Anishinaabe aadziwin – as a worldview and way of life – is founded on feminine empowerment. This is important to remember when we look back on the original roles of kwewag (women), and in particular, the roles of Gookmisag Miinwaa Zigosag in our Anishinaabe governance orders. Anishinaabe nendomowin, or the mindset and worldview of Anishinaabeg, holds that the earth’s energy and spiritual force is feminine in nature. This is a foundational fact in Anishinaabeg social order and natural law: the physical world as we know it, and therefore our livelihood, emerges from this generative feminine force of life-production. Women are understood to be human extensions of that sacred power and are therefore revered for being the physical and spiritual embodiment of this natural law. The rites of Anishinaabe femininity throughout the life stages are instructive for a person’s life-long journey through harnessing the power to generate life - for women, and the responsibility to care for it - for men.
To listen to the full podcast or to previous podcasts that reflect on the contents of the Anishinaabe Laws and Customs Research on Child Wellbeing Report, visit our Anishinaabe Laws and Customs podcast page at https://www.koognaasewin.com/research-report-podcasts.
