing on his own.
Mii enji kinoonmaagwod oosan, ji gkendang kina
gegoo ezhayaamgag bmaadiwin.
This is why his father taught him, so he will know
everything about the way of life.
Gezhi zhitood wiigwaas jiimaan.
How to make a birch bark canoe.
Kina go gegoo, wiigwaam aanii ezhnaagog nihiin
wiigwaasgamgoon.
Everything, what the birch houses look like.
Kina go maanda ma waashi giizhowaanig maanda
genji ntaawginaawsod.
Everything is in there: how to keep it warm, where he
is going to raise his family.
Bkonged kina go gegoo ezhayaamgadnig wdagwinan.
Everything about skinning, the texture of the clothing.
Page 4
From the Community
Mii go gewii naasab ne wa kwe gewiin, gaazhi ki-
noomaajgaazod ma biindig nikeya ezhayaamgag
ezhibmingaademgag biinjyahiing nokiiwin.
The same goes with the woman, what she is being
taught inside, and how to manage the work inside.
Kwe wnokiiwin.
Womens’ work.
Kina gewii kinoomaajgaazo wa shkniigkwe nikeya
ezhinokiimgag kina gegoo ezhi bmingaademgag ma
biindig.
A young woman is taught everything, how everything
works inside, how everything is managed.
Gshkigwaaswin kina go gegoo.
Everything that goes with sewing.
Gezhi giizhaman gezhi bkongeyin, kina go gegoo bi
kinoomaajgaazo.
How to prepare and skin an animal, she is being taught
everything.
Gmaapii mii gii mezhgto zhawaamgadnig ma shkinwe
ma biinjyahiinh mamaayin gii wiijnokiimaan gewiin
was shkiniigwe kojing oodi bapaayin geye wii-gkend-
aan kina gego, ji gkendang aanii ezhayaamgag oodi
kojiing nookiin shki-niigkwe.
Later on things changed over, the young boy would
help the mother inside, and the young girl would help
her father outside to experience how it is working
outside.
Gewii wa nini biindig ma gii bi-biindgajgaazo ezhay-
aamgadnig biindig nokiiwin ezhi bmiikigaademgag.
Also the man was brought inside to find what work is
inside and how it is done.
Kina gegoo wgii kendaan.
He knows everything.
Aapii dash ni-jidsemgadning, jii wiidgeyaad giw.
And then the time would come when they would be
married.
Aapji go gii gchi zhayaamgad kina gegoo.
Everything was celebrated properly.
Gewiin wa Anishinaabe wdi-zhayaawin.
This was the Anishinaabe way.
Giiho zhwenmaad mnidoo, ga zhitmaagwod, kina
gegoo, gii gchi twaawenmaan aapji.
He went to praise the Creator that made everything
for him and he worshipped him always.
Gaa gegoo gii waamndaziin, aanii nikeya ge gii
mgichichged.
He did not see anything what other way he might
have done wrong.
Gii gno-waabmigwan, gii wiiji bmaadsiindaan kina
gegoo bemaaddinig.
He was being seen as living with all life forms.
Mnidoo gaa-zhitood, gaa snaa ngoji ge gii nji gw-
yekigaabwid gezhi mji zhichgepan.
In all creation, there was no place to turn to do
wrong or to turn away.
Noondaagwan, waabmigwan, bimsaadaan gaa snaa
gegoo ge-zhichged, noondaagwan ga-giigdad.
He hears him, he sees him, he walks that walk not
being able to do anything, he hears when he speaks.
Gewii wga-noodaan.
He will also hear it.
Gewiin kwe, mii go gewii naasab gaazhi kinoohm-
owin, gaazhi waamndahind.
Also a woman was taught the same way how she
was shown.
Kina gegoo ji zhayaamgag.
So everything will work well.
Gmaapiij mii jidsemgag ji wiidgeyaad giw.
Later on, the time will come to marry.
Eshki bmaadsijig, shkiniigkwe ma gewii wa shkin-
we, mii bi wiidgeyaad.
The young people, young woman and a young man,
they will come together to be married.
 Page 5
From the Community
Haaw, mii maawnjiwding gnoondowaaning dnakmigag wedi
ma waanji wiidgending.
Haaw, then there is a gathering where the ceremony is going
to take place, where the wedding is going to be.

Wii wa-wiindmowahaad Mnidoon.

They are going to make a promise to the Creator.

Wiindmaageyaad Mnidoon.
Telling the Creator they are ready for marriage.

Gete giizhiitahaad wii wiidgewad.

For sure they are ready to be married.

Geget go gii zhittaawag gaawii nishaa gii kitsiiwag.

They are ready, they gave no false promises from both of
them.

Noondaagwan niw ga-kinoohmaagwaajin, mishoomsiwan,

bapaawan mamaawan, gii kinoohmaagwan weweni ji gkend-
mowaad.
They are heard by all who taught the, grandfather, father,
mother and they learned well.

Wiibi niibwiwag ma ngoding ji-bmi- giizhgag.

They will be married one day.

Miish ma niibwiwaad, mish ma enji waawiindmaagwad wa-

wiindmo-wahaad Mnidoon giizhiitahaad ji wiidgewad.
Now they are married, and that is why they are making a
promise, promising to the Creator that they are ready to be
married.

Geget gii zhiitaawag giishpin gegoo zhiwebzid nini wa, kwe

wgizhgtoon ji bminang wedi kojiig nokiiwin.
Therefore they are ready in case something happens to the
man, the woman is able to handle the outside work.

Dbishko ezhi bminang ma biindig nokiiwin gewii naasab.

The same goes as she does her work inside as well.

Gewiin nini da kweman gegoo zhi maazhiyaanid giishgtoon

ma biindig ji bminang dbishko ezhi binminid de da kweman.
With the man’s wife, if she is not well, he can look after
things inside too, how to provide just like his wife handling
things.

(to be continued in a later newsletter)

Page 6
In the Museum...

Gashkibidaagan
Medicine Pouches of the Anishinaabe
By Alan Corbiere
On June 21, 2010, the Ojibwe Cultural Foun-
dation will host an opening reception for the OCF
Museum’s new exhibit called “Gashkibidaagan:
Medicine pouches of the Anishinaabeg.” The exhibit
consists of bags and pouches made by the Anishi-
naabeg from various natural items such as basswood
bark, cedar bark, vegetal fibre, deer hide, and cloth.
The principal idea behind the exhibit is to show the
various types of materials used for bags and pouches
Fig. 1
while demonstrating the development of pouches
from practical designs to more elaborate expressions
of Anishinaabe cosmology and beliefs.
The practical or utilitarian pouches are plain
woven bags often made of wiigob (basswood bark),
giizhik-nagek (cedar), pakweyashk (cat tails) or
naakanashk (reeds). Each of these materials were
harvested at specific times of the year, soaked in
water or boiled, and further softened by rubbing and
then dyed and woven. These bags were made and
used by the Anishinaabeg and many other nations,
such as the Menominee, Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Fig. 2
Sauk and Fox. To illustrate, a cedar bark bag that
was collected from Wikwemikong is shown in fig. 1
(CMC III-G-321) and shows a basic utilitarian bag.
Secondly, a basswood bark bag is shown in fig. 2
(AM 1589) and it was collected from Serpent River
in 1845 and is currently held at the British Museum in
London. Although this particular basswood bag is not
in the Gashkibidaagan exhibit, it shows that this style
of bag was utilized in the Lake Huron territory, not
Fig. 3
 Page 7
In the Museum...
just Manitoulin Island. The specific basswood bag that will
be part of the exhibit is labeled as originating from the “Great
Lakes area” so we opted to show a bag that was tied to one of
the OCF member communities.
The Anishinaabe cosmology is often revealed on the
panels of bags woven from vegetal fibre. These bags are
adorned with images of thunderbirds and underwater panthers
on opposite sides of the same bag thus showing duality of all
things in life, including the duality of medicine. The bag in
fig. 3 (Canadian Museum of Civilization III-X-777) shows
6 underwater panthers on one side, and on the other side is
an abstract representation of the thunderbirds. The bag is a
representation of the dual sources of medicine from above and
below the earth. It can also be a statement of the positive and
negative aspects of Anishinaabe medicine.
The next series of bags incorporate leather and quill-
Fig. 4 work. Some of the bags are decorated with tin cones, geomet-
ric designs in quillwork, and a strap woven from vegetal fibre
and decorated with beads (see fig. 4, CMC III-G-280). This
pouch shows a movement from being crafted with solely plant
materials to incorporating animal hide and porcupine quills,
however, the plant fibres are not totally abandoned as evi-
denced in the strap.
This next leather pouch has a woven strap, metal cones
and quillwork of geometric designs, however, the panel also
prominently features three thunderbirds worked in quill
revealing the artist’s, or owner’s relationship with the thunder-
birds (fig. 5 CMC III-G-828).
These five pictures show just a sample of the types of
bags and pouches that will be on display at the OCF museum.
The exhibit will actually feature a total of 15 bags and pouch-
es, many with different symbols worked in quill or woven
designs. Gashkibidaagan will be on exhibit at the Ojibwe
Cultural Foundation Museum from June 1, 2010 to December
31, 2010 with an exhibit opening on June 21, 2010.

© Ojibwe Cultural Foundation.

Fig. 5
Page 8
In the OCF Gallery

Nnisidwaamdis
July 1 - October 31, 2010

Artist Highlight: Nadia Myre

Nadia Myre - “The Scar

Project” from the artist’s
website

Nadia Myre’s body of work reflects the experience of the Aboriginal person in contemporary
society. She invents ways of telling stories and creating self-portraits, and uses community participation
as an active element in her art. The Scar Project, one of the works to be featured in the Nnisidwaamdis
show, is an ongoing participatory work in which she invites people to ‘sew their scar’ into a canvas,
which is then displayed collectively as one vast piece. This scar is a personal story, a piece of the per-
son, and is thus a most eloquent self-portrait. Myre describes the work on her website:

“In 2005 I began a long-term exploration of how people describe their pain, hurt, healing, and scars with
a needle and thread, and paper and pen. What emerged was The Scar Project, a viewer participatory open-lab/
installation/exhibition where individuals could sit and ‘sew their wounds’, literal or metaphorical, on one of the
canvases provided, and recount whether or not their scars could heal. This work, which consists of close to 500
scarred and sewn canvases and accompanying stories, documents a multitude of voices from all walks of life and
age ranges. Because of this, The Scar Project shows the developing complexity of peoples’ self understanding.”
(http://www.nadiamyre.com/Nadia_Myre/portfolio/Pages/The_Scar_Project.html)

An Anishinaabe (Algonquin) woman living and working in Montreal, Nadia has brought her
work to an international audience, and continues to make her presence felt in the art world. We are
proud to have her bring The Scar Project to Manitoulin, and invite everyone to come to the workshop
to contribute their story (scar) on this little square of canvas, which will then be exhibited as part of the
Nnisidwaamdis exhibition.

www.nadiamyre.com
 Page 9
In the OCF Gallery
d Please note the date change!

Artist Highlight: KC Adams

Four pieces from KC Adams’ Cyborg Hy-
brid series will be coming to us this summer for
the Nnisidwaamdis exhibition. Of Oji-Cree and
Scottish descent, Adams challenges gender and
race stereotypes by use of the politically-charged
metaphor of the cyborg. On her website, the artist
states:

“Cyborg Hybrids is a photo series that attempts to

challenge our views towards mixed race classifications by
using humorous text and imagery from two cultures. The
Cyborg Hybrids are digital prints of Euro-Aboriginal artists
who are forward thinkers and plugged in with technology.
They follow the doctrine of Donna Harroway’s Cyborg
Manifesto , which states that a cyborg is a creature in a
technological, post-gender world free of traditional western
stereotypes towards race and gender. I photographed artists
who fit the Cyborg Hybrid criteria and had them wear white
t-shirts with beaded text such as “AUTHORITY ON ALL
ABORIGINAL ISSUES”, “INDIAN GIVER” and other
slogans that would illustrate common Aboriginal stereotypi-
cal text. I also created white chokers for them to wear while
I photographed them in stoic poses, mocking photographs
of Aboriginal people from the 19th and early 20th century.
I then digitally alter the photos to look like they could fit
within a glamorous magazine. Their defiant poses challenge
the viewer to try and classify their identity. ” (http://www.
kcadams.net/art/arttotal.html)
KC Adams - “‘INDIAN PRINCESS’ - Cyborg Hybrid KC”
from the artist’s website
This ongoing series has expanded across
many Canadian cities, an online incarnation, a series of ‘Cyborg Hybrid Accessories,’ and has been col-
lected and exhibited by many high-profile venues such as the National Gallery of Canada. She has served
as the Director of the Urban Shaman Gallery and developed a body of inspiring and ground-breaking
work.
Adams will be coming to the OCF to workshop with the Manitoulin community this summer. We
invite everyone to participate in this ongoing artwork, and to critique cultural norms by expressing them-
selves as Cyborg Hybrids.

www.kcadams.net
Page 10
At the OCF
At right, our Curatorial
Assitant works on our
new permanent exhibi-
tion in the museum.
This is a creative ex-
hibit about the sacred
scrolls of the Ojibwe.
 Page 11
OCF Events
OCF Calendar of Events
Summer 2010
AND MISC
MUSEUM

June - Dec “Gashkibidaagan: Medicine Pouches of the Anishinaabe” exhibit

-Reception June 21 @ 7pm
TBA OCF Annual General Assembly
July 1 @ noon Annual Canada Day Recitation of the Great Wampum

May - June “Ahmoo’s Prayer” art exhibit

-Reception May 20 @ 7pm
GALLERY

June Gilbert Anishinabe art exhibition (reception date tba)

EVENTS

July Duncan Pheasant art exhibition (reception date tba)

July - Dec “Nnisidwaamdis: I Recognize Myself”
-Reception July 16 @ 7pm
July 16 - 18 Manitoulin Art Tour (open for three days)
August Finian Paibomesai art exhibition (opening date tba)

Contemporary art workshops with the artsits of Nnisidwaamdis!

SHOPS
WORK-

“Cyborg Hybrids” with KC Adams (dates tba)

ART

“The Scar Project” with Nadia Myre (dates tba)

and others

May 10 @4-6pm “The Buffalo Dance” with Elder Marie Eshkibok-Trudeau

SERIES
YOUTH

May 25 @4-6pm
OCF

“Rites of Passage for Young Women” with Elder Mary Elliott

June 8 @4-6pm “The Importance of Fasting” (elder-facilitator tba)
(Each of these teachings are followed by a supper of chili and
scone, and are FREE for Anishinaabe youth.)

July 5-9 Moosehair Tufting with Jake Sarazin (10am-4pm, Mon-Fri)

SUMMER

DEMOS
CRAFT

July 12-16 Quillwork Plaiting with Jake Sarazin (10am-4pm, Mon-Fri)

July 19-23 Birchbark Utensils with Thomas Ruth (10am-4pm, Mon-Fri)
July 26-30 Regalia Dancing Fans with Falcon Migwans (10am-4pm, Mon-Fri)
(Demos free with admission, or try it hands-on for a workshop fee)

*Note that admission applies unless otherwise noted

(Continued from cover)

devices, like chorus and

rhyme, essential to this visual
litany and its fervent utter-
ance. Angeconeb’s motifs
recur with the percussive
regularity of chant, each time
reiterating elements integral to
his practice.”
Ahmoo has gained
prominence in the internation-
al art world recently, though
he is relatively unknown
locally. The Woodlands style
is a fairly saturated scene,
with many already established
artists. Still, Glenn Allison,
the Thunder Bay Art Gallery’s Ahmoo Angeconeb proudly views the printmaking artwork of his students at the OCF
curator, hails him as a lead- Anishinaabe Art Camp. An exhibition of his pencil drawings is at the OCF this May-June.
ing figure of the style, and the
intensity and artistic quality of
Ahmoo’s work speaks more “Ahmoo’s Prayer: Drawings from Obishikokaang” May 3 to June 30, 2010
highly still.