Exploring The Work Of Peter S. Schmalz
An article by Sheila Annettee Wheesk
Peter S. Schmalz (1991). “The Ojibwa of Southern Ontario.” University of Toronto Press 1-227. McIvor, S. D. (1995).
Schmalz’s book argues that the Mississauga were the first group of Ojibwa who lived in southern Ontario. However, there are not many historians who have written about the Southern Ontario Ojibwa. He also gives historical accounts from the 16th century to the 19th century about the Ojibwa. He uses primary sources that include narratives about the Ojibwa’s cultural practice, social gatherings, diplomacy, governance, spiritual beliefs and migration patterns. The book is about the southern Ojibwa and their contributions to the Seven Years’ War and Pontiac’s war. Although these are the Southern Ojibwa, much information about family and childcare practices applies to the Ojibwa along the north shore. I believe tradition and convention, the heart of common law and governance, were likely similar around the Great Lakes, as demonstrated by the observance of pan-regional kinship structures like the clan system. The information in Schmalz’s book will be extracted and summarized.
The Ojibway women took part in governance, and it is essential to utilize how the Ojibway women took part in politics.
Most importantly, the women would stay behind and govern the community while the men went out to hunt. Therefore, the women were the authority in their community.
According to linguistics, the Ojibwa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi people have a similar language. They form part of a larger Algonquian group that shares cultural similarities and spiritual practices. Canada is likely to refer to the three Algonquin groups as the Ojibwa or Ojibway, Ottawa, and the Potawatomi. Americans have been known to refer to the same Algonquin groups as the Chippewa, Potawatomi and Odawa. Most importantly, they identify as Anishinaabek. The Anishinaabek continue to remain as a part of the Three Fires Confederacy. Each nation has specific roles and responsibilities. The variations in spellings come from earlier Europeans. Of course, they misspelled the names because they did not fully understand Anishinaabemowin.
The Anishinabek men sustained their families with the land. In addition, many men had military skills and experience. As a result, the men were able to protect their families and communities from assailants.
For example, Shingwauk, the great chief of Bawating, otherwise known as Sault St. Marie, gave a speech about sharing with the land and how they survive.
“When your white children first came into this country, they did not come shouting the war cry and seeking to wrest this land from us. They told us they came as friends to smoke the pipe of peace; they sought our friendship, we became brothers. Their enemies were ours. At the time, we were strong and powerful, while they were few and weak. But did we oppress them or wrong them? No! And they did not attempt to do what is now done … Father. Time wore on, and you have become a great people whilst we have melted away like snow beneath an April sun; our strength is wasted, our countless warriors dead.”