The story that follows comes from an Anishiaabe community in the Berens River region of northern Manitoba and Ontario. The photographs were taken by the anthropologist A. Irving Hallowell and the stories are told by his good friend William Berens, who was chief of the Berens River band of Anishinaabe from 1917-1947. The two are pictured below in a photograph taken in the 1930s.
On the right appears a photograph of Chief William Berens, of the Berens River Anishinaabe or Ojibwe, taken in 1930 by his good friend and collaborator A. Irving ("Pete") Hallowell, whose papers reside in the American Philosophical Society's library. The photo is entitled "Grandfather's Rock" and is accompanied by a description: "Black and white photograph of Chief William Berens, sitting outside, beside a shrine, with offerings, between Grand Rapids and Pikangikum, Ontario, Canada."
William Berens was the keeper of this sacred place and the stories that enliven it. To better understand the significance of Chief Berens' ancestral authority and the distinctive, rounded rocks that bestow a sacred quality to this place, three stories told by Ojibwe elders appear below the photograph. The stories teach the attentive listener to see deeper, spiritual dimensions of the photograph that would not make themselves visible without the gracious guidance of the Anishinaabe wisdom-keepers. To begin this journey, it is helpful to know that the word for 'grandfather' in Ojibwe is mishoomis. In this case, mishoomis can refer either to William Beren's genealogy (the rocks were put here by his great-grandfather) or to the spirit of the ancestors. More specifically, the rocks themselves are grandfathers, animate beings with memories and stories to share with those, like William Berens and his great-grandfather, who are gifted enough to hear the ancestral voices.
Willam Berens' stories, told to Irving Hallowell
Irving Hallowell and William Berens worked together for a decade (1930-1940). Because of their friendship and Hallowell's deep respect for the power of Ojibwe storytelling, Chief Berens presented his friend with several stories about this photograph, which Hallowell recorded in his field notes:
"Yellow Legs, the paternal great-grandfather of William Berens was an old Mide ['Grand Medicine Lodge'] priest who was once seen walking on the water over to a little island to secure a special kind of 'medicine.' He was brought back by the memegwesug ['little people'], semihuman mythological creatures who live in the rocks. He was a manao, a type of curer who obtained his medicine from memegwesug. All this happened in broad daylight while many people were watching. He also brought back some gulls' eggs from the island, 'in order to make people believe in his power.'"
"On another occasion, Yellow Legs dreamed of a large round stone on Egg Island, near the one already mentioned. He sent two men to fetch this stone for him. They were told to follow a bear's tracks to be found on the edge of the shore, which would lead them directly to it. To make sure they had found the right stone, they were told that a few branches would be broken directly above it. This stone was brought back and it later appeared in the Midewiwin ['Grand Medicine'] lodge. It exhibited animate properties when Yellow Legs tapped it with a knife. A mouth, suggested by the external characteristics of the surface, would open and he would extract a packet of medicine. This medicine would be made into a concoction which was then shared by all present."
"These anecdotes exemplify the traditional Ojibawa [Ojibwe] world view.... They are thoroughly intelligible in terms of its premises. The famous stone of Yellow Legs finally reached the Berens River where his son Bear went to live. Bear, in coooperation with his brother Cauwanas (the one who travels with the South Wind), carried on the Midewiwin at the mouth of the river where William Berens saw the last performance as a child. The stone came into his possession and he never would part with it.... William once dreamed of the memegwesug, as his great-grandfather had. He said he could have obtained medicine from them but never did so."
-- Written by Maureen Matthews, an anthropologist who has worked for many years in the Berens River region who works closely with William Berens’ descendents.
