A Wiigwaasabak is a birch scroll that the Ojibwa medicine men, the Midewiwin, use in ceremonies. They use geometric diagrams to explain many complex things and have been handed down for generations. A couple are in the Smithsonian.
The Anishinaabe people are involved in this, too — they’re the three-tribe, “three fires,” group of which the Ojibwa are one part. (There are many spelling of these names.)
I saw a repro of one up in St. Ignace and it blew me away. It depicted the 7 Migrations of the Ojibwa people, as I recall, from pre-history to today. It might have also contained some ancient prophecy, which today’s Midewiwin are especially keen on. Apparently, way back when, the wise men warned against trusting the white skinned people that they predicted the Indians would meet in the future…something like that.
OK, I found the Migration route drawing that I saw up north. This is cool stuff. I found two online sources of amazing Ojibwa info and art.
These are simply beautiful, I think. And rich. Dig as far as you like…you’ll never get to the bottom…
*From a web presentation called “The Indigenous Maps and Mapping of North American Indians.” Images and geographical explanation of a *103-feet* long scroll! www.kunstpedia.com/articles/452/2/The-Indigenous-Maps-and-Mapping-of-North-American-Indians/Page2.html
*The text and images of the book “The Mide’wiwin of the Ojibwa”:
www.gutenberg.org/files/19368/19368-h/19368-h.htm#fig15
*And if you really want to get into the speculation side of migration, here’s a site that looks into the global connections: www.paabo.ca/uirala/uini-altaskinboats.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiigwaasabak
