Ojibwe people are divided into a number of doodems [Doh-dems] or clans and those clans consist of a variety of animals.
Nowadays, there are many more clans than there were originally. The clans are more generalized to accommodate adopted clans. There are the Crane and the Loon clans, the Bear, the Hoof, the Bird, the Fish, and the Marten clans.
In the Ojibwe society, children typically take to their father’s clan. The clans defined the government, marriage and responsibilities given. Marriage was not allowed within the same clan in order to encourage a wider genetic pool. For some groups, the clan was only assumed by a child until they were of age, then they would seek their own. With other groups, the female children assumed their mother’s clan and the male children assumed their father’s. The clans also reflected their respective animal’s traits.
Mang, [mahng]: Loon
Makwa, [muk-wa]: Bear
Giigoonh, [geeg-oonh]: Fish
Waabizheshi, [Waab-izh-esh-eh]: Marten
Bineshiinh, [behn-knee-she]: Bird
Waawaashkeshi, [wah-wash-kesh-eh]: Deer
Ajijaak, [awh-jhi-jhawk]: Crane
So cool! Which clan are you? How was the hierarchy created?
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