An illustrated glossary by Zhaawano Giizhik*

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The Universe of The Ojibwe Anishinaabeg by Zhaawano Giizhik - 2014 Above image: Noodjimowin Idash Nibwaakaawin: “Healing And Wisdom”. Overlay-wedding rings of palladium white gold, red gold and yellow gold by Zhaawano Giizhik, showing a stylized design of Misi-ginebig, the great underwater serpent of the Great Lakes and rivers. Misi-ginebig is often regarded as a metaphorical interpretation of a fish being, and a prominent patron of healing and knowledge of medicinal herbs (Click on image). Norval Morrisseau: Untitled (A depiction of Mish-Ginebig) The Universe of The Ojibwe Anishinaabeg by Zhaawano Giizhik - 2014 48
The Universe of The Ojibwe Anishinaabeg by Zhaawano Giizhik - 2014 Zhaawano Giizhik: Wiidigemaaganag (Niizhomaangwag) ("Life Partners/ Two Loons") pen and ink drawing (2003) The quiet splashing of paddles slicing the tranquil, transparent waters of a deep lake. The distant and melancholic call of a loon at nightfall. These sounds sooth the Anishinaabe ear like no other sound does. The lakes, however, are sometimes home of various hazards in the form of the treacherous Nibiinaabekwe (Mermaid) who with her sweet voice lures people into the waves, or families of Mishiibizhiwag, or Great Horned Lynxes – sacred underwater spirits associated with copper (a sacred metal) and whose occasional hissings and roaring caused by the violent slashing of their copper tails disturb wind and water of lakes and rivers. These dreaded creatures, capable of travel by means of underground rivers to appear in certain inland lakes, not only emerge on the surface of these lakes, but also through dangerous and remote spots between the surface and the underworld such as caves, crevices, or whirlpools. Luckily, there are also less dangerous beings that live in or around the lakes: these include the mischievous water dwarfs called memegwesiwag and the friendly bagwajininiwag, the little wild forest people, creators of mystic glades in the woods, who are known to sometimes inhabit the sandy beaches, emerging from their sanctuaries on moonlit nights to dance in the shadows, warning passers-by of the fearful Mermaid. And the shining lodges of the mishiinimakinagoog, the turtle spirits, can be seen in the summer evenings when the moon shines on their island habitat; Ojibwe and Odaawaa fishermen, who steer their canoes near certain steep cliffs and jagged pinnacles at night, occasionally hear their happy voices echo across the dark lake… Inserted image: “Mishipashoo”’ (Mishibizhiw) by the late Norval Morrisseau (Copper Thunderbird) (ca. 1959) The Universe of The Ojibwe Anishinaabeg by Zhaawano Giizhik - 2014 49
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An illustrated glossary by Zhaawano Giizhik*

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