DIBAAJIMOWIN
  • HOME
  • Author
  • Dibaajimowin Blog
  • Michif
  • Ojibwemowin

Tawn Kaayaash

Hunting: The Center of Aboriginal Culture

1/23/2018

0 Comments

 

Hunting dominated almost every aspect of life

Hunting was the primary concern of the aboriginal family group, especially in winter when sources of food were relatively limited. Nearly every aspect of life revolved around their hunting pursuits, including their expert use of deadfalls and snares, the establishment of their family hunting grounds, and the importance of animals to their spiritual well-being. It even dominated their social relationships, helping to forge new alliances and partnerships between families and bands.

Early European observers found that aboriginal people took pride in their hunting prowess and their sense of accomplishment and identity stemmed directly from hunting.  Fur trader Peter Grant noted that the Ojibwas considered whites inferior to themselves. He noted, “They pity our want of skill in hunting and our incapacity of traveling through their immense forests without guides or food”. 
Picture
The ability of aboriginal people to hunt gave them a sense of purpose and pride; a great hunter was an esteemed person who was valued by the people who had a special relationship with the animal world and the spiritual world. 

Aboriginal preoccupation with hunting showed in their patterns of speech and conversation as well. Activities such as courting were described in hunting terms and hunting topics predominated almost every discussion. This fact was evident in the narrative of John Tanner, a white American who lived for thirty years among the Ojibwas and Ottawas after having been captured from his parents' home as a child.  The editor of his narrative stated that he had to omit the numerous details of hunting upon which Tanner, speaking about his life among the Ojibwas, constantly dwelled. Despite these omissions, the books narrative primarily deals with hunting.  Hunting was also central to the education of youth. Early missionaries and educators widely complained that the only thing taught by the Indians to their children was hunting techniques. 

Adapted from Vecsey, Christopher. 1983. “Traditional Ojibwa Religion And Its Historical Changes.” Memoirs. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    A collaborative effort of members of the Ojibwe and Metis communities

    Archives

    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

About Dibaajimowin

Dibaajimowin was created as a way to share interesting and unique stories and other information about the Metis and Ojibwe people (and others) so that these can be used by our guests to educate themselves and others about the history, culture, and language of the people.

We hope you enjoy everything you find here and are glad to have you return in the future. If you are interested in using our content for educational or personal purposes, please give proper attribution and credit to our page. It is important that we acknowledge the tellers of stories and the creators of intellectual property in all forms.

​Please enjoy! See you soon.

Contact Us

    Subscribe Today!

Submit
Photo used under Creative Commons from trendingtopics
  • HOME
  • Author
  • Dibaajimowin Blog
  • Michif
  • Ojibwemowin