WHITEBIRD HISTORY
FATHER TO SON (My Dad & me 1992)
A LITTLE WHITEBIRD HISTORY:
SON TO SON TO SON
A look at Pete Whitebird's heritage...
Above is a photo of Pete and Peter Whitebird Sr. taken in the early 1990s.
Actually, Pete's dad, was Peter L. Whitebird Jr. after his dad Peter Sr..
Pete is actually Peter L. Whitebird III.
I am proud of my Chippewa Heritage
and my family in Bad River, (Odana,Wisconsin). Nevertheless, all that I am I owe to Jesus Christ. I have counted all things loss that I might gain Christ and be found in Him. He is my life. Christ has brought me through all the trials of my life and made me who I am today. I live my life in Him and for Him.
My prayer is that I will spend eternity
with all members of my family on both my father's side and my mother's side. God bless the Whitebirds and the Burks families. May they all find eternal life in Jesus Christ...the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to the great Spirit Father, GOD. (John 14:6)
A LOOK AT SIX GENERATIONS OF THE WHITEBIRD CHIEFS
In the old days
there were different kinds of Ojibwe chiefs, the war chief, the headman and the totem (do-daim)Chief. Chiefs and sub-chiefs usually inherited their position although a warrior could become a chief through his exemplary powers of wisdom, hunting and/or war. A chief's eldest son usually inherited the chieftanship, but under certain conditions, the younger son inherited the chieftanship depending on his character and wisdom. And if no son was available, the chief's brother could possibly inherit the position.
This is a story of six generations of chiefs.
The story begins at Madeline Island on Lake Superior with Chief Wa-bish-ke-be-nais, (which means White Bird in Ojibwe), two centuries ago and it ends at Odanah with Chuck Whitebird today.
Chief Wa-bish-ke-be-nais - Tenure-1790-1877
Chief Wa-bish-ke-be-nais was a hereditary
Crane clan chief living on Madiline Island at the turn of the 18th century. He was married to Isabelle A-ki and in 1835 had a first-born son who was given the name O-gi-ma-gi-zhig, which literally means "Sky Chief" or "Chief of the Sky." Shortly after the 1854 Treaty of Lapointe was signed, Chief Wa-bish-ke-be-nais relocated to the Bad River Reservation with his family and his band of about 65 individuals. Five other chiefs also brought their own followers as well.
Chief George Whitebird - Tenure-1877-1895
Around 1877, Chief Wa-bish-ke-be-nais
died and his eldest son, now known as George Whitebird, succeeded his father as one of the hereditary chiefs of the Bad River Band. George inherited his father's position of influence and leadership.
As one of Bad River's hereditary chiefs,
his main duties included: settling disputes among his people; representing the Band at large gatherings of many different tribes; and making decisions which were in the Band's best interests.
This included petitioning the U. S. government
to uphold its trust obligations. The chiefs and headmen who sat in council during 1860-1910 were also responsible for establishing Bad River's land allotment lists after determining the applicants eligibility.
George Whitebird emerged
as an important tribal leader, spokesperson, and adviser during a highly controversial era in the history of the Bad River Reservation. This was the time when the 1854 Treaty annuity payments ended (1875) and the lumber boom began (1882).
The timber industry generated
a new source of income for many Bad River allottees but problems like timber contract fraud, collusion, price-fixing, trespassing and unlawful timber cutting followed.
For two years the Bad River tribal council
filed complaints about the La Pointe agent's timber and allotment mismanagement to the federal government. Special agents were sent from Washington D.C. to investigate and make reports but the agents either failed to discover and report the facts or their reports fell on deaf ears when they reached the commissioner of Indian Affairs and the Secretary of Interior.
Consequently, in late 1887,
the Bad River tribal chiefs and council requested permission to send a delegation to Washington D.C. in order to present their case concerning the "distressing condition of affairs" at the reservation. Permission was abruptly denied. Undaunted, George Whitebird and others developed a plan to protect their people's interests and property. Invoking their inherent authority based upon the sovereign will of the Bad River Chippewa people they decided to send, without prior BIA approval, a Bad River delegation to Washington D.C.
The Bad River people rallied to the cause,
unselfishly donating funds for the delegations travel and lodging expenses and witnesses came forward to provide factual testimony.
During the spring of 1888,
George Whitebird and other chiefs, headmen and their interpreters made several trips to Washington D.C. to meet with U.S. Senate officials. Upon arrival of the delegation, and after some preliminary meetings, the Senate passed a resolution directing a special committee - the Senate Select Committee on Indian Traders - to investigate the "distressing condition of affairs" surrounding the timber sales and land allotment system on the Bad River Reservation.
This investigation resulted
in the enactment of special federal anti-trespass legislation in 1888. The next year, the Department of Interior temporarily suspended timber sales and allotments of land until it could complete a further investigation.
When Chief George Whitebird
died on March 15, 1895, he was succeeded by his youngest son, Francis "Frank" Whitebird. George was buried on his own land allotment near where the Marengo and Bad Rivers join.
Chief Francis Whitebird - Tenure-1897-1935
Though George Whitebird had three sons,
the two oldest died before age 31, without children leaving Frank the sole surviving son. Frank faced the problem of salvaging as much tribal power and traditional culture as remained after many decades of assimilation efforts by U.S. Indian policy makers. Although assimilation of Indians into white society had always been the main objective of policy makers, they intensified their efforts between 1880 and 1934.
Whereas his father had exercised
a great degree of power and influence during his Bad River chieftanship tenure, his son experienced a reduction in authority brought about by another shift in U.S. Indian policy. In 1910, Congress passed the Omnibus Act, changing the way tribal governments conducted business and politics. In essence, the Act replaced hereditary chiefs with elected representatives, reducing the role of the traditional hereditary chiefs as leader and negotiator to that of honorary figurehead.
Nevertheless, Frank remained influential
in tribal affairs and in maintaining his people's traditional way of life.
Frank Whitebird never abandoned his past.
Rather, he saw firsthand the effects that acculturation had on the Bad River people-that they were finding themselves handicapped or unable to take part in Chippewa traditional customs. It was as if the more they learned about the white man's ways, the less knowledgeable they were about the traditional ways of their Chippewa people. This made Frank more determined to preserve the Chippewa culture and traditions for future generations.
He worked to preserve "The Drum."
He was a leading member of the Bad River Ceremonial Drum and he was also a Drum Keeper and Eagle Staff Carrier right up until the time he died in November, 1935.
Peter L. Whitebird - Tenure-1935-1940
Peter Whitebird who was the eldest son
of Frank Whitebird rightfully claimed the title of hereditary chief. He was active in Bad River tribal affairs, serving as treasurer of the Bad River tribal council during 1934-1935. He was also an authority on tribal history and was constantly called upon to provide historical information for the W.P.A. Bad River Indian Research Project of 1936-1940.
He was also a naturally gifted artist.
Having no formal art education or training, he was nevertheless widely known throughout the Upper midwest for his elegant paintings, many of which were murals depicting traditional Ojibwe activities-wild rice gathering, maple sugar making, dancing and the game of lacrosse.
During 1936, while employed in the W.P.A.
Bad River Indian Research Project, he painted many pictures which were later used as illustrations in the book entitled, "Chippewa Indians of Yesterday and Today," by Sister M. Carolissa Levi. He also presented Minnesota Governor Harold E. Stassen with a painting entitled "Victory Chief" in May, 1939.
Albert L. "Jobbie" Whitebird - Tenure-1953-1975
Albert grew up on the Bad River Reservation
during the 1930s and 1940s. From an early age, he received the benefits of his father's and grandfather's cultural teachings. He was expected to grow up to be a man of good character, good sense and to live according to the Ojibwe system of values. His parents and grandparents saw the value of the white man's education while still wanting to maintain the "Indian-ness" of their Ojibwe heritage.
When Albert was 13,
his father was fatally injured when struck by an iron ore-laden train near the railroad bridge over the Bad River. Bad River elders advised him that since he was the eldest son of the deceased chief he had inherited his father's chieftanship, but he was considered too young to assume the duties and responsibilities of the chief's position. He was advised to select a man to act as guardian for his chieftanship or to stand in his place until he became of age. Throughout the rest of the summer, Albert was presented with many gifts from numerous elderly Bad River statesmen in hopes that one of them would be selected by Albert for the position of guardian or acting chief.
Albert chose Frank Gishkak, 76,
and a special ceremony was held in the fall of 1940 at John Frost Cloud's home on the Kakagon River.
Albert attended grade school at Odanah
and high school at Flandreau, South Dakota. Eventually, he and another Bad River youth, Creighton Wolf, ran away from Flandreau and walked and/or hitchhiked all the way back home to Bad River Reservation. After spending some time back home "hiding out from the Indian agent," Albert enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he served four years and was honorably discharged.
When the Korean War broke out in 1950,
he joined the service again. This time he served for three years in the U.S. Army and was awarded the Silver Star. After the Korean War ended, U.S. Army officers came to the Reservation and officially presented Albert with the Commendation Medal of Honor for meritorious service.
Albert was married to Hazel Gokee in 1955
and they had eight children. During the 1960's and 1970's, Albert often brought along his eldest son, Albert "Chuck" Whitebird Jr. when he traveled throughout Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, to tribal business meetings, powwows and drum ceremonies.
Albert was elected tribal chairperson
around 1967-1968. During his tenure he fought hard, politically and physically, for Bad River's treaty rights.
In 1971-1972, he served as vice-chairman
of the National Democratic Party. During the later years of his life, Albert became more deeply involved in the traditional aspects of his Ojibwe heritage. He stressed the importance of knowing or finding out who we are as Anishinabe people; "In order for us to know where we are going, we must first know where we came from. We must know our origin-what clan we belong to; who we were descended from."
He believed that there exists
in today's Anishinabe world, a need for hereditary chieftanships, which are laying dormant to somehow be revitalized or at least brought forth to their rightful place and acknowledged in today's Anishinabe culture.
Albert died at age 48,
on August 15, 1975, the 35th anniversary of his father's death. Hundreds of people gathered at the Odanah cemetery to pay their last respects to the, great-great grandson of Chief Wa-bish-ke-be-nais. A
decorated veteran of WWII and the Korean War, he was given a military funeral with full military honors.
Chief Albert "Chuck" Whitebird Jr. - Tenure-1975 -
His eldest son, Albert "Chuck" Whitebird,
sixth generation of the Whitebird chiefs lives in Odanah.
THE CHIPPEWA NAMES
To end any confusion,
the Ojibwe and Chippewa are not only the same tribe, but the same word pronounced a little differently due to accent. If an "O" is placed in front of Chippewa (O'chippewa), the relationship becomes apparent.
Ojibwe is used in Canada,
although Ojibwe west of Lake Winnipeg are sometimes referred to as the Saulteaux. In the United States, Chippewa was used in all treaties and is the official name. The Ojibwe call themselves Anishinabe Anishinaubag, Neshnabek), meaning "original men," (sometimes shortened to Shinob and used as a nickname among themselves). Ottawa and Potawatomi also call themselves Anishinabe, and at some time in the past, the three tribes were a single tribe. Ojibwe, or Chippewa, comes from the Algonquin word "otchipwa" (to pucker) and refers to the distinctive puckered seam of Ojibwe moccasins.
Various spellings:
Achipoes, Chepeway, Chippeway, Ochipoy, Odjibwa, Ojibweg, Ojibwey, Ojibwa, and Otchipwe.
CULTURE
The Ojibwe were the largest
and most powerful Great Lakes tribe; perhaps the most powerful east of the Mississippi; and quite possibly the most powerful in North America. The Lakota (Sioux) and Apache have gotten better press, but it was the Ojibwe who defeated the Iroquois and forced the Sioux to leave Minnesota.
Very few Americans realize the Ojibwe
were a major power. Their location was well north of the main flow of settlement, and their victories over native enemies have never received proper credit. A variety of names (Ojibwe, Chippewa, Bungee, Mississauga, and Saulteaux) and division of their population between Canada and United States has masked their true size.
In addition, the Ojibwe never fought
with Americans after 1815. Even before this, their participation in wars between Britain and France or fighting Americans in the Ohio Valley was fairly limited.
Considering the prowess of Ojibwe warriors,
this was probably just as well for the Americans. However, this does not mean they have been ignored by government. As the Chippewa, they signed more treaties with the United States than any other tribe - fifty-one! North of the border, the Ojibwe have "touched the pen" more than thirty times with the French, British, and Canadians.
Europeans came to the upper Great Lakes
for fur, but after 200 years, this trade had ended. Most of the Ojibwe homeland had poor soil and a short growing season which did not attract settlement. Some whites came later for the minerals and timber, but even today, the area is not heavily populated.
Because of this limited exposure,
the Ojibwe have been able to retain much of their traditional culture and language. Most Americans have heard the Longfellow's poem "Hiawatha." Unfortunately, he got his tribes mixed. The name of Hiawatha was borrowed from the Iroquois, but the stories were Ojibwe. Most Ojibwe were classic Woodlands culture, but since different groups lived across such a wide area, there were major differences.
Like all Native Americans,
the Ojibwe adjusted to their circumstances. After reaching the northern plains, the Bungee (Plains Ojibwe) adopted the Buffalo culture and became very different from the other Ojibwe in their art, ceremony, and dress. Towards the southern part of their range in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Ojibwe villages were larger and permanent with the cultivation of corn, squash, beans, and tobacco.
However, most Ojibwe lived
in the northern Great Lakes with a short growing season and poor soil. They were hunter-gatherers who harvested wild rice and maple sugar. Woodland Ojibwe had no salt to preserve food and generally mixed everything with maple syrup as seasoning. They were skilled hunters and trappers (useful skills in war and the fur trade). Fishing, especially for sturgeon, provided much of their diet and became progressively more important in the northernmost bands. As a rule, Woodland Ojibwe rarely used horses or hunted buffalo. Dogs were the only domestic animal and a favorite dish served at their feasts.
The Ojibwe used birchbark for almost everything:
utensils, storage containers, and, most importantly, canoes. Coming in a variety of sizes depending on purpose, the birchbark canoe was lighter than the dugouts used by the Dakota (Sioux) and other tribes.
Birchbark was also used
to cover their elliptical, dome-shaped wigwams. When a family moved, the covering of the wigwam was rolled up and taken along leaving only the framework.
Summer clothing was buckskin
with fur outer garments added for winter. The men wore breechcloths, but both sexes wore leggings. Moccasins were the distinctive puffed seamed style that gave Ojibwe their name. These were often colored with red, yellow, blue, and green, dyes made by the women.
Long, cold winters were spent confined
inside their wigwams also allowed time to add intricate quill and moose-hair designs. The Ojibwe often passed these times and entertained each other with stories, an art for which they are still renown. Generally, men and women wore their hair long and braided.
In times of war, men might change to a scalplock.
Ojibwe scalped, but as a rule they killed and did not torture. Like other Great Lakes warriors, there was ritual cannibalism of their dead enemies. Polygamy was rare. Their social organization was based on approximately 15-20 patrilineal clans which extended across band lines and provided their initial sense of tribal unity.
Before contact, the clans
and a common language were all that bound them to each other as the Anishinabe. The hunter-gatherer lifestyle of the Ojibwe required they separate into small bands moving in a fixed pattern to take advantage of available resources. During winter, they separated into extended families in isolated hunting camps which allowed the men to cover a large area without competition from other hunters.
During warmer months, they gathered
in bands of 300-400 at known locations where fish, berries, and wild rice were abundant. There was little central organization, and the authority of hereditary Ojibwe chiefs before contact was limited and confined pretty much to his own band.
Tribal councils occurred only
when several bands made common cause in times of war but otherwise were rare. However, this, changed after the beginning of the fur trade with the French, and the different bands began merging.
The Ojibwe were outstanding hunters and trappers.
The colder weather in their homeland gave their beaver thicker coats resulting in a high quality fur. The Ojibwe became so heavily involved in the French fur trade their language became the unofficial trade language of the northern Great Lakes.
Both the French and Ojibwe prospered as a result.
The trade and weapons brought the Ojibwe wealth and power. At the same time, they became dependent on the French and trade goods. Because they handled the dealings with French traders, the authority of Ojibwe chiefs increased.
Bands became larger and began to cooperate
on a greater scale, especially during the Beaver Wars (1630-1700)with the Iroquois. Traditional ties between their clans added to the new sense of unity and purpose, but trade had also brought them their first experiences with European epidemics.
Before contact, Ojibwe religion was similar
to their political organization.There was little formal ceremony. For healing, they had relied on medicinal herbs gathered by the women and shamans. These were overwhelmed by the new diseases which were deadly beyond anything they had seen. What evolved was the Midewiwin (Grand Medicine Society), a secret religious society.
Open to both men and women,
its members performed elaborate healing ceremonies to deal with sickness. Among the Ojibwe, the Midewiwin kept records on birchbark scrolls, an actual written record unique among the Great Lakes tribes.
Beyond its healing and religious functions,
Midewiwin membership crossed band lines and provided an additional element of political leadership binding the different Ojibwe groups to each other. Within 50 years of their first meeting with a European, the Ojibwe had united to become one of the most powerful tribes in North America.
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