Pawatik: navigating the rapids of Anishinabe history

“From the outset, we wanted to avoid producing an outsider history,” explained Université de Montréal anthropology professor Marie-Pierre Bousquet, a member of Miaji.

“This is not an academic study of their culture: it is a story told from the inside, by and for the community.”

As a researcher, Bousquet was particularly interested in how the Anishinabeg conceive of history and how they want to tell it.

“What sources do they use? What is the narrative arc? What elements do they include?" she said.

"There is considerable scientific literature on the Anishinabe conception of history rooted in the oral tradition. But today, there is a written culture. The community’s young people have been going to school for over 50 years.

"How could we respect their traditional ways of seeing in this new environment? What did they want to tell? And what did they not want to disclose?”

The book opens with an account of the traditional nomadic way of life. 

Families moved with the seasons, surviving by hunting, fishing, gathering and trapping. The hunting grounds were managed collectively and there was no concept of land ownership.

The Anishinabeg had a respectful relationship with the cycles of nature: every move and every campsite was part of a larger cycle, directly linked to the land, water and animals.

“Life on the land and the long journeys were governed by the rhythms of nature,” Pawatik relates.

“The Anishinabeg have six seasons: pipon (winter), sigon (early spring), minokamin (spring), nipin (summer), takwagin (fall) and pidji pipon (early winter). Winter was the trapping season. The men trapped intensively in small groups or alone. They would leave for a day or several days or weeks and then return to the camp, where the children, women and elders remained.”

The book also describes Anishinabe toponymy. Places are named according to their physical or spiritual characteristics, creating a map based on observation and collective memory. 

“Lac-Simon, Abitibi, Quebec and Val-d’Or are names that are not ours,” Pawatik explains. “They are not in our language and do not reflect our connection to the land. They are artefacts of colonization. The town of Val-d’Or was once called Asikiwach, which means ‘where the duck hides’.“

The nomadic period was followed by the upheaval of European colonization and forced sedentarization, which accelerated in the early 20^th century. The Lac-Simon band was formed at this time. Families that were once scattered across the land settled around the lake and then, over the decades, on the plateau where the village stands today.

It wasn’t just the community’s location that changed. Imposed family names, compulsory schooling and residential schools disrupted the language, family structures and cultural references. “The elders’ accounts show how rapid these transformations were,” said Bousquet.

The book goes on to describe the community’s development in the second half of the 20^th century: the advent of modern homes, a local school and services such as the police department and social services. 

Pawatik also delves into the cultural and spiritual dimensions of Anishinabe life, including healing practices. “The barks of different trees all have distinct qualities,” it explains. “They can be boiled or placed on the body to soothe muscle pain. Tree sap can also be used. Certain rocks can be boiled or wrapped in rawhide lacing.”

The book covers healing ceremonies such as the shaking tent (kozabagega), which was used to determine whether someone far away was well or in need of help.

“The preparations took several days," the text reads. "The shaman would climb to the top of a white pine, the tallest tree in the forest, and stay there for several days without eating to build up his power and vision. 

"The land and the tent also had to be prepared. The site had to be quiet, with no dogs in the area; otherwise the spirits would not come. The ritual was performed in a tent made of a canvas spread over tree branches. The officiant would sing to receive visions. In this way, he would make contact with the spirits.”

Pawatik is intended to serve as a tool of cultural transmission. It is designed primarily to let young people learn about their past and the importance of the land. It will also be useful for elders who want to pass on their culture and for all non-Indigenous people who are interested in becoming allies, the authors believe. 

This project is part of a broader effort by Miaji, which has also mounted exhibitions on Anishinabe culture and produced the comic book Odibi: voyage dans l’histoire anicinabée de Lac-Simon). The purpose of all their efforts is to recognize and disseminate the community’s knowledge and keep Anishinabe memory alive.