Child Rearing Practices
Childbirth
was celebrated with feasting. The child
and mother were inseparable for the first year of the child’s life. During the
traditional period, the educational process occurred in three phases. In phase one, a child would be strapped onto
a cradle board, referred to as a dikinagan,
for most of the child’s first two years to learn the life skills of
observation and listening. They watched
the adults in the village work and learned about the habits of people and
animals. Their observation skills were enhanced as they matured from infant to
a young child. Surrounded by nature,
they observed and listened to the communication between animals and people. The
art of listening was fostered further through seeking wisdom on their search to
learn the deeper meaning of things.
Today, listening and observation skills are still held in high regard
with many Indian people.
The second phase
began at approximately age seven. From one year of age until adulthood, girls
were cared for and nurtured by their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. All female adults in the village, other than
their mothers, were considered aunts, and all these caregivers provided
training to prepare them for adulthood. They received training on how to raise
crops, to gather plants and berries for food, and to provide other necessities
for the home. Another lesson involved how to make nets for fishing. The making of fishing nets consisted of
gathering basswood or nettle cord, learning how to dry these materials,
separating the fibers by wetting them and drawing the fibers through their
mouths, how to roll the fibers, and how to tie the netting fiber in different
patterns to enable the fisherman to catch different kinds of fish.
Young women were
trained on how to tan animal hides, which included the removal of flesh,
washing off the blood stains, soaking the hide, scraping off the fur, soaking
the hide in deer brains, scraping the hide again, and then stretching the hide
on a wooden frame. Tribal women also needed to learn how to use the bow and
arrow so they could provide protection for the children and themselves when the
men were away on hunting expeditions.
Many tribal women were proficient in hunting and fishing.
At
the age of seven, fathers, uncles, and older male cousins provided boys with
lessons on hunting and fishing.
Concerning the construction of canoes, boys were taught how to remove
bark from birch trees and how to shape the wood for flooring and gunwales. They were given instruction about how to
gather and combine spruce resin with grease and black powder of cedar to coat
the canoe as an adhesive and sealant. Another
important lesson involved learning how to make bows and arrows used in hunting.
When the young male had his first successful kill, the whole village
celebrated. The kill was served as the main part of the feast.
The
third phase of the educational process consisted of the search for wisdom. The search extended into late adulthood. This involved a quest to know the entire
story of things, events and happenings from the simplest to the most complex,
through the many layers of meaning; learning the whole of things.[i]
The
elders, adult males and females provided teachings to prepare the youth for
their path in life. It was important to
learn how to live in a gentle way with humbleness and respect accomplished
through prayer, fasting, and listening to everything. The beliefs associated with
the path of life included the following:
·
Honor Gitchi Manito (The Creator).
·
Honor elders.
·
Honor our elder brothers (all animals are
considered to be elder brothers because they were here before humans, and they
are relied on for teachings, as well as for sustenance).
·
Honor women.
·
Keep promises and uphold pledges.
·
Show kindness to everyone.
·
Be peaceful in body and spirit.
·
Be courageous.
·
Be moderate in dreams, thoughts, words and
deeds.[ii]
Children
were disciplined in many ways. They were
ignored if they were tale bearing, and scolded if caught lying. When children quarreled with their peers,
they would not be permitted to play with those children. Stealing usually resulted in the child
returning the stolen object to the person it was stolen from. Older children often received spankings for stealing. Sometimes fear was used, but not to the
extent that it was harmful to the children.
Instilling fear about certain things was often a safety measure. For example, to prevent children from playing
on a hill that was considered dangerous, the parents would put a scarecrow at
the top of the hill to scare them, and the children never went back to the hill
again.[iii]
The
purpose of traditional Ojibwe educational practices was to prepare the young
people to provide for the needs of the community. Children were also taught how to develop a
meaningful relationship with the Great Mystery. These teachings were part of
the balance of their life journeys and beyond into eternity. If one only learned about life skills without
the benefit of obtaining knowledge about the spirit, it was believed this individual
would live a life without purpose or any significant meaning. The entire
village provided care, supervision, and instruction to the children. Essentially, all adults were responsible for
the security and protection of all the children in the village. Also of equal importance in the learning
process was the exploration of everyone’s roots.
[i] Ibid,
64-89.
[ii]
Peacock, T.and Wisuri, M. (2002). Ojibwe
Waasa Inaabidaa: We Look In All Directions. Minnesota: Afton Historical
Society Press, 64-77.
[iii]
Hilger,I. Chippewa Child Life and Its
Cultural Background. Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press,58.
[iv]
Benton-Banai, E. (1981). The Mishomis
Book: The Voice of he Ojibway. Minnesota:
Indian Country Press, Inc., 30-35.
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