Friday, August 13, 2004
The Northern Tribes are as follows:
3 Fire Tribes - Carver: The Dawnlanders, Mansfield, CT
Gitchie Manito, or Creator, assembled parts of the earth from the four directions, and blew into them through the Megis or Cowrie shell. From the elements of the four directions, came the Anishinaabe, the first human, or the original man. As Original Man walked the four directions of the earth he identified and named all plants and animals, visited all places on the earth and experienced the circle of the four seasons. Since the tribes descended from the Anishinaabe, whose path throughout history has been shown clear by following the sacred Megis shell.
A thousand years or more ago, Anishinaabe groups left the eastern seaboard, with instruction from their leaders to follow the Megis shell westward until they found a sacred food growing on water. The peoples migrated along the St. Lawrence River throughout the Great Lakes, stopping where the Megis shell appeared, and at the west end of their journey found wild rice growing
abundantly along the waters' edges. Along this journey that took 500 years, the people emerged into three groups, the Ojibwe, the Odawa and the Potawatomi and made their homes in what is now the upper and lower peninsula of Michigan. Closely related in traditions and Algonquin language, these tribes organized themselves into "The Three Fires" confederacy, arranged like a family, and each tribe took on distinct tasks and responsibilities to benefit the confederacy as a whole.
To the north along Lake Superior and the south along Lake Huron are The Ojibwe, or Chippewa, whose name comes from their distinctively sewn 'puckered up' moccasin. They are known as "elder brother" and "keepers of the faith" of the Three Fires tribes. South along the coast of Lake Michigan is the next brother of this confederacy, the Odawa or "the trader people." Facilitated with transportation by birch bark canoes, Odawa famlies owned trade routes supplying food and other goods throughout the region. The Potawatomi living mostly in the southern part of the Lower Peninsula are the younger brother and also called the "keepers of the fire"
Traditionally the Three Fires tribes lived in villages of large bark covered houses, some containing many related families. They are well known for their harvests of maple syrup, wild rice and, from canoes to containers, their long standing artistic traditions in birch bark. Through cooperation and respect with each person, family and tribe contributing and willing to share and adapt, the strong relationships of the Three Fires Tribes serve the Anishinaabe well to this day.
Despite a difficult history and disputed treaty rights, there are currently hundreds of thousands of Anishinaabe people living in the United States and Canada. There are currently 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan alone. Today stereotypes, often unintentional, may portray Native American Indians as living in the past, extinct, or simply incorrectly. Many Natives struggle to maintain their identity or traditional values in an ever changing contemporary society. There are over 500 recognized tribes today, a little education and an appreciation of the diversity of Native American history will help us to identify potentially harmful images and expressions.
Additional sources:
Council of Three Fires: A History of the Anishinabek Nation
"People of the Three Fires"
Onondaga - Carver: Alafair, CT
The Onondaga Nation
Syracuse, New York
The Onondaga (Onondagaono, Onondage'ga') are one of the original Five Nations to accept the Peacemaker's message, and they joined together with the Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Cayuga, and, later in 1714, the Tuscarora, to form the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. Haudenosaunee translates to mean "People of the Longhouse," which refers to the type of homes built by the Haudenosaunee. The Onondaga are represented by the symbol of the Great White Pine Tree, found in the very center of the Hiawatha Wampum belt. At Onondaga, the Great Tree of Peace was planted and all the articles of war were buried beneath the tree, thus ensuring peace among the members. Considered traditionalists, the Onondaga are still The Fire Keepers, Keepers of the Wampum, and open and close gatherings of the 50 chiefs of the Iroquois Confederacy to this day. The Onondaga Nation lies just south of my hometown of Syracuse, N.Y.
Oneida - Carver: STAR:W+R=DRR
The pine tree symbolizes the unity of the six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee) known as People of the Longhouse.
The Pine's great white roots extend to the six nations: the Oneida (Onayotea-ka) known as The People of the Standing Stone, Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Tuscorora.
The Oneida Nation is divided into 3 clans:
Bear: Taught gentleness and strength. It takes more strength not to raise your hand to strike someone than it does to strike them.
Turtle: Taught patience. Never give up. Seen as strength and solidarity, old, and wise, and well respected.
Wolf: Taught you to use your ears and be watchful. Strong sense of family.
Mohawk - Carver: Koyote, Winsted, CT
The Mohawk are an Iroquoian-speaking North American Indian tribe, the eastern most group of the Iroquois Confederacy, or league. They occupied three villages west of what is now Schenectady, NY.
The Mohawk had nine representatives in the Confederacy - three representatives from each of their clans of the Turtle, Wolf, and Bear.
The women practiced corn agriculture and the men hunted during the Fall and Winter and fished during the Summer. Each Mohawk community had a local council that guided the village chief or chiefs. According to traditional accounts, the Mohawk leader, Hiawatha, was the first to accept the principles of peace preached by Peacemaker, the founder of the Iroquois League.
Despite Peacemaker's teachings, the Mohawk frequently warred with the neighboring Algonquin tribes. Mohawk victories began to increase with the introduction of firearms by the Dutch in exchange for beaver skins. The Mohawk also fought in the French and Indian war and American Revolution in which they were pro-British. Their numbers declined rapidly after contact with the Europeans.
The Mohawk's total number in the late 20th century was about 5,000. Some are successful farmers and others are workers in structural steel in the US and Canada.
Click the image above
to take you to the North Direction Clues
3 Fire Tribes - Carver: The Dawnlanders, Mansfield, CT
Gitchie Manito, or Creator, assembled parts of the earth from the four directions, and blew into them through the Megis or Cowrie shell. From the elements of the four directions, came the Anishinaabe, the first human, or the original man. As Original Man walked the four directions of the earth he identified and named all plants and animals, visited all places on the earth and experienced the circle of the four seasons. Since the tribes descended from the Anishinaabe, whose path throughout history has been shown clear by following the sacred Megis shell.
A thousand years or more ago, Anishinaabe groups left the eastern seaboard, with instruction from their leaders to follow the Megis shell westward until they found a sacred food growing on water. The peoples migrated along the St. Lawrence River throughout the Great Lakes, stopping where the Megis shell appeared, and at the west end of their journey found wild rice growing
abundantly along the waters' edges. Along this journey that took 500 years, the people emerged into three groups, the Ojibwe, the Odawa and the Potawatomi and made their homes in what is now the upper and lower peninsula of Michigan. Closely related in traditions and Algonquin language, these tribes organized themselves into "The Three Fires" confederacy, arranged like a family, and each tribe took on distinct tasks and responsibilities to benefit the confederacy as a whole.
To the north along Lake Superior and the south along Lake Huron are The Ojibwe, or Chippewa, whose name comes from their distinctively sewn 'puckered up' moccasin. They are known as "elder brother" and "keepers of the faith" of the Three Fires tribes. South along the coast of Lake Michigan is the next brother of this confederacy, the Odawa or "the trader people." Facilitated with transportation by birch bark canoes, Odawa famlies owned trade routes supplying food and other goods throughout the region. The Potawatomi living mostly in the southern part of the Lower Peninsula are the younger brother and also called the "keepers of the fire"
Traditionally the Three Fires tribes lived in villages of large bark covered houses, some containing many related families. They are well known for their harvests of maple syrup, wild rice and, from canoes to containers, their long standing artistic traditions in birch bark. Through cooperation and respect with each person, family and tribe contributing and willing to share and adapt, the strong relationships of the Three Fires Tribes serve the Anishinaabe well to this day.
Despite a difficult history and disputed treaty rights, there are currently hundreds of thousands of Anishinaabe people living in the United States and Canada. There are currently 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan alone. Today stereotypes, often unintentional, may portray Native American Indians as living in the past, extinct, or simply incorrectly. Many Natives struggle to maintain their identity or traditional values in an ever changing contemporary society. There are over 500 recognized tribes today, a little education and an appreciation of the diversity of Native American history will help us to identify potentially harmful images and expressions.
Additional sources:
Council of Three Fires: A History of the Anishinabek Nation
"People of the Three Fires"
Onondaga - Carver: Alafair, CT
The Onondaga Nation
Syracuse, New York
The Onondaga (Onondagaono, Onondage'ga') are one of the original Five Nations to accept the Peacemaker's message, and they joined together with the Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Cayuga, and, later in 1714, the Tuscarora, to form the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. Haudenosaunee translates to mean "People of the Longhouse," which refers to the type of homes built by the Haudenosaunee. The Onondaga are represented by the symbol of the Great White Pine Tree, found in the very center of the Hiawatha Wampum belt. At Onondaga, the Great Tree of Peace was planted and all the articles of war were buried beneath the tree, thus ensuring peace among the members. Considered traditionalists, the Onondaga are still The Fire Keepers, Keepers of the Wampum, and open and close gatherings of the 50 chiefs of the Iroquois Confederacy to this day. The Onondaga Nation lies just south of my hometown of Syracuse, N.Y.
Oneida - Carver: STAR:W+R=DRR
The pine tree symbolizes the unity of the six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee) known as People of the Longhouse.
The Pine's great white roots extend to the six nations: the Oneida (Onayotea-ka) known as The People of the Standing Stone, Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Tuscorora.
The Oneida Nation is divided into 3 clans:
Bear: Taught gentleness and strength. It takes more strength not to raise your hand to strike someone than it does to strike them.
Turtle: Taught patience. Never give up. Seen as strength and solidarity, old, and wise, and well respected.
Wolf: Taught you to use your ears and be watchful. Strong sense of family.
Mohawk - Carver: Koyote, Winsted, CT
The Mohawk are an Iroquoian-speaking North American Indian tribe, the eastern most group of the Iroquois Confederacy, or league. They occupied three villages west of what is now Schenectady, NY.
The Mohawk had nine representatives in the Confederacy - three representatives from each of their clans of the Turtle, Wolf, and Bear.
The women practiced corn agriculture and the men hunted during the Fall and Winter and fished during the Summer. Each Mohawk community had a local council that guided the village chief or chiefs. According to traditional accounts, the Mohawk leader, Hiawatha, was the first to accept the principles of peace preached by Peacemaker, the founder of the Iroquois League.
Despite Peacemaker's teachings, the Mohawk frequently warred with the neighboring Algonquin tribes. Mohawk victories began to increase with the introduction of firearms by the Dutch in exchange for beaver skins. The Mohawk also fought in the French and Indian war and American Revolution in which they were pro-British. Their numbers declined rapidly after contact with the Europeans.
The Mohawk's total number in the late 20th century was about 5,000. Some are successful farmers and others are workers in structural steel in the US and Canada.
Click the image above
to take you to the North Direction Clues
# posted by Mark and Sue @ 7:39 PM 
