Ojibwe religion is the traditional Native American religion of the Ojibwe people. It is practiced primarily in north-eastern North America, within Ojibwe communities in Canada and the United States. The tradition has no formal leadership or organizational structure and displays much internal variation.
Central to Ojibwe religion are powerful supernatural beings called the manitouk. These come in various forms, each of which has a different relationship to humanity. Among the most prominent are the animikeek or thunderbirds, who bring storms and are generally helpful to humans, while the Mishebeshu are underwater and underground serpents whose activities are often harmful. In Ojibwe religion, a successful life is one that has secured the support of powerful manitouk, often through the provision of offerings like tobacco. Ojibwe religious practitioners undergo vision quests as a means of establishing a relationship with a manitou that becomes their guiding patron; prior to the 20th century, almost every Ojibwe male undertook this vision quest when they reached puberty. Another important aspect of Ojibwe religion is the midewiwin, a society whose rituals engage with the manitouk to oversee healing.
One of the Algonquian-speaking peoples, the Ojibwe originally lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. In that context, relationships with manitouk were deemed crucial for securing food supplies. Early contacts with Christian Europeans came in the 17th century, when several Roman Catholic missions were established among Ojibwe communities. The 19th century saw the arrival of Protestant missions and the ultimate restriction of many Ojibwe people to reservations. Here, the Ojibwe were exposed more heavily to Christianity and many elements of Ojibwe religion, such as the midewiwin and puberty vision quests, declined substantially. Encouraged by the American Indian Movement, the 1960s and 1970s saw revitalisation efforts to revive Ojibwe traditional religion. In the late 20th century, Ojibwe practices were increasingly influenced by other Native American religions, especially those of the Lakota.
Ojibwereligion is the traditional Native American religion of the Ojibwe people. It is practiced primarily in north-eastern North America, within Ojibwe...
Inuit religion is the shared spiritual beliefs and practices of the Inuit, an indigenous people from Alaska, northern Canada, parts of Siberia and Greenland...
The Ojibwe (syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: Ojibweg ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (Ojibwewaki ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the...
basis of his ethnographic research among the Ojibwe communities of Canada in the mid-20th century. For the Ojibwe encountered by Hallowell, personhood did...
A totem (from Ojibwe: ᑑᑌᒼ or ᑑᑌᒻ doodem) is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan...
Lakota religion or Lakota spirituality is the traditional Native American religion of the Lakota people. It is practiced primarily in the North American...
Crow religion is the indigenous religion of the Crow people, Native Americans of the Great Plains area of the United States. In the Crow language the...
Traditional Alaskan Native religion involves mediation between people and spirits, souls, and other immortal beings. Such beliefs and practices were once...
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, also known as the Leech Lake Band of Chippewa Indians or the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (Ojibwe: Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag...
American Church (NAC), also known as Peyotism and Peyote Religion, is a syncretic Native American religion that teaches a combination of traditional Native American...
Religion in the United States is widespread, diverse, and vibrant, with the country being far more religious than other wealthy Western nations. An overwhelming...
the Minnesota Ojibwe: An Introduction". Kees' Ojibwe Page. Retrieved April 1, 2007. Text to the "Ojibwe Prayer to a Slain Deer" Ojibwe Waasa-Inaabidaa—PBS...
Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan (Ojibwe: Ziibiwing Anishinaabek) is a federally recognized band of Chippewa (a.k.a. Ojibwe) located in central Michigan in...
Gichigamiwininiwag in the Ojibwe language, meaning "Lake Superior Men at the far end of the Great Lake") is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) band located near Cloquet...
Native American religions are the spiritual practices of the Native Americans in the United States. Ceremonial ways can vary widely and are based on the...
Chippewa Indians or Bad River Tribe for short (Ojibwe: Mashkii ziibii) are a federally recognized tribe of Ojibwe people. The tribe had 6,945 members as of...
The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (Ojibwe: Misi-zaaga'iganing Anishinaabeg), also known as the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians, is a federally recognized...
In some Native American and First Nations cultures, a dreamcatcher (Ojibwe: asabikeshiinh, the inanimate form of the word for 'spider') is a handmade willow...
Ojibwe, are a First Nations band government in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. They are a branch of the Ojibwe...
who are descendants of Cree who migrated south from Canada and Chippewa (Ojibwe) who moved west from the Turtle Mountains in North Dakota in the late nineteenth...
"Sioux", an exonym from a French transcription ("Nadouessioux") of the Ojibwe term "Nadowessi", can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation...
underwater panther, called Mishipeshu (in Ojibwe syllabics: ᒥᔑᐯᔓ) or Mishibijiw (in syllabics: ᒥᔑᐱᒋᐤ) in Ojibwe (IPA: [mɪʃʃɪbɪʑɪw]), is one of the most...
the spiritual practices of Native American tribes, such as the Dakota and Ojibwe (Anishinaabe), whose traditional beliefs focused on nature and ancestral...
Portrayals of the Wendigo 'Monster' in Popular Culture and Ojibwe Traditions". Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. 27 (3): 197. doi:10.3138/jrpc.27.3...
the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawatomi, Mississaugas, Nipissing...
and Ojibwe spirituality. In this novel and others, Erdrich writes conversion to Catholicism as “deadly,” suggesting an endorsement of Ojibwereligion. Agnes...
Religion in the United States began with the religions and spiritual practices of Native Americans. Later, religion also played a role in the founding...
Global Information