Wednesday February 7, 2001
LYNX CLAN
I received an email a few days ago to explain the term 'links'. It had me thinking
about the Ojibway Clan system.
Every tribe in North and South America has a clan system. The Ojibway Clan system is paternal.
It follows the blood of the father. It has always been that way.
I do know of some people who have had non-Ojibway fathers, they found ways to get a into a clan.
For those who do not belong to a clan and wish to belong here area couple of ways it has been done;
some people are adopted into a family's clan, some people receive a clan through a dream, vision or
by attending a ceremony where a clan is 'shown' to them, or long ago when war was common the captives of other tribes and some Europeans were adopted into Ojibway families and handed the family clan.
The Anishinabe or Ojibway Clan system has SEVEN primary clans. From the seven clans it is further broken
down in sub-clans.
An animal represents each clan. Each clan has certain characteristics and duties to the tribe and
the world in general.
Clans have developed over the centuries and they are reminisant of the region of which the Indian
lives, meaning a clan is usually an animal in the surrounding area of that particular Indian.
Today, there is much travel between people and places and it is common for one to belong to a clan from an animal from a completely different geographical region.
For instance, the ELK CLAN, that presently live in the Lake of the Woods region, there are no elk. The people during the past couple of generations see no elk around. It is taught that the elk used to be here, or that the clan came from another area where the elk lived. It was about a hundred years ago,
when Ojibway were isolated on their 'Indian Reserves', when it was ILLEGAL for my people to step off there small plots of land. All around them the non aboriginals were killing the wildlife and cutting forests. One of the animals that were wiped off the Lake of the Woods area was the elk.
Typical and extremely poor wildlife management policies from the Ontario and Canadian governments allowed this to happen. Everyone heard about the devastation of the buffalo on the plains, around my area it was the elk and other creatures. One Ojibway band in our area is working hard on re-building the sturgeon population.
The loss of wildlife was common after treaty signing and the nation to nation relationships between European people and Indian nations turned to domination.
On a personal level, I am a 'LYNX'. I have blood lines dating back to the very first Ojibway that moved west from our historical migration. I belong to the Lynx Clan.
The people of the Lynx Clan are belonging to a warrior group. One of the characteristics of the Lynx Clan was protection of the Ojibway people. The Lynx is a solitary animal and hunts at night. It is very secretive and powerful. The Lynx is a beautiful wild cat.
One of the stories I have picked up along my travels is that during the mass migration of the Ojibway people, before the coming of the Europeans, it was the duty of the Lynx to go ahead of the other clans to break new ground. The members of the Lynx Clan would be responsible for war.
The Lynx were travelling west and ran into other tribes. Because of the Ojibway prophecies, 'a place where food grows on water' had to be found. The food the prophets spoke about was the WILD RICE that grows on lakes and rivers around central North America. The Ojibway people today live beside these wild rice fields.
If you travel to any Ojibway community you are sure to find wild rice growing nearby. Some Ojibway went right by these lakes and rivers and settled north and west of the wild rice range. The wild rice is held sacred to many Ojibway, the plant has been under attack by dams flooding rivers and lakes, raising water levels to annihilate the wild rice fields.
The movement of the Lynx Clan was observed and reports to the people would be often. The wars with the Assinibione, Dakota, Nakota and Lakota (Sioux) were common during these times. The Sioux have been living on these lands before the Ojibway drove them on to the prairies. Some tribes were driven south... the Saux, Miami, Fox, Menominee Nations.
Some tribes were driven north... mainly the Cree. Some tribes were pushed aside... the Iroqious Confederacy, Huron. The most westernly Canadian Ojibway Band live in North Central British Columbia, the Saulteaux Band. The most westernly American Ojibway Band is the Rocky Boy Band of Montana.
It is a fact that you do not read about in the history books: Prophecy had to be fulfilled. All the tribes get along to day. Treaty signing ended most Indian to Indian wars. It was obvious that the Government of those days recognized the power of the Ojibway.
The possibility of disrupting the French and British plans for North America.
A war against the Ojibway people was a touchy subject and war was NEVER waged against the Ojibway as a whole. A war would mean that the Governments would have to deal with groups of Ojibway raiding neighbouring non-ojibway communities and killing them or literally chasing them out of the any area. A scene any Government would not enjoy happening, even today.
The stories of these raids against others are common today and still practiced by Ojibway today.
Peace and Land Treaties were signed on a sub-tribe to sub-tribe basis, the Ojibway never signed a treaty as a whole Nation... tribe by tribe the treaties were signed. The Anishinabe/Ojibway signed the most treaties than any other Indian Tribe in North America, 51, I believe.
Our people have been sliced in half. One part Canadian and one part American.
Inside the two countries are states and provinces, splitting the Ojibway even further. Some have been labelled by other groups and they seem to be different tribes.... Saulteaux, Bungees, Oji-cree, Cree, Chippewa, Mississauga, Potawatomi, Odawa, Algonquin... Today they may be considered different tribes, but they are all the same...THE ANISHINABE! It is far safer for the governments and the people of Canada and the USA to see and hear that the Ojibway are small nation living on Indian reserves and reservations, with many names. It would be so ideal if my people used the same name... we would finally see the true size of the Anishinabe Nation. Meanwhile the big picture that has been distorted, has the Ojibway being the largest Indian Nation north of the Mexican border.
Back to the Lynx Clan. The Lynx are scattered on most Indian Reserves in Central and Western Canada and the northern United States. Of course there are other Clans living along side the Lynx.
I could speak about the Clans in detail but it would take a good read. I have links on my links page inside this webpage to discover more information about the Ojibway Clan system.
The Ojibway Clan system is making its comeback. People are researching their families and finding out which they Clan they belong to. Many have never forgotten and continue to live by the characteristics of their respective clans.
One thing I would like to mention before I sign off is that the CRANE CLAN of the Ojibway people were the supreme leaders of the Ojibway.
They were the political leaders and they are around today also. When the Crane Clan spoke the Ojibway people would all listen.
An ancient system that has been overshadowed by the Canadian and Amercian Governments with their legislation of the Indian Act.
This Indian Act has been systematically destroying the Ojibway Culture. The Ojibway people have been under seige for a few
generations by this Indian Act,
which INSTILLS that a foreign and destructive form of government take the place of the Ojibway Clan system.
This is terrible because this foreign form of government is being administered by our OWN people, the Indian Act Chief and Councils
(puppet governments) of today. "BRING BACK THE CLAN SYSTEM!" A echoing voice that is continuously ignored, only at their own peril.
Research your clan!
It is a sub-clan of the Martin Clan.
The Martin Clan is one of the SEVEN original and main clans of the Ojibway people.
The Ojibway had displaced many neighbouring tribes.
They seem to be prostitutes and sleeping with Canadian and American Government officials for more MONEY. What an embarassing shame.
Shame on the Canadian and American Governments and the Indian Act Chief and Councils for systematically destroying the
very people they are supposed to protect. The Chief and Council sign document after document chipping away the inherent,
aboriginal and treaty rights of the first people of North America.