Customer Reviews

Ojibway Ceremonies

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In this and his other books, Basil Johnston does an outstanding job of expressing the spirit of Ojibway culture and spirituality. "Ojibway Ceremonies" particularly focuses on the cycle of ceremonies which marked the major events of life in Ojibway Society, beginning with the Naming Ceremony, proceeding through the Vision Quest and Marriage Ceremonies, and finally ending with the Ritual of the Dead. In addition, Johnston outlines some of the rituals of the secret societies, the Midewewin (Grand Medicine Society) and Wabunowin (Society of the Dawn). In traditional native fashion, the ceremonies are introduced and explained through story, rather than as dry anthropological information. Ojibway Ceremonies is an enjoyable read, and a fascinating look into one of the most resilient, if not most outspoken of Native American cultures.

This book was very helpful to me in planning funerals and weddings for my family members. This book has a lot of ojibwe language and stories in it and is overall excellent.

This book should not be listed under non-fiction. I was looking for an interesting, factual retelling of cut and dried facts on Ojibway ceremonies. What I got was a series of short stories, all confusing and long winded. Each one was a story within a story within a story, to the point that I found it incredibly difficult to follow.