Two spirit Anishinaabe hold important roles within their communities and their communities have responsibilities to encourage and support them in honouring their deepest truths, gifts, and skills.

Two spirit Anishinaabe hold important roles within their communities. They were often responsible for ceremonial roles, conflict mediation, and providing care for vulnerable children or those in need.

Anishinaabe men hold important roles to protect, provide, and care for their families, communities, and nations according to their particular gifts and abilities. As Anishinaabe women hold responsibilities and roles connected with water, Anishinaabe men hold roles and responsibilities connected with fire. Roles and responsibilities connected with fire are many and include providing for their families and community, governance, ceremony, safety, mentorship, disciplinary measures, and passing on clan responsibilities.

Mindimooyenh, a female elder, refers to the “one who holds things together” and is a category of distinction that honours the pivotal role occupied by fully mature women in the social order.

Anishinaabe women come from a society that valued an entire system of beliefs associated with women’s work, not just the product of their labour. In other words, Anishinaabe aadziwin-as a worldview and way of life- is founded on feminine empowerment.

This podcast reviews how Anishinaabe men, women, and two-spirited individuals hold different but overlapping responsibilities towards their nations, communities, and families.

This podcast reviews how Anishinaabe people divide the human life cycle into four hills or life stages. These stages are reflected in the medicine wheel shown in the Four Directions. The wellbeing of Anishinaabe Abinoojinyag (children) require all of the individuals within their communities and nations to know and fulfill their responsibilities according to these four hills and their teachings.

This podcast reviews Nikeying (The Four Directions) and their association with many teachings in the Anishinaabe worldview. Broadly, they reflect Anishinaabe understandings of the importance of balance in the world and in ourselves.

Those who are considered parallel first cousins in a European model, would actually be considered siblings in an Anishinaabe model. Each person shared a doodem with their father’s brothers and sisters but had a different doodem than their mother’s brothers and sisters. Doodem in one’s daily life operated as a set of categories that gave people a network of family in all four directions.

The extended family is the basic unit of Anishinaabe governance. The physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health of the individual is dependent on the same good health of the family unit. The family unit’s good health is dependent on the good health of the community.

The 7 Grandfather Teachings were given to the Anishinaabe to help them live in harmony with creation. They act as a guide for how to live well in community and are fundamental pillars to law and governance within Anishinaabe nations. This podcast continues with part 2 of the 7 Grandfather Teachings overview in the Research Report.

The 7 Grandfather Teachings were given to the Anishinaabe to help them live in harmony with creation. They act as a guide for how to live well in community and are fundamental pillars to law and governance within Anishinaabe nations. This podcast introduces part 1 of the 7 Grandfather Teachings overview in the Research Report.

This primer provides the context for the legal report and analysis to be developed. It is intended to introduce and describe key facts, concepts, and philosophies the underlie Anishinaabe deliberation and reasoning around child wellbeing.

This podcast provides a project background and overview of how the Koognaasewin project was launched back in October, 2018.