Anishinabek Governance is… restoring our traditional ways.
There has been considerable dialogue and knowledge sharing around the concepts of traditional Anishinabek Governance. At some point in the future, First Nations will be ready to step away from the Indian Act to our own original ways of governance, the Anishinaabe Dodemaag.
To start, it is a good idea to learn more, find out our clans, and learn more about the promise, hope and future of Anishinabek Governance. Anishinabek Governance is… having the ability to restore the Anishinaabe Dodemaag and our own, original traditional ways of governance.
Anishinaabe Dodemaag (the “Clan System”)
Our original traditional way of Anishinabek Governance was based on our dodem (our clan) – or our family.
We are born into our dodem which, for the Anishinaabe, comes from our father’s side of the family. If you are born of a non-Anishinaabe father, you could be adopted into the community through a willing adoptive clan, like the Waabzheshii (marten) dodem.
Each clan had its given traditional roles and responsibilities. Some are leadership clans, like the Ajijaak/Zhaake dodemag (Crane clan) or the Maang dodemag (Loon clan). Under this system, our Chiefs were hereditary in nature. The Crane was the gimaa for external governance and international relations, including treaty-making with the Crown and other nations. The Loon was gimaa for internal governance addressing administrative matters.
All clans had traditional roles and responsibilities. For example: Makwa dodemaag (Bear clan) played a role in the health and security of our community. The Fish clans were gifted mediators, planners and thinkers. Bird clans bore responsibilities for teaching.
These are just a few, very simplified examples of an elaborate and comprehensive system of governance that included concepts of decision-making, justice, and effectively responding to community needs.
When an Anishinabek Governance decision was made, it required not only the participation of every dodem, but the agreement of each and every dodem.
Imposition of the Indian Act
Beginning with the Indian Act in 1876, the Dodemaag system was outlawed in favour of western-style democracy. The basic principle of this foreign system was the “majority rules”.
When this system was imposed on First Nations, we moved away from our inclusive, consensus-based approach where every clan had a say.
In recent decades, there has been a dialogue to explore implementing concepts of traditional governance as communities move closer to self-government.
Traditional Governance Dialogue
Perhaps it is time to explore what traditional governance and the Anishinaabe Dodemaag system would look like in a modern First Nation context.
This requires us to learn more about the Anishinaabe Dodemaag system. The reality is that many of us need to learn more about our own clan, their traditional responsibilities and how the dodemag relate to one another.