Preserving the Sacred: Historical Perspectives on the Ojibwa Midewiwin

John Steckley teaches in the Human Studies Program at Humber College in
Toronto. He is the author of Beyond Their Years: Five Native Women’s
Stories.

This comprehensive study of the Ojibwa Midewiwin, the first such
published study, is an excellent work. The author skilfully interweaves
material from diverse sources, including, refreshingly, Aboriginal
writers such as Edward Benton-Banai, Basil Johnston, Norval Morriseau,
and Nicholas Deleary.

The first two chapters, “In Search of the Midewiwin” and
“Anishnabe Religion and Society,” provide a thorough but easily
readable background. The subsequent chapters become progressively more
detailed, providing more for the interested scholar than for the casual
reader.

The author makes a number of important points: (i) “the existence of
the is far more widespread and pervasive than scholars originally
believed”; (ii) there is a danger in establishing a canon of how the
Midewiwin “should be”; (iii) it is important to recognize that
“all narratives told by elders are authentic”; and (iv) the
important term for understanding Aboriginal spirituality
“other-than-human-persons” is not strictly “traditional” but was
invented by A.I. Hallowell.

The thoroughness of this work makes any criticism rather petty, but a
few small faults should be noted. In the index, Angel should have listed
every instance of key Ojibwa words—

e.g., biinjigoosan (“medicine bundles”) and oshkaabewis
(“spiritual helpers in Midewiwin ceremonies”)—and not just the
main references. Such a practice would better respect the language and
would round out an understanding of the nature of the terms. Further, in
discussing the precontact/postcontact origin debate, he should have
mentioned the clearly Midewiwin-like organization that the Huron were
reported as having in 1636. Still, when all is considered, it is safe to
say that this will be the standard reference work for many years to
come.