What's Your Doodem, part 8: The Story of the Fisher and Marten clans
- zhaawano
- Jun 11, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 8
Ode’imini-giizis (Strawberry Moon) / Baashkaabigonii-giizis (Blooming Moon), June 11, 2023
THE ORIGINS AND SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FISHER AND MARTEN CLANS
Boozhoo, biindigen! Today, I would like to present a clan teaching, symbolized by a collection of gold-and-silver clan rings. Â These rings serve as teaching devices and are not for sale.
This set of clan rings, featuring fluid lines and a clear narrative quality, is inspired by my deep appreciation for my Anishinaabe heritage—a previously concealed treasure that the late artist Miskwaabik Animikii (Norval Morrisseau) revealed to me in numerous ways and levels of awareness.
The rings, crafted by hand in my signature minimalist, graphic overlay style, showcase a stylized Fisher on the left ring and a stylized Marten on the right ring. They are made of 14K white gold, with the Fisher clan ring featuring a 14K yellow gold inlay and the Marten clan ring featuring a 14K red gold inlay; both rings have interiors made of sterling silver.
The Fisher is a forest-dwelling animal similar to a weasel, related to but larger than the American marten. Its habitat spans much of the boreal forest of Turtle Island, which includes present-day Canada and the northern edges of what is now the United States.
The Marten and Fisher clans of the Anishinaabeg Peoples have historically shared a common origin and aspects of a shared culture.
In certain Ojibweg communities, the Waabizheshi odoodem (Marten clan) includes some descendants from the Maanadwe odoodem (Fisher clan) of the Odagaamii Meshkwahkihaki, a related Anishinaabe Nation that formerly inhabited the southern shore of Gichigami (Lake Superior) in present-day Wisconsin and was defeated in a significant battle with the Ojibweg. Over time, the Ojibwe Marten clan also welcomed many individuals with a non-Native father and an Ojibwe mother.
The Odagaamiig were once economically and politically allied with the Dakota Nation, and it is said that one reason the Ojibweg went to war with the Dakota was due to the sibling rivalry between the Odagaamiig and the Ojibweg. This is among the reasons why, in those times before the Maanadwe Odoodem was adopted into the Ojibwe Marten clan, the Dakota were regarded as fierce yet noble adversaries, while the Odagaamii Fisher Clan was seen as "evil enemies," even beyond mythical proportions…
In the Ojibwe language, fishers are called Ojiig(w)ag, and the Anishinaabe Peoples recognized them as energetic hunters with a bold disposition. The White Fisher, known as Waabojiig, was particularly cherished by the Ojibweg. They symbolize determination and sound judgment.
Several notable War Chiefs of the Ojibweg from the 18th and 19th centuries were named after Waabojiig, the White Fisher.
Ojiiganang, a beloved constellation of seven bright stars in the northern skies, known as the Big and Little Dipper by Euro-Americans, was also named after the Fisher.
> Read about the Anishinaabe Wolf Clan: He Who Walks Around the Turtle Island.
* The term Meshkwahkihaki originates from the Meskwaki creation story, where their cultural hero, Wisaka, formed the first humans from red clay. Meshkwahkihaki translates to "the Red-Earths." The Anishinaabeg peoples referred to the Meskwaki as Odagaamii, meaning "people on the other shore," indicating their lands south of Gichigamiin (Great Lakes). The Euro-Americans called these people "Fox."