Worldview
What follows is a brief summary of the traditional Anishinaabe worldview. Please note that not all Anishinaabe individuals share this exact worldview and its subsequent ideals.
Creation
According to traditional Anishinaabe belief, the creation of all aspects of life can be traced to one cosmic source: Djiibamaama (Source of Powers), or Gitchi Manidoo (Great Mystery). From this cosmic source came all animate and inanimate things, including Aki. Aki is seen as the land of the Anishinaabe, or mother earth.
Interconnectedness of All Things
Because all that is in existence is viewed as having come from one source, the Anishinaabe hold all things (physical and metaphysical) to be deeply interconnected, as demonstrated in the outline painting "Communication" by Ojibwe Medicine Painter Carl Ray (pictured to the right). All life forms, for example, are considered "relatives," possessing equal consciousness, rationale, and will. Traditional Anishinaabe views identify four different components in each animate being: wiyaw (body), djichaag or odjichaagoma (spirit and soul), djiiban (sixth sense), and djiibaaman (aura). Additionally, all inanimate things - rocks, trees, rivers - are seen as possessing (at least some parts of) these components to the same degree as human beings. Everything that Gitchi Manidoo created makes up the "sacred web of life," of which the Anishinaabe people are only one part.
Image Source: Oyota Network
Land of Peace
Due to the kinship shared between Anishinaabe and all things, it naturally follows that the Anishinaabe people place great value upon the caretaking of land and everything in it; the very life of an Anishinaabe person is centered around preserving the balance of creation. This responsibility, however, also stems from the traditional Anishinaabe belief of what happens after death. In Anishinaabe cosmology, the "upper sky vault" contains what is known as the Land of Peace, the place of eternal happiness reached within four days by the spirits of the deceased. In order to enter the Land of Peace, it is believed that a person must live the "Good Life" (Anishinaabe Mino-Bimaadiziwin), showing courage, skill, and respect for fellow Anishinaabe and all that is in the sacred web of life.
Myth
It is important to note that myth is an entirely European concept: to the Anishinaabe people, the myriad parables passed down in oral tradition are very real, and thus should be treated with great respect.