MANITOWANING—Before the arrival of Columbus, before the pilgrims on the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock, before Champlain or Cartier, or even the Vikings, there were the Anishinaabe. The Anishinaabe had their own traditions, customs and spirituality for millennia before the inroads of the Voyageurs and the Black Robes brought Christianity to Indigenous communities, eventually all but muscling out that Indigenous spirituality.
The Midewin Lodge was formed in order to preserve and foster that original spirituality and ways of being, taking them into the shadows and hiding them far from the sight of the priests, RCMP or Indian agents who were determined to stamp them out.
Today the Midewin Societies continue their work, now in large part no longer hidden and ready, once again, to be shared with everyone and anyone who wishes to follow another, more land-conscious way of being. In its opening, the production made it clear this was not a condemnation of anyone’s spirituality—that being a personal choice of the individual.
Debajehmujig Storytellers have always sought to incorporate the foundation teachings of the Midewin into their work and ‘Maamwi’ which ran from February 12 to 22 joins its predecessor ‘Global Savages’ in bringing that knowledge to a broader audience.
Originally under the tutelage of Midewin Odawa Elder Eddie King baa and now informed by his protégé David ‘Sonny’ Osawabine, the petroglyphs form an important mnemonic to relate those foundation teachings.
The performances were dedicated to the ongoing plight of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and there was a brief ceremony at the beginning of the production to that end.
Read our related story, “The foundations of Midewin teachings brought to life in Debaj’s ‘Maamwi’”
The cast, under the direction of Bruce Noakwegijig and consisting of Daniel Recollet Mejaki, Dustin Trudeau, Richard Ashley Manitowabi, Sapper Migwans, Tabitha Peltier and Tyler Pangowish included both veteran actors and relative newcomers such as Mr. Migwans delivered an outstanding performance that was both informative and accessible to their audience.
Among the stories being told—with their associated petroglyphs painted on deer hide banners—were the Four Axes, Symbol of Time, Preservation of Humanity, The Legend of the First Dream, Symbol of Life, Symbol of Freedom. The associated symbols are but a handful of the hundreds that can be found carved into rocks along canoe routes or painted on stones along ancient pathways and represent just a few of the foundation teachings that lie at the heart of pre-contact Indigenous spirituality and continue to thrive up to the present day.
