Yet again, I have learned many new things in your writing. I had never heard of a doodem pole, which I falsely assumed was just another spelling of totem pole. When I looked this up I immediately saw there were some profound differences, with the doodems identifying some of the positions in their kinship/clan systems. Of course totem poles are more specific to the Pacific Northwest as well. I would really like to know more about how being born to identify with a particular doodem really influenced the roles people assumed in their respective communities/tribes.
I am still learning about the clan system based on patrinlineal kinship. From my reading of new books like REDISCOVERING AMERICA by Ned Blachawk is that clan may have been more important than tribe as an organizing princple of everyday life. The extent to which the clan you are born into influences the role you play in your community is not obvious to me. More research ahead.
I know it might be out of your way, but my mother and I traveled to the Penbima State Museum in Pembina, North Dakota, near the Canadian border in North Dakota. It had excellent exhibits and information. I found myself making familial ties to people living around Lake Superior while touring this museum. Our visit may have been 10 years ago, so the exhibits and staff may have changed. But the exhibits and Interpretationit was outstanding.
I'm glad you made this historic trip. I love the museum building and all the history it holds. What a wonderful journey and to not have it be a big deal to cross over the border| A doodem pole? Fascinating and completely new to me. Thank you, Jill.
I would have made the trip in June when I was there but I discovered my passport had expired in May. I am glad to have renewed my passport then and made this trip last October. I hope I can return there next summer.
Jill, The stories you are bringing to light are so instructive. You are shaping a whole new perspective on what we think of as history, which is of course, the narrative the dominant culture or cultures prefer to share. What you are uncovering is so much richer, more complex and more interesting. Thank you for re-shaping our narrative.
What a powerful and moving piece. Your journey across the border brought history vividly to life, and your respectful attention to Chief Ay Ash Wash’s legacy has widened my horizons. Thank you.
Here's is a little of what I read at one website: Dodem Symbols
In contrast, dodem symbols signify clan structures and social organization within the Anishinaabe culture. Dodem clans are organized around animal symbols that have specific social responsibilities within the community, such as:
Bear (Makwa): Protectors and healers.
Crane (Ajijaak): Leaders and diplomats.
Loon (Maang): Co-leaders with Crane, governing internal matters.
Marten (Waabizheshi): Warriors and resource providers.
Thanks. Each of the animals which designate a clan have a role in the creation story. The clan, rather than any single individual within it, has a social purpose/role/responsibility.
Though the animal Marten (Waabizheshi) is declining around the Duluth Carlton area, I have met many Indigeous people who are of the Marten (Waabizheshi) clan. A couple of years ago, a trail that my husband and I like to walk and ride our bikes on was renamed Waabizheshikana Trail. This link has audio so you can hear how it sounds.
The marten was valued for its fur among early traders. Beautiful fur like mink. Is the hiking/biking trail along water where the marten would have found habitat?
This is fascinating, and the building is gorgeous. Wish I would have been paying attention years ago when I was working moving houses all around that area.
Cool building! It's interesting that the people living on the Tall Grass Prairie (both the Dakota and the Omaha) also had Thunderbirds as a part of their cultural tradition. I think that these Siouan speakers had a different linguistic heritage than Ojibwa living in the Woodlands, but apparently the Thunderbird was a shared thing.
I've been outside as storms have come up and observed birds of prey soaring on the shifting winds. It's easy to grasp their symbolic meaning. There is a Nanabazhoo story about the thunderbirds that reminds me they bring the rain and the calm that comes after change in the air.
Jill, I'm sure you've mentioned it before, but what year was it that the border between Canada and the US was officially established, as Chief Ay Ash Wash described? Thank you for helping us understand how borders are drawn not with the input of all. Sad and maddening.
Jill, I have a minor in Indian studies from the University of North Dakota. I had never learned of Doodem poles. Whenever I see something like this in Minnesota, I assume it’s a white person who has placed it. It is the Northwest Coast tribes that had them, though many whites think that totem poles are universal across America. (Last week, I attended a Hawaiian-themed party with fake tiki poles, so I researched them when I returned home.)
One class I took at UND was North American Architecture, and I was curious about the museum shaped like a tipi.
You are correct in that doodem poles are not common among the Lake of the Woods Ojibway. It is one of the only ones I have seen and appears to have been commissioned for the new building. Doodem (clans) are an important part of the culture, but it is rare to see a modern pole like this.
That museum looks really beautiful. The construction of it from the outside is gorgeous. I'm glad you are researching and preserving the history of the tribal nations through Substack. You are helping in so many ways.
Thank you. I checked my documents and my passport expired a year ago. Whoops! I don't plan any trips in the near future, but it's good to have a passport in this crazy world.
Yet again, I have learned many new things in your writing. I had never heard of a doodem pole, which I falsely assumed was just another spelling of totem pole. When I looked this up I immediately saw there were some profound differences, with the doodems identifying some of the positions in their kinship/clan systems. Of course totem poles are more specific to the Pacific Northwest as well. I would really like to know more about how being born to identify with a particular doodem really influenced the roles people assumed in their respective communities/tribes.
I am still learning about the clan system based on patrinlineal kinship. From my reading of new books like REDISCOVERING AMERICA by Ned Blachawk is that clan may have been more important than tribe as an organizing princple of everyday life. The extent to which the clan you are born into influences the role you play in your community is not obvious to me. More research ahead.
I, too, thought doodem was another spelling for totem! Lots learned and more to learn!
Doodem is the Ojibwe word for clan.
I know it might be out of your way, but my mother and I traveled to the Penbima State Museum in Pembina, North Dakota, near the Canadian border in North Dakota. It had excellent exhibits and information. I found myself making familial ties to people living around Lake Superior while touring this museum. Our visit may have been 10 years ago, so the exhibits and staff may have changed. But the exhibits and Interpretationit was outstanding.
I have not been there before. I will have to put it on my list to check out this summer. Thanks for the research tip.
I'm glad you made this historic trip. I love the museum building and all the history it holds. What a wonderful journey and to not have it be a big deal to cross over the border| A doodem pole? Fascinating and completely new to me. Thank you, Jill.
I would have made the trip in June when I was there but I discovered my passport had expired in May. I am glad to have renewed my passport then and made this trip last October. I hope I can return there next summer.
Jill, The stories you are bringing to light are so instructive. You are shaping a whole new perspective on what we think of as history, which is of course, the narrative the dominant culture or cultures prefer to share. What you are uncovering is so much richer, more complex and more interesting. Thank you for re-shaping our narrative.
I’m thrilled to hear you find the subject matter so interesting. Thank you for your curiosity about this place and its past.
What a powerful and moving piece. Your journey across the border brought history vividly to life, and your respectful attention to Chief Ay Ash Wash’s legacy has widened my horizons. Thank you.
It's truly an amazing place and I'm grateful for your kindness.
Here's is a little of what I read at one website: Dodem Symbols
In contrast, dodem symbols signify clan structures and social organization within the Anishinaabe culture. Dodem clans are organized around animal symbols that have specific social responsibilities within the community, such as:
Bear (Makwa): Protectors and healers.
Crane (Ajijaak): Leaders and diplomats.
Loon (Maang): Co-leaders with Crane, governing internal matters.
Marten (Waabizheshi): Warriors and resource providers.
Fish (Giigoohn): Knowledge keepers and advisors.
Here is the link to the website, if you want to see more: https://www.rezbuddy.ca/articles/totem-vs-dodem-understanding-the-differences-and-significance
Thanks. Each of the animals which designate a clan have a role in the creation story. The clan, rather than any single individual within it, has a social purpose/role/responsibility.
Though the animal Marten (Waabizheshi) is declining around the Duluth Carlton area, I have met many Indigeous people who are of the Marten (Waabizheshi) clan. A couple of years ago, a trail that my husband and I like to walk and ride our bikes on was renamed Waabizheshikana Trail. This link has audio so you can hear how it sounds.
The marten was valued for its fur among early traders. Beautiful fur like mink. Is the hiking/biking trail along water where the marten would have found habitat?
That’s a good question. I will look into it.
This is fascinating, and the building is gorgeous. Wish I would have been paying attention years ago when I was working moving houses all around that area.
Thanks for your comment. Wish I'd paid more attention years ago too!
I will make a point of visiting the museum on my next trip to Warroad!
It's well worth the drive across the border.
Cool building! It's interesting that the people living on the Tall Grass Prairie (both the Dakota and the Omaha) also had Thunderbirds as a part of their cultural tradition. I think that these Siouan speakers had a different linguistic heritage than Ojibwa living in the Woodlands, but apparently the Thunderbird was a shared thing.
It is a cool building!
I've been outside as storms have come up and observed birds of prey soaring on the shifting winds. It's easy to grasp their symbolic meaning. There is a Nanabazhoo story about the thunderbirds that reminds me they bring the rain and the calm that comes after change in the air.
Jill, I'm sure you've mentioned it before, but what year was it that the border between Canada and the US was officially established, as Chief Ay Ash Wash described? Thank you for helping us understand how borders are drawn not with the input of all. Sad and maddening.
The Treaty of 1818 established the 49th parallel from Lake of the Woods west as the border between the US and Canada.
Jill, I have a minor in Indian studies from the University of North Dakota. I had never learned of Doodem poles. Whenever I see something like this in Minnesota, I assume it’s a white person who has placed it. It is the Northwest Coast tribes that had them, though many whites think that totem poles are universal across America. (Last week, I attended a Hawaiian-themed party with fake tiki poles, so I researched them when I returned home.)
One class I took at UND was North American Architecture, and I was curious about the museum shaped like a tipi.
You are correct in that doodem poles are not common among the Lake of the Woods Ojibway. It is one of the only ones I have seen and appears to have been commissioned for the new building. Doodem (clans) are an important part of the culture, but it is rare to see a modern pole like this.
That museum looks really beautiful. The construction of it from the outside is gorgeous. I'm glad you are researching and preserving the history of the tribal nations through Substack. You are helping in so many ways.
I am glad to make the beauty of this place known more widely. The photos can't completely do it justice.
Those doors are amazing. And I had never seen the spelling Tipi before. Growing up in Iroquois country, we made long houses as school projects.
Thank you. I checked my documents and my passport expired a year ago. Whoops! I don't plan any trips in the near future, but it's good to have a passport in this crazy world.