How I became an Ojibwa

I am so sorry to those who have been waiting breath abaited for this. I don't get much time to write during the week and had a lot of house work to catch up on last weekend (which we actually succeeded at doing).

So as some of you already know, my Grandad passed away this month. I am not sad that he is gone, although I think often about how many times he snuck me bubble gum when I was growing up. He was very sick and in alot of pain. It had started a few years ago with a stroke and went downhill from there. He had a habit of telling it like it was, or at least the way he saw it and really there was no other way. I haven't really spent time with him in about 15 years. I always told myself I would get there next year. I guess next year finally came. Note to self, don't do that again.

So Grandad's funeral actually posed a bit of a spiritual challenge for me. Grandad wasn't a Christian. He wasn't one of those wishy washy people that just say "I don't know what's out there". He vocally stood up to say he didn't believe in the bible and he didn't believe in religion. He didn't understand why I felt the need to go to church every week. My grandma confided in me once that he had told her if she wanted to read her bible and pray, she was welcome to do so, but it should happen in the privacy of her own bedroom when there was no one else around. My evangelistic spirit told me as soon as he passed away "it's too late". The thought of where he is now both terrifies me and makes me question what I consider true. It's with this in mind that I attended his funeral.

It was a short, simple service. He was a veteran so there was a service chaplain there and an honour guard. 18 men and women came from around BC to honour his passing. My grandma was surprised there were that many. He was buried to the sound of bagpipes. He was a scotchman through and through. Though he had no accent, you never doubted his heritage.

My Grandma told me after the service that a young man from the community was coming over that evening "to do something I've never done before". It turned out, that young man was an Ojibwa medicine man. If I remember correctly, his name was Wapsimahea. I could have it completely wrong though. He went by Solomon. I found that kind of ironic.

The ceremony he was doing was to honour my grandad. You see, grandad was an active part of the legion where they live. He took part in a candlelight ceremony every Rememberance Day in the local cemetary to commemorate the fallen soldiers and veterans that had passed. The Ojibwa believe that warriors are very important. They mean a lot in their culture. To be called a warrior is to be greatly honoured. Solomon had helped Grandad with this ceremony every year for a long time. Solomon said he had come to love Grandad very much. Because of this, his tribe had agreed to honour Grandad with an Eagle's feather. Usually it would have been hand beaded by one of the people in the tribe before the ceremony, but Solomon's mother wanted the priviledge of beading Grandad's feather and she was away so she would bead it later.

While Solomon was performing this ceremony, he explained some things about the Ojibwa beliefs. How they come into the world in the East and leave the world in the West. Sunset means a great deal to them. He also explained that They believe they come from the creator in the spirit world and are commisioned with caring for mother earth while they are here. He explained a whole lot of things about their theology that I don't think I can explain correctly to someone else. What I will say about it though is that it sounded very similar to the theology of Christians, even though it was missing the acceptance of Christ.

It got me thinking about the origins of the religions. Christianity started thousands of years ago before there was a global economy and internet. Before we even knew the world was round, let alone that other people existed there. The same is true of Ojibwa. It started when there was nothing but indians on what they call "Turtle Island" (North America). So is it possible then that God came to them like he came to the Jews and helped them understand him in their own terms? Is it possible that we actually worship the same God? Nothing Solomon told me about in the ceremony was counter scriptural, except that it was directed at Solomon's God. They call their God "Creator" so technically that's still not against scripture. I'm starting to research what God says about other religions, how the Ojibwa connect with their creator and what that means to what I've been taught. It's also making me revisit my beliefs on heaven and hell. I pray to God every night that Grandad isn't burning in eternal fire but have to hope that somewhere, somehow someone told him the truth and that he accepted it, even if he didn't tell other people about it. I guess that's the advantage to worshipping a God that knows our inmost thoughts and feelings.

The how I became an Ojibwa thing is that Solomon told us during the feather ceremony that when a rite like this is performed on someone outside the tribe, that person is now family. Family to the Ojibwa doesn't stop at blood lines. It is anyone that has taken part in things like this.

So now you know how I became an Ojibwa.