While Orillia hosted a gathering of Scottish Clans during the 44th Annual Scottish Festival, there was also a gathering of another sort at Springwater Provincial Park just north of Barrie. It was a gathering of the Ojibwe Doodemag (Doe-deh-mug), family groups, which were wrongly labelled as clans by early European explorers.
This gathering of Doodemag was only the second of its kind in this region since the ancestors were forbidden from participating in them by the British. The first one took place in August of 2019 just prior to the pandemic. Now after two years of this unforeseen event, the people of the Beausoleil First Nation, lead by a Nookmiss (Noak-miss) Grandmother knowledge keeper Trish (Butler) Monague, gather once more.
On the eve of this gathering Trish is putting the final touches on what she hopes is a successful weekend. She is a determined woman. Strong-willed, and on this day, frazzled, as any organizer of an event would be. She is nevertheless optimistic for a good gathering. Flanked by her grandchildren she is the very symbol of what this gathering signifies.
When the British first looked upon the Anishinaabe (Ah-nish-in-aw-beh) Ojibwe, system of governance, they saw that it was circular in nature. To them it looked like the Scottish Clan system because it was based on familial ties. They saw that the Ogemaawag (Oh-geh-maw-whag) designated spokespersons, were like Chieftains of Scottish Clans. So, they mislabeled them as Chiefs. Those misnomers, errors in judgement, persist today.
Therefore, this gathering of Doodemag is important for Trish (Butler) Monague and those who came to learn of their Doodemag on this weekend. It was a chance to pick up the pieces of a system of being that was created thousands of years before by the Creator and handed to the Anishinaabeg as a way of life. It was a gathering of more than just people. It was a literal gathering of themselves. A gathering of their roots. Their sense of being. The very soul of their people. That is what they were there to pick up. Everything their grandmothers and grandfathers were forced to discard along the path of Anishinaabe life.
For those who did not know what their Doodem (Doe-dehm) Family symbol was, a teaching by Elder, Knowledge Keeper, John Rice, provided answers. John wove stories once told by the ancients and passed down to him about our system of governance. But most importantly, how the Doodemag were integral in keeping families together long before Canada, the oppressive Indian Act, and the stifling way of life on Indian Reserves. It was eye opening, and it provided the listener with answers that they had been searching their entire lives for.
Throughout the weekend, participants of the gathering received knowledge of Waampam Belts from Brian Charles, flint knapping with Shawn Corbierre, and the integral role of women in our Doodemag with Janice St. Germaine.
Despite the exhausting task of organizing and facilitating this gathering, at the end of it, Trish was already beginning to plan for the next one. With this grandmother’s efforts, the Anishinaabeg of this region will indeed begin to gather what their ancestors were forced to drop all those years before.
