Revisiting a 1763 Feast of the Dead with the help of an Oshkaabewis

By Laurie Leclair

Ogimaa Wawatam, a 45-year-old Anishinabek Chief from Michilimackinac, experienced a powerful dream during a fast. This dream told him that one day, he would adopt an Englishman into his family and treat him as his brother.

He met the man he was supposed to adopt, a British Trader named Alexander Henry, at a post in northern Michigan. Wawatam allowed Henry to travel with his family, a group of about 13 people, during which time the latter kept a journal recording his adventures. On the first of November, 1763, the adopted brother was invited to take part in a Feast of the Dead. This is what he wrote:

As soon as the darkness of night had arrived the family, including myself, were invited into the lodge. I was now requested not to speak, as a feast was about to be given to the dead, whose spirits delight in un-interrupted silence. As we entered, each was presented with his wooden dish and spoon, after receiving which we seated our- selves. The door was next shut, and we remained in perfect darkness. The master [Wawatam] of the family was the master of the feast. Still in the dark, he asked everyone, by turn, for his dish, and put into each two boiled ears of maize. The whole being served, he began to speak. In his discourse, which lasted half an hour, he called upon the manes [spirits] of his deceased relations and friends, beseeching them to be present, to assist him in the chase, and to partake of the food which he had prepared for them. When he had ended, we proceeded to eat our maize, which we did without other noise than what was occasioned by our teeth. The maize was not half boiled, and it took me an hour to consume my share. I was requested not to break the spikes [cobs], as this would be displeasing to the departed spirits of their friends. When all was eaten, Wawatam made another speech, with which the ceremony ended. A new fire was kindled, with fresh sparks, from flint and steel; and the pipes being smoked, the spikes were carefully buried, in a hole made in the ground for that purpose, within the lodge. This done, the whole family began a dance, Wawatam singing, and beating a drum. The dance continued the greater part of the night, to the great pleasure of the lodge.

I asked Perry McLeod-Shabogesic, a member and Elder of Nipissing First Nation, to share his own understanding of the Feast of the Dead ceremony. McLeod-Shabogesic has acted as an Oshkaabewis (Helper) for years, originally assisting at ceremonies and then eventually conducting them. He relayed that although the methods of this ancient Feast have changed, and vary by region and celebrants, the intention has remained the same since time immemorial.

In more modern times, Indigenous communities enter into the Feast of the Dead by tending to their deceased loved ones, figuratively dressing and feeding them, taking care of their earthly remains. Traditionally, the ritual was usually done in a lodge and conducted by people gifted with that ceremonial knowledge, but then as today, if individual families could not make it to a community event, they, like Wawatam and his family, would hold their own ceremonies.

When asked about the ritual importance of creating a new, clean hearth and fire, McLeod-Shabogesic explained that for the Feast of the Dead, a new fire would be lit to open the Western Door, the door to the Spirit World. He emphasized that these rituals are organic and reflect the customs of those people conducting the ceremonies.

“People do things differently; it is not like Western rituals,” he said, using the analogy of a snowflake, where they may look identical, but under closer scrutiny, each one is different.

Feasts are subtle and fluid rather than codified and rigid. As an example, within Anishinabek territory, the Feast is sometimes called Jiibay-inaakewin, but each community may use different terminology, and the Feast itself may not necessarily be celebrated on the same day each year.

McLeod-Shabogesic points out that although most communities, like Wawatam’s family, celebrate on November 1, this is not necessarily the traditional way as people did not go by the colonized calendar but rather by the natural divisions of the year, such as the time around the first freeze. According to what he was taught, McLeod-Shabogesic said that the Feast was celebrated in the fall because this is an active time for spirits, the time when Thunderbeings revisited the territory to gather the deceased’s spirits and help them to the Spirit World.

As in Wawatam’s time, silence and darkness were important elements of the Feast.

“Shogonosh peoples talk too much,” said McLeod-Shabogesic remarking that there is much communication that exists beyond the spoken word.

There is activity in stillness, including spirit, thought and visual cues. When a participant wants to connect with the Spirit World, darkness and quiet are key. The louder a room the more difficult it becomes to reach beings from the spirit realm. Ceremonies are done at night and in the dark so that spirits are more comfortable; it becomes easier to connect with them and reach out to them.

When asked about the significance of corn, McLeod-Shabogesic reiterated that different protocols exist for different communities. Every group has its own reasoning for doing what they do during their observances. He also cautions not to get bogged down in or pick apart the details of a ceremony. Alexander Henry’s 1763 eyewitness account, being of a general nature, is strangely appropriate as according to McLeod-Shabogesic, it is not our place to reveal too much details of a particular ceremony. Its sacredness must be honoured, and over-sharing can weaken the medicine. Those who are interested in learning more must find a ceremony and attend. In this vein, McLeod-Shabogesic spoke generally about the importance of pipe smoking as a conduit to the spiritual world. In his experience, a pawagan, sometimes known as a Thunder Pipe, was used for Western Door ceremonies. The process of smoking connected the conductor to the spiritual world. Similarly, in some cases, a special drum might be used to assist in this connection. While Wawatam’s celebration lasted into the early hours, modern-day Feasts can be shorter or last for days.

Finally, when asked if was anything else he would like Anishinabek News readers to know about the Feast of the Dead, he said to remember that there was also a lot of background work that people must do to fully participate in the Feast. Efforts can begin several months or even years before as the process of mourning a loved one includes assisting the departed in finding their way to the Spirit World and after they arrive, to honour them at the Feast by preparing their favourite foods, celebrating their lives and telling stories about them. Until the Feast, grieving is a personal, deeply private affair. For Mcleod-Shabogesic, participating in the Feast connects a community to the Spirit World, it honours those who once walked with us and who will one day help guide us in our own journey through the Western Door.

Anishinaabmowin Vocabulary for Feast of the Dead:

Animkiig – Thunderbeings

Animkii-pwaagan – Thunder pipe

Epanishmog shkwaanndem – Western Door

Jiibay-inaakewin – Feast of the Dead

Oshkaabewis – Helper

Shkode – Fire

The author would like to thank Perry McLeod-Shabogesic for the sharing of his knowledge and his help with the text of this story. Both McLeod-Shabogesic and Dr. Alan Corbiere have supplied the Anishinaabmowin vocabulary words.

Laurie Leclair is a historical researcher for Anishinabek Nation. Currently, she is working with Kevin Restoule on a Heritage and Burials project which seeks out the interpretations of Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Oshkaabewisag like Perry McLeod-Shabogesic in an effort to decolonize the written record on Indigenous burial customs