Ojibwe Lifeway: Respecting Our Culture (“biboon”-winter)

Connect With Culture

American marten Photo by Erwin & Peggy Bauer

Learn more about the importance of American marten to the Ojibwe people. Explore and evaluate Evidence that you can see, feel, or experience based on what you observe around you. place-based evidence of how climate change may be affecting the sustainability of wildlife species and winter-based cultural practices using the online Menu of Resources or through an experiential learning opportunity.

Use the Connect With Culture Activity Guide to guide your exploration.

MARTEN (WAABIZHESHI)

Waabizheshi, the Marten, is a clan animal respected by the Ojibwe people for its hunting prowess, thus it is one of the totem animals representing hunters. The Marten Clan were warriors of the Ojibwe.

Fred Ackley, Sokoagon/Mole Lake Band, is a member of the Marten Clan and describes the symbol as follows:

“That’s what the marten do. They’re in control of combat. They have other issues to do. In the lodge the Marten people sit in the western door. And that’s their job to guard the western door from coming and going. But they have other duties…the marten; he’s a great hunter. They hunt a lot of smaller animals. The marten’s got a lot of courage.”

The marten’s luxuriant fur pelt is also used as part of certain ceremonies in the Lodge.

Learn more about the cultural importance of marten to the Ojibwe and the cultural importance of Biboon to the Lake Superior Ojibwe

Read about the clan history of the Ojibwe Nation and the role of the Marten Clan.

Engage in some traditional Ojibwe winter games.

See the Ojibwe Winter Games conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from Wisconsin Public Broadcasting.

Watch how to play the snow snake game

How climate change is being felt across “Native North America?”

Climate change threatens indigenous peoples’ livelihoods and economies. Its impacts are projected to be especially severe for many of the 567 federally recognized tribes in the United States that depend on traditional places, foods, and lifestyles. How does climate change impact your culture and community?

GLIFWC Climate Vulnerability Assessment

Explore how Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of the Lake Superior Ojibwe people is integrated with Scientific Ecological Knowledge (SEK) to rank the vulnerability of 60 beings (plant and animal species) to climate change.

Ojibweg Bibooni-Ataadiiwin-Ojibwe Winter Games

Ojibwe winter games can inspire young and old alike to get out and exercise, enjoy the winter, and engage with Ojibwe culture in a meaningful and positive way.

Honorable Harvest

Winter ice fishing is part of the "seasonal round" of the Ojibwe people. This poster-placement shares information about Ojibwe treaty rights, traditions, and values that are part of the "Honorable Harvest." Made available by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) Natural Resources Department.

INVESTIGATE PLACE-BASED EVIDENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WILDLIFE AND WINTER CULTURAL PRACTICES

Listen to how a changing winter climate is affecting one winter cultural tradition: cross-country skiing
Mild winters in Wisconsin go deeper than climate change, a podcast from WUWM Radio on cultural and economic impacts of Wisconsin's warming winters.
What’s happening to northern forests? Read about how climate change in the Adirondacks, an area similar to northern Wisconsin, is affecting wildlife species that rely on this habitat, including the American or “pine” marten.
See how a changing winter climate is affecting one winter cultural tradition: ice fishing
Tourist Trap- How summer saved a ski hill
What does Traditional Ecological Knowledge tell us about the vulnerability of plants and animals to climate change

DESIGN YOUR OWN PLACE-BASED EXPERIENCE

Interview a GLIFWC or Wisconsin DNR wildlife researcher about their observations on how a warming climate is affecting wildlife such as the American marten.

Interview a tribal elder or family member about their experiences and activities during the winter months. Ask them to share their observations and perspectives on how winter might be changing. How have these changes affected their winter activities?

Interview someone whose business relies on snowy winter months, for example a snowmobile dealer, a trapper, a logger, a snowplow driver, a cross-country or ski business owner. Ask them about why winter is important to them and what changes they have noticed in the climate during winter months. How have these changes affected their businesses? What changes in winter climate have you observed?