Some Sacred Ways of a People
The Bodéwadmik – The Potawatomi
There are several stories that attempt to address the various origins of the Potawatomi and some of their sacred rites. There are none published that detail whatever practices they might have had by way of describing a set of ceremonies they followed from year to year, or as some would call Rites of Passage. We shall attempt to highlight what we have come to know and accept as not only Potawatomi Rites of Passage, but an observance of ceremonies throughout a Potawatomi’s life. We shall begin at birth and follow a hypothetical child through life and list some of the sacred rites they would follow as a Potawatomi.
The Naming Ceremony.
The first ceremony any child would go through in a typical cultural observance is the naming ceremony, usually taking place after the child’s first 28 days. A Potawatomi child is usually not even seen or recognized as officially alive by the father until after they have been named. Then and only then, did the father ask to see his son or daughter, and usually the child was introduced to the rest of the family group and people.
Prayers would be offered by the mother and any female relatives, along with the attending elder bestowing the name on the child for the child’s future welfare, that they would be a good hunter or nurturer, throughout the course of their lives. Blessings would be asked by the conferring elder so as to assure the child would amount to something in life and that he/she would follow the traditional ways of their people in the accepted fashion.
Acquiring a name assured the child’s place in the tribal cultural structure but also gave the child a place in the universal structure by introducing him/her as a human being with a formal identity. Names were important from that perspective as it was that name that would identify you to the spiritual world upon the passing from this life into the next world.
Names had special meaning for Neshnabék children and they were told the meanings of their names when they were old enough to fully comprehend. Some names had to be fasted with to ask for special additional blessings, especially thunder clan names and crane clan, but there were other clans that carried similar responsibilities. The name given had to follow clan lines and usually had been in the family before it was conferred upon the child. It was common among the Neshnabék that a person could earn more than one name during one’s lifetime depending on what kinds of accomplishments one might complete. Usually the name given for something like an accomplishment would have special significance for the person earning that right and depicted the person’s character.
The Puberty Fast.
Prior to a child’s puberty fast, it was commonly asked to go without food and water, often from sun up to sundown. The mother or grandmother would blacken the face of the young child and it would be told the fast was to strengthen it for future such ordeals. Blackening the face meant it was marked for that purpose to the spirits/mnedos, so as to protect them while they were fasting. This was usually done with charcoal from the stove or campfire, with three marks: two vertical marks on each cheek, and one long horizontal one on the forehead. This stood for the Jibamen, body, soul and spirit of the child. From about the age of 4-5 until the age of puberty, the young child undertook these types of fasts to prepare it for its life as a Neshnabé. Approaching the age of puberty the young person was watched with great interest by its elders so they would know when to place the child out for its first long fast, usually four days in length.
Puberty was chosen as an age at which to put a young person out to seek a guardian spirit as that was the age when young people began to experience subtle body changes, hair growth, voice changes among young men, and noticing sexual differences among themselves. It was a commonly held practice among most Neshnabék so as to foster wholesome thoughts toward the opposite sex, respect for what their own bodies were going through, and seeking the aid of a mnedo/spirit to help them throughout their lives. Many a young person did not fast beyond their puberty fast, while some chose to Vision Quest further to examine what their fates might be as war leaders, medicine people, and other vocations with their tribal structure.
The Vision Quest.
Some youths chose to seek a vision beyond the scope of the normal understanding a puberty fast would account for among Neshnabék. If a youth desired war success, or the wisdom to lead their people aright and wisely as a headman or woman, or to dedicate their life as a shaman or shamaness, or some other special insight into their daily living situation, they would seek special vision through this means. An established spiritual leader would be approached to ask for their leadership to undertake such a fast, as it could often be an arduous task, being sometimes many days in duration, many times more than a puberty fast would have been. A well established spiritual leader assured a young person certain successes as they vision quested, as these people would call upon their mnedos to watch over the young person and guarantee them whatever it was they might be seeking. There were fees that were expected to be paid to the spiritual leader by the young man’s family for leading their member and assuring this type of success. Fees and gifts were a constant part of a person’s life whenever advice and spiritual help was sought for a person, whether it was a name for a child, or some special doctoring one might need occasionally throughout life, or some other special help one sought.
The Feast of the Dead/Ghost Feast.
The Ghost Feast or supper as some called it, was actually a memorial feast observed by all members of the tribal group, usually in early Spring and early Fall. These two times were chosen as the Neshnabék saw Seasons as specific Doorways leading to the world of spirits and those who had passed on. All Neshnabék children would have observed this rite as members within their tribal group, from the time they were still babies and on throughout their adulthood and later lives.
It was generally held the deceased went to their home in the world of the spirits but could look down upon the living and could guide and direct the living at times, should the Chief Spirit allow them to. It was important to observe this rite for that purpose. The bones of the deceased were cherished in thought among the living and everyone was taught they would each assume their place in the spirit world eventually. The respect for the bones of the ancestors was one of the main reasons the Neshnabék resisted removal from their homelands.
Originally, the spiritual leadership took charge of these ceremonies and built their fires to accommodate the offering of food, water, and tobacco to the deceased as a way of remembering them among the living. Prayers were offered at these times for the living in the hopes of attracting good blessings among the surviving members to the spirits of the deceased and to Mamogosnan, who oversaw all spiritual activity, both on earth and Above among the world of spirits. It should be noted this ceremonial rite was observed as a Memorial for all deceased relatives among the Neshnabék during the specified times. This rite may have been slightly different among some of the Neshnabék, the Odawa, Ojibwa, and Bodéwadmi, but generally followed the same beliefs held by the group in common. It should also be noted these three people formed an alliance that still exists to this day as the The Three Fires Confederacy, the Ojibwa, Odawa and Bodéwadmi.
The Sacred Ball Game.
There were two games possessed by the Neshnabék, one owned by the women, which was played by all in the Fall of the year, and the other was administered by the spiritual leadership to be played only by the men, usually during the early Spring and throughout the summer months.
The women’s ballgame was called Épeskewéwen, and was owned by a head woman. It was administered by the women of a society and was played to observe all of life. Songs and dances were done along with it and stories were told by elders so people would know their history, origins, and migrations.
The men’s ballgame was called Bagakdowéwen and was administered by the spiritual leaders. It was played periodically to observe the Seasons, that of Spring and Summer, and was also observed occasionally to ward off too much aggression and to foster certain competitive urges the young men felt toward their older peers. It was told by some elders that the tribal group that ritually observed this rite was blessed with mature standards among its warriors and a sense of fair play among them as well. Certainly too much aggressive behavior could foster greed and envy among the younger men and could also mean the downfall of the nation if allowed to continue. The good of the nation was always considered to be of paramount interest to the combined spiritual leaders.
Feasting was always a part of these rites too and the spiritual leadership took the lead in administering the rites to make certain of the prayers that needed to be observed and the correct stories to be recited.
Midéwen.
This ceremony had its origins in the original creation stories among the Neshnabék. It was open to Neshnabék people upon invitation only and generally was held four times a year. If a person fell sick or died, they could be installed in the Midé and surviving family members would be expected to pay the fees for joining as an initiate. There was both a Life Midéwen and a Ghost Midéwen for this purpose.
When fees were paid to the adopting society, it assured the new member acceptance into that society, always observing the leadership first and foremost as gifts went. Membership meant that strict observance of all society rules and customs involving all of the norms, mores, sanctions and taboos of the adopting society. Each society had expected degrees of maturation one was expected to reach within reason.
Other Ceremonies Observed.
The Wabeno Ceremony was part of an ongoing society of the Midéwen. Only those who showed special spiritual skills and commitment were asked to join these Dawn Dreamers. It should also be noted that the Midé and Higher Ceremonies of this type were considered secret, thus very sacred. One did not ask to join this or other types of societies; they were open only to those invited by the leaders of that society. Among the Wabeno could be the Nanandawi, the Sucking doctor, the Jichibshkagé, the Shaker Priest or conjurer of information, and other positions of power and responsibility requiring an additional amount of fasting and spiritual education to be considered worthy.
The Zhawnogé or Adoption Dance, as some called it was also something that could be observed by all members of a Neshnabé tribal group. This Dance was usually conducted during late Summer or early Fall and at one time went four days. Most of the more ritual ceremonies were conducted over a span of days, usually four days. Some of the more sacred ceremonies could go as long as eight to ten days in length, for it was considered the vocation of some of the practicing members; whereas today, most people have other jobs and no longer consider these ceremonies as vocations.
The Dream Dance or Big Drum, as some have come to call it, did not come to the Neshnabék until the mid 1800’s, but soon came to be accepted as one of the major rites of many Potawatomi folk.
The War Dance was always a rite observed by the men of the tribe and continued to be observed by World War I, World War II, Korean War veterans, but seems to have lost its place for observance among modern day Potawatomi men. It gave the men a chance to demonstrate what they did in battle and how they may have come to earn certain honors bestowed on them. Then too, the spiritual leaders were in charge of these rites also, so it gave the men an opportunity to be doctored as well during the observance of this rite. This is why Post Traumatic Stress Disease was virtually unknown during the early days of the Neshnabék when this rite was observed. It is felt by many practicing members of certain societies today that if ritual observance of the old ceremonies were held again, the Neshnabék would be a much healthier people in all ways. Then too, our tribal languages were always used during the observance of these various rites and had to be spoken on a daily basis within the home and family, so as not to lose it.
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