Another book by Ojibwa author Basil Johnston (see my review of his "The Manitous"), this outlines various traditional and modern myths and stories regarding natural phenomena, such as the seasons, plants, and the behavior of animals, all in the context of the actions of the different manitous (nature spirits). The book includes charming chapter illustrations by Polly Keeshig-Tobias. --- Contents include: Introduction --- Preface --- Mother Earth--Mizzu-Kummik-Quae --- Weather --- Plants --- Insects, Bugs, Little Creatures --- Birds --- Animals --- Fish --- Thou Shalt Honour Earth Mother --- Glossary

Learning about how the traditional Ojibwa, both of earlier times and of now, view the natural world around us. The stories are written in a simple style and the book is rather short, thus easy to read. The tales told here give new life to everything around us which we may take for granted.

The glossary at the end. It contains a good listing of Ojibwa place names, animal names, and plant names, so for those interested in native languages this could also be useful.

The book contains numerous typographical and spelling/formatting errors. Considering that it was published by University of Nebraska Press, one would think it would have received a more thorough copyedit.

Write to the author to tell him how much I enjoy his works, and I did attempt to, though he has either not received my mail, or is too busy/disinclined to reply! :/ Oh well...

Even more interested in and enlightened about this aspect of Ojibwa and Great Lakes Indian belief. I also started looking at things like chickadees and pine trees and thinking, "Ah."

Is Basil Johnston, author of "The Manitous," "Ojibway Heritage," "Ojibway Ceremonies," and various other related works (though these four are his best, IMO).

It helps bring life to such simple things as the plants and animals and land formations we see every day, by giving them a face and a voice. Traditional Ojibwa view everything around us, from people down to animals down to rocks, as having the potential for life and intelligence, and the stories here explain how all of these things are connected in an intricate system.

I still suggest Johnston's "The Manitous" as a basic primer on Ojibwa mythology. "Honour" does not cover the more well-known myths, but is more a collection of quaint little stories told for educational purposes. This book serves better as a companion to the earlier work, as it elaborates on what the reader should already be aware of.

This book is more for simple, spare-time reading than indepth studying, so please consider it in that light. It isn't quite as good as "The Manitous," but the two would work together well as companion books, along with "Ojibway Heritage" and "Ojibway Ceremonies." Whereas "Manitous" is more about describing the primary Ojibwa myths, "Honour" is good for filling in the little gaps left by the earlier work.

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Created Apr 24, 2006 at 1:51am • Submit your own review...