Midewiwin
The Grand Medicine Society
Native American cultures have developed independently of one another since the great migration onto the continent at the end of the last Ice Age. Their individual traits are as vastly different as the languages that they speak. However, as has often been demonstrated, despite the disparities, there are similar traits that have evolved—in some cases independently. One such example would be the development and proliferation of secret societies. These organizations were created to protect tribal traditions from dying out and to spread new ideas to other tribes. One such organization is the Midewiwin, or Grand Medicine Society.
The Midewiwin flourished within the Ojibway communities of the Great Lakes region during the early eighteenth century. Although no exact date has been accurately determined, records indicate a lose organization of medical practitioners operating within Ojibway communities as early as the mid-1600s. Regardless of the chronological origins of the organization, the Midewiwin was organized to share and protect the sum total of medicinal knowledge between the tribes. Some contemporary historians have mistakenly likened the group to a religious society, or cult. While the members venerated healing spirits (referred to as Mide Manidoog) the Midewiwin was not a solely religious organization. Eventually, other Great Lakes tribes became members of the Grand Medicine Society. The Potawatomi and Ottawa tribes, who once occupied the same region as the Ojibway and were believed to be an extension of that tribal group, entered the society. Throughout the displacement of the tribes and the interaction with Europeans, the Grand Medicine Society worked to protect the sacred traditions of the Great Lakes region. Though not as influential as it once was, the Midewiwin is still in existence today.
Membership in the Grand Medicine Society was determined by a vote held among the elder practitioners. The society was open to men and women who had achieved renown as healers and practitioners of the various “medicines.” According the records of the Midewiwin, which were recorded on birch bark scrolls, once an initiate is called before the membership, he or she must state their willingness to become a member. Invoking the strength of the bear spirit, a powerful healing element, the initiate takes the first degree. As a society member’s knowledge of healing practices and the complex rituals surrounding those practices grows, they achieve higher standing within the organization. The various degrees are represented by a variety of designs painted onto the society member’s face—this symbolizes the status of the individual within the group.
In addition to the facial marks, society members carry with them a medicine bundle that contains healing herbs, charms, and Mingiis Shells—a symbol of the Midewiwin. According to Ojibway myth, the Midewiwin were created by the Great Rabbit, who wanted to give man a means of protecting himself against illness. He gave Otter the Mingiis Shells and taught him the secrets to longevity. Otter subsequently passed these secrets on to the first people. Since Otter possessed the shells, they became an important symbol of the society. The bundles (or bags in some interpretations) represent the diversity of medicinal philosophy among the members of the society. Since everything that surrounds a tribe carries its own inherent spirit, by carrying the medicine bundles the society members are able to serve as conduits to the spirit world.
David M Jones and Brian L Molyneaux, Mythology of the American Nations. (London: Hermes House, 2006).
Gilbert Legay, Atlas of Indians. (Hauppage: Barron’s Educational Services, Inc., 1995)
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. New York: 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books
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