Baashkaakodin-giizis / Gashkadino-giizis (Freezing Moon/ Freezing Over Moon) (November 25, 2024)
Nimishoo Bizhiki
Awi'ishiikan gidishkode
Wiidookawishiikan ji-mashkawiziyaan.
("Grandfather Bison,
Lend me your fire
And help me to be strong.")
- My personal prayer to BizhikiHe Who Is One With the Earth
Bizhiki, the buffalo – or rather, bison for this powerful creature, so long miscalled buffalo, is actually a bison. Much has been said and written about this beloved and honored Grandfather of the Western Direction, who has a mighty fire burning inside of him. Uncountable stories about him have been shared inside the maple sapling frameworks of medicine lodges and on sacred sun dance grounds and around numerous campfires and kitchen tables across Turtle Island. Gichi-mookoman, the White Man, has gone out of his way to permanently extinguish his fire. By killing the fire inside the bison they tried to kill the fire inside the Indian. But no matter how hard they tried to wipe the bison herds off the face of the earth, grandfather bison is still among us – and so are we. The Anishinaabeg know him by many names: Mashkode-bizhiki, or "prairie cattle." Also called: "Bashkode-bizhiki." The Ojibweg from Northwestern Ontario speak of Ishkode-bizhiki, "fire cattle." Another name in use is Bagwaji-bizhiki, or Bigoji-bizhikii, which both mean "Wild Cattle." Then there is his larger relative from the woods, who is called Wiishkii. But his real name is Bizhiki, which is a contraction of Bezhig Aki, literally: One Earth." Which can be translated as " He Who Is One With the Earth."
It is a common misunderstanding that "buffaloes" were unknown to the Anishinaabeg, who, after all, came from the East and predominantly lived in wooded areas around the Great Lakes. Also, there are still Ojibwe people around who maintain that Sun Dances – in which the bison plays an important role – have never been part of Anishinaabe culture. They say that the buffalo only roamed on the Plains and the Sun Dance solely belongs to Plains cultures. But the fact of the matter is that the bisons' original range included much of the boreal forest regions of Alaska, Yukon, western Northwest Territories, northeastern British Columbia, northern Alberta, and northwestern Saskatchewan. There were bisons from the Atlantic Coast to the mountains, from the arctic area in the north to the swamps of Florida. Also, the bisons that roamed in the bush around the Great Lakes, called wiishkiig in Ojibwemowin, were larger and heavier than those in the Plains. Since the Sun Dance and the bison have always been linked together, it is easy to imagine that both the bison and the Sun Dance actually have been part of Anishinaabe culture since time immemorial. More about this subject is to be found further down in this story.
The Teaching of Respect
In Anishinaabe culture, Gimishoomisinaan Bizhiki, our grandfather bison, represents one of a set of seven guiding principals, called nizhwaaso-gikinaamaagewin or seven grandfather teachings. Among Algonkin-speaking Peoples he embodies the virtue of, what the Ojibweg call manaaji'idiwin, or respect. To the Siksikaitsitapi, our relatives on the northern plains commonly known as "Blackfoot,"the bison is iinii, very close to the word for respect, iniiyimm;, and the Inun-ina or "Arapaho" speak of bisons as henééceen, which is a synonym for life itself.
"To honor all creation is to have respect," Bizhiki teaches us. "Live honorably in teachings and in your actions towards all things. Do not waste and be mindful of the balance of all living things. Share and give away what you do not need. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Do not be hurtful to yourself or others."
The reason why the bison was chosen to represent the teaching of respect is that he has always given his life for the benefit of the the people and therefore deserves their respect. Bizhiki has helped to sustain the Indigenous way of life as he gave every part of himself out of respect for the needs of others. The bison gave every part of his being to sustain the human way of living, not because he was of less value, but because he respected the balance and needs of others. "To honor all creation is to have respect," he teaches us. "Live honorably in teachings and in your actions towards all things. Do not waste and be mindful of the balance of all living things. Share and give away what you do not need. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Do not be hurtful to yourself or others." This is the teaching that all Indigenous Peoples acknowledge and honor, and no matter where bison's lessons are being shared or may have originated, they share the same concepts of abiding by a moral respect for all living things.
Akiwenzii's Song to the Buffalo
The above illustration shows an elderly man holding a pipe, standing in front of a bison. Although the man has many winters behind him as he already lives in the last stage of his life on earth, the name with which he addresses the bison in front of him is "nimishoo," which means "my grandfather." The old man sings a song to the grandfather who stands in front of him beneath the light of a full moon:
Aaniin nimishoo!
Waase-miskwakoneng giwiiyaw.
Gimashkiki aapji-manidoowan.
Gwaashkominode’ewashkina’ injichaagonaanig.
Nanaakonan majide’iwin inde’inaaning.
Waawiiji’amawishinaang gwenwaajitoong nizhwaaso-gikinaamaagewin.
Dibishkoo giin
Biiwang giiwedinong niwii’-niibawitaan.
Dibishkoo giin
Niwii’-zhiibendam miikanaang.
Dibishkoo giin
Ninjichaag wii’-baazhigwaadizi.
Aanawi zanagamog
Miziwekamigong niwii’-babaama’adoo.
Dibishkoo giin
Ninga giiwe.
Dibishkoo giin
Megwe-anangong niwii’-bimoseNagamoyaan.
("I see your light, grandfather
Bright with red flames is your body.
Your medicine is powerful.
Fill our spirits with your kindness.
Defend our hearts against evil.
Help us honor the seven teachings.
Like you I shall withstand the blizzard from the north.
Like you I shall be tireless on the trail.
Like you
My spirit shall persevere.
Even though the road is difficult
I shall walk all around the world.
Like you
I shall return home.
Like you
I shall walk among the stars
Singing.")
But why have I painted an akiwenzii (elder man) standing in front of the bison, you may wonder? Well, first of all, akiwinziiyag and bizhikiwag both have a special relationship to the earth. Akiwenzii translates as "Comes from the Earth, of the Earth, and returning to the Earth." It is a reference to a man, advanced in age, acknowledging an inevitable appointment, to return to the Earth. In other words, he is a caretaker of our Mother, the Earth. Both akiwenzii and bizhiki have an old fire burning inside of them. This powerful fire of life, called life experience. They both endured plenty of challenges and hard knocks on the trail, which they eventually overcame. They both have powerful life lessons for us if we know how to learn from them. In a world where there seems less and less reward for wisdom and compassion, grandfather bison and elderly people have the power to reignite the flames of kindness and understanding in our hearts. But above all: since they have treaded, and sat on, the soil under them for so long, they both have a great love and deep understanding of our mother, the earth. Both their heartbeats pulse in union with her heartbeat. This is probably why our names for "bison" and "old man" basically mean the same.
The Meaning of the Pipe
The Ojibweg shared many things with the Dakota – or Bwaanag ("Roasters"), as is their Ojibwe name. There is the veneration for the bison, who provided both Bwaanag and Ojibweg (particularly those who lived on the plains of present-day Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Montana, and North Dakota.) are the songs, ceremonies, sacred ceremonial items like pipes, drums, and feathers, but they also shared language. This is why I painted the akiwenzii carrying a pipe. The pipe, to Indigenous Peoples, is a sacred instrument that, when filled with tobacco or kinnikinic and smoked, facilitates a deep spiritual connection with the world, the plant and animal beings, and people around us and with the spirits that dwell in the four directions. Opwaagan is how the Ojibweg call the pipe; the Dakota use the word čhaŋnúŋpa. Both Nations believe that when it comes to the opwaagan/čhaŋnúŋpa, there are two spirits that agreed to come together in this way and to form the pipe as we know it. Both spirits are an intrinsic part of, and even responsible for, creating aki, respectively maká – the earth.
One of the spirits that agreed to help forming the opwaagan/čhaŋnúŋpa was our Grandfather Rock. That is the stone part of the pipe which both Nations traditionally delve in the same area. The Ojibwe name for this spirit is Gimishoomisinaan Asin, and its Bwaan name is Tȟuŋkášilauŋyaŋpi Íŋyaŋ – which both mean Grandfather Stone. The other spirit that agreed to help in this way is Mitigwaabiiwinini (literally: bow man in the Ojibwe language) and čháŋ (tree) in the Bwaan language). That is where the pipe stem is made from, it comes from the trees.
The Bison in the Sun
We now will explore the place and role of the bison in the Ojibwe ceremony of Giizis-niimi'idiwin.
Giizis-niimi'idiwin, which is how the Sun Dance is called in the Ojibwe language, is a yearly ritual involving self-sacrifice and petitioning to the aadizookaanag (Spirit Grandfathers of the Universe) to insure harmony between all living beings. The ceremony, which typically lasts 4, celebrates the continuity between life and death, depicting the cycle of death and re-birth. Partaking offers hope for renewal, restoration and forgiveness. Sundance takes place on sacred ground, literally and figuratively.
Giizis-niimi'idiwin is believed to have been evolved from Nibaagweshimowin (the Thirst Dance). During the late 1800s and early 1900s, when the Canadian and US governments outlawed a variety of traditional Indigenous ceremonies, a number of Ojibwe people went off into the bush to do the ceremonies away from the eyes of the church and the government. Some took the Thirst Dance out west. It stayed out west, with the Nakawē-Ojibwe Anishinaabeg Nation (Anihšināpē) of the northern High Plains. From there on out it the Thirst Dance believed to have spread south and west to a great variety of Native Nations of the western Great Plains. In the ceremony, which is usually held at at the summer solstice, the time of longest daylight, Migizi the white-headed (bald) eagle plays a crucial role as facilitator of communication between man and the spirit world. In the old days, the Rain Dance was known as the Thirst Dance. It was called that way since when the dancers danced in full sunlight while blowing their eagle bone whistle it, so to speak, "dried them up."
In fact, "Sun Dance" is a misnomer since the dancers dance for the Thunder rather than for the Sun. Originally it was called by different names: Nibaagweshimowin (Thirst Dance or Gimiwani-niimiwin (Rain Dance), and Ogichidaa Niimi'idiwin (Warrior Dance). Nevertheless, "Sun Dance" is how it is nowadays known to most people. This annual dance is basically an ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit. The ceremony is set up in a circular structure, the Sun Dance Lodge, with shade for the people that support the Sun Dancers who dance around the Sun Dance Tree, a forked pole usually made of a male azaadi (a poplar or cottonwood tree) that stands in the center of the circular enclosed dance area. The Tree of Life is symbolic of Creation. The lodge is always built in a circle with the entry facing east, signifying the coming of light, or south, signifying the direction from where the life-bringing rains comes. At the top of it sits the Thunderbird nest, for it is the Sacred Thunderbird as represented by Migizi, the white-headed eagle, who is the messenger for prayers sent to GICHI-MANIDOO. Bizhiki, the bison, is honored by the placing of specific parts of its body at the base of the tree. Sometimes skulls are placed at the perimeter of the lodge to honor their power and courage. During the sun dance, the participating dancers face the azaadi tree with their eyes on the Thunderbird nest; they will continue until dusk of the final day, dancing and saying prayers for the good of inoodewiziwin (family), daawin (community), and gookomisinaan (Mother Earth). Afterward there is always gift-giving and a traditional feast.
Giizis-niimi'idiwin includes dances and healing songs passed down through many generations, There are songs for the the thunderbird, for the sun, for the earth, for the pipe, and for the people. There are songs for the bison, too. There is a madoodiswan (sweatlodge ceremony) preceding the actual Sun Dance ceremony, the use of the Grandfather Drum, a sacred fire, a pipe ceremony, fasting from food and water before participating in the dance, and, in some cases, the ceremonial piercing of skin. The latter, as it is an ultimate trial of physical endurance, is the ultimate form of sacrifice we as human beings can possibly offer to the Universe. Dancers only take part in Sun dancing as the result of a dream or a vision, and never just randomly.
Although Sun Dances held throughout Turtle Island (North America) are not all the same, they do follow similar, yet different protocols. No Sun Dance is held without the presence and involvement of the Bison. Sometimes dancers dance four times around the sun dance lodge while dragging bison skulls by thongs pierced through their backs (see the above image).
The use of bison skulls testifies to the fact that, of all the spirits invoked, the spirit of the bison (besides that of the Eagle) is central to the Sun Dance Ceremony. Since bizhiki's medicine is so powerful it is understood that animals that carry medicine with them regard him to be their ogimaa (leader). So, this is why healers in the Sun Dance Lodge ask bizhiki to decide which awesi'ag (animals) are the most fit for purpose. In other words, it is the bison that will appoint the proper animal to carry out the medicine needed for a healing ceremony...
And then there is the Buffalo dance, which in some communities (particularly Ininewak, or Cree) is held on the fourth day of the Sun Dance ceremony. To them, this dance is the most emotional part of the Sun Dance. The presence of the bison helps soothe the hearts of family members who have been left behind, for example when someone commits suicide. Four men in bison regalia and four women carrying bison skulls dance around the perimeter of the Sun Dance lodge, and then enter it. While they are dancing, people are wailing, sobbing, and placing blue and white ribbons on the bison horns. It is believed that that bisons can help the spirits of deceased persons that are lost or stuck. Then, once the Buffalo dance has ended, it’s like the Sun is out after a storm. People are smiling again soon after, like a great weight has been lifted from their shoulders.*
How the Bison Brought the Sun Dance to the Anishinaabeg
Jessie Cree, an elder and lodge leader from Mikinaakwajiwing (Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota) shared with me the story of the bison spirit that brought the Thirst Dance to Turtle Mountains.
Jesse told me that the Sundance / Rain Dance Lodge is a representation of the world. It's related to the Ojibwe Thunder Being cosmology. One of the reasons Midewiwin people attend the ceremony is that, to them, it tells the cosmology of the Thunderbird versus Mishibizhiw (the Water Lynx).
The story Jessie told me went as follows: "A buffalo told Niibiwamigizi Abi (Many Eagle Sitting) to make a dance to him but he didn't so the buffalo killed his son. Finally Niibiwamigizi Abi made the thirsty dance. He gave the buffalo the first song, The buffalo dance song is a set of 7 songs to be sung first before any other songs.
One day long ago a man came with the buffalo herd. The man from the buffalo herd was a man-spirit riding on a buffalo. Some say he was Nanapush (Wenabozho) himself! This spirit-man showed the Indians how to use every part of the Buffalo and taught medicine to the women. He showed them everything about the buffalo. He told them that the shedding of blood was given to the women and that they were the life givers to be taught medicine. The man had a blood spot on his chest which was identified with piercing of the chest. The man went back to the buffalo herd and left with the buffalo.
I was taught all the seven songs which I carried on for the thirsty dance ever since it was brought back from the 1950's. The eastern pole (of the sun dance lodge) is Nanapush's pole on the east side."
How the Sun Dance evolved from the Thirst Dance
To conclude, let's have a closer look at the history of the Thirst Dance: how it evolved into the Rain Dance – and eventually, the Sun Dance.
The origin of the Rain Dance goes back to the aftermath of the so-called Dust Bowl – a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s and 1930s. The drought came in three waves: 1934, 1936, and 1939–1940, but some regions of the High Plains experienced drought conditions for as long as eight years. One day the farmers all got together and went to the authorities, urging them to do something about the drought. They asked permission to go to a nearby Ojibwe reservation to ask them to do whatever they could to make it rain. The medicine men who lived there, seeing this as an opportunity to do the most sacred of all ceremonies, the Thirst Dance, lit up their pipes and prayed. Of course, understanding that they were supposed to make it rain, the term "Rain Dance" sounded more appropriate than "Thirst Dance." So, this is how the term "Rain Dance" was introduced. So, after the government gave the medicine men permission to get what they needed to carry out this "Rain Dance," a Lodge was put up, and all Ojibweg in the area were invited over to dance. Many showed up, not because they wanted to help the American farmers or their government but, since life on on the reservation was marked by poverty and abuse, they felt they needed to sacrifice through the ceremonial act of piercing of skin.
But when the farmers saw and heard what the dance was really about, they were shocked and decided that they did not want to have anything to do with it – so they left. The Rain Dance took place and it was a four-day event. A lot of dancers suffered the piercing to help their people, but there was also celebration, and much feasting. Many tears were shed, both of joy and of pain. There were songs for the bison, for the thunderbird, for the sun, for the earth, for the pipe, and for the people. Each of these songs were instruments in petitioning the spirits mentioned in the songs to intercede to help the People, and, in particular, to heal the sick. All this resulted in rain that lasted about a week and a half. There was so much rain that the farmers came back and asked: “Can you please make it stop raining?”
From that moment on, the Thirst Dance became known as the Rain Dance. The Rain Dance went farther west, to the Lakota, the Nakoda, the Nêhiyawak (Plains Cree), and south, to many other Plains People. Each Nation or tribe developed its own story about the origin of this ceremony. The Lakota called the Rain Dance "Wiwáŋyaŋg Wačípi," which translates as "Sun-gazing Dance." The name stuck with the other Nations, which is why nowadays the term "Sun Dance" is used all over Turtle Island.
In 1883, in an effort to discourage Indigenous practices and enculturate Native Americans into dominant society, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs criminalized the Sun Dance. The prohibition was renewed in 1904 and remained "illegal" until 1934 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s new administration reversed the decision. During the fifty years the Sun Dance was prohibited, some Native tribes and communities defied the law and continued to perform their most sacred dance; in some cases in the context of celebrating federal holidays like Fourth of July...
>To read more about the Sun Dance, see: Teachings of the Eagle Feather, part 28: Path of the Sun Dancer.
*Source: Buffalo Spirit: Sundance is the ceremony of ceremonies by Jennifer Ashawasegai.
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