Long before television and video games, people found ways to amuse themselves. The Ojibwe made up games and used songs and dances as early forms of entertainment.

A game that is still played today by children in the United States was being played by Ojibwe children long before non-Indians came to this country. That game is hide-and-seek. It was known as "the butterfly" game to Ojibwe children in those days. In the Ojibwe version of the game, one child would cover his eyes while the others hid. When everyone was ready, he would begin to search for them while singing "Mee-mem-gwe, mee-mem-gwe (butterfly) show me where to go."

The Ojibwe used songs for dances, games, to proclaim love, and to entertain children. Drums and wooden flutes were used for accompaniment.

One of the social dances the Ojibwe enjoyed was the begging dance in which dancers went from wigwam to wigwam, or house to house, begging for food for a feast. Another popular dance was the woman’s dance, in which many gifts were exchanged.

Ojibwe adults played two classes of games: games of chance and games of skill. The moccasin game was a game of chance. The rules of this game are very complex, but the basic idea is that one player hides a marked marble under one of four moccasins, and the other player has to guess where the marble is. The moccasin game has been played for generations by Ojibwe People, and continues to be played today.

One game of skill that was commonly played is the lacrosse game, which was similar to modern lacrosse. In this game, a deerskin-covered wooden ball is tossed with a racket made from a sapling. Opposing teams tried to catch the ball with the racket and carry it to the other team’s goal.

For the Ojibwe, an important aspect of all games is fair play. Being honest in everything you do is an important part of the Ojibwe belief system, and it is reflected in their popular forms of entertainment.

Like many other cultural groups that play games involving gambling, the Ojibwe people have their own traditional gambling games. However, just as bingo (which might be played at churches for recreation or to raise money for a parish) is not a part of Christianity, gambling is not a part of the Ojibwe religion. Casinos are owned by Ojibwe tribes, but they are not directly linked to Ojibwe religious ceremonies.

While traditional Ojibwe games are not religious, their rules do take into consideration the Ojibwe belief system. Because Ojibwe People believe that all things are interconnected, it would be impossible for an Ojibwe to totally separate a recreational activity from his or her beliefs.

The Ojibwe’s traditional moccasin game provides a good example of how Ojibwe beliefs are incorporated into a recreational activity. An important aspect of the moccasin game is that there is no way to cheat in it. Playing fairly — being honest in everything you do — is a part of the Ojibwe belief system; therefore, it is reflected in this popular game. The game also allows players to learn about human nature — to observe behavior, to interpret body movements, and to learn the importance of patience.

The rules of the moccasin game are very complex, but the basic idea is that one player hides a marked marble under one of four moccasins and the other player has to guess under which one it was hidden. The moccasin game was played for generations by Ojibwe people, and continues to be played today.

Throughout the periods in history when Christian missionaries spread their gospel to Indian reservations, white people strongly disapproved of any cultural activities, including the moccasin game and other Ojibwe gambling games. Over time, the Ojibwe adopted other games, such as bingo, into their recreational activities. Eventually, this meant card games, too. So, as you can see, gambling does have its place in Ojibwe history.

I’ve heard that storytelling is a very important part of the Ojibwe culture. What are some traditional Ojibwe stories?

Because storytelling so important, we would like to review some of that material, and print the story of Papase (The Woodpecker) in this month’s Cultural Column.

According to Ojibwe legend, storytelling season begins with the first snow and ends with the first clap of thunder. Long ago, people owned stories or legends and only they could tell them. In order for another person to tell a particular story, he or she would have to get permission from its owner and offer the owner tobacco, a blanket, clothing, food or something else. Today, it is still customary to offer an Elder tobacco (or something else they like) for them to tell a story.

Through storytelling, Mille Lacs Band Elders help younger people learn about the world around them. When they grow up, these children continue the storytelling tradition with their own children and grandchildren. One often-told story, called Papase (The Woodpecker), teaches a lesson about greediness.

Papase

A woman wearing a red scarf, a black dress, and a white apron was cooking in her kitchen early one morning when an old man approached her. "May I have some bread, please?" he asked. "Sure," she said.

The woman had just prepared a big batch of dough to make fry bread (a traditional Ojibwe bread), so she put a nice big piece of dough in the fry pan. It turned out to be a really nice piece and she thought, "I can’t give him this one — it’s much too nice." For the second piece, she put a smaller amount of dough in the pan. Well, this piece turned out much better than the first and she thought, "Oh, this one is also too nice to give to this old man." So, she started on a third piece. This time, she put barely any dough in the pan. When it was ready, she was very surprised, for this piece had turned out even more beautiful than the all the others.

Finally, the old man asked, "Is there any bread ready yet?" So she threw some crumbs in the pan and they produced by far the most beautiful piece of fry bread. This made her angry. "Quit begging," she cried. "Get out of here! You can’t have any of my bread!" The old man stopped begging all right. He stomped his foot a few times and said, "From now on you’re going to have to hunt and search for your food." And he turned the woman into a woodpecker.

Printed with permission from the storyteller.