I Say Medicine, You Say Midewin

Think about the word, “medicine.” What does it mean to you? Do you think of multicolored pills? Your doctor? The pharmacy down the street?

If you are an American Indian from the Ojibwe tribe, the word for medicine is “midewin” (pronounced ma-DAY-win) and it means ‘from the Earth.’ It’s subtle, but the difference is clearly there. For American Indians, wellness does not come from a pill. Healing comes from plants and herbs that treat disease. Not viewed as a physical response with a cause rooted in the laws of science, disease encompasses a patient’s spirit, family, community and environment.

Dr. Doreen Wiese, who is of the Ojibwe tribe, is trying to revive the Ojibwe language precisely because of this difference. In the United States especially, native languages have withered up and died for two main reasons: first, because parents felt their children needed to learn English to become successful in American culture and second because until the 1940's, Native American children taken from their homes were forced to only speak English.

A PhD from Northern Illinois University who studies oral history and the ways in which learning is passed through generations, Dr. Wiese believes, “…language is the thread that keeps culture together. Language is woven into our brains and psyches and memories.”

It’s true. Language reflects culture. While the words can be translated into English, the meaning behind the words may change. An Ojibwean story about “midewin” takes on a new meaning when the word becomes “medicine.”

Dr. Wiese’s goal is to write down the Ojibwe language so it can be taught to others. Not an easy task. Part of her impetus in doing so came when she attended a religious ceremony where a speaker claimed God gives everyone a native language. “He said that if you can’t pray in your native language, the Creator cannot hear you. I wanted to learn how to pray in Ojibwe. I wanted to learn how to tell our stories in Ojibwe. That’s the only way we can be whole again as a native people.”