Fisher and Marten doodem clan rings
Clan rings product information
Title: Maanadwe Miinawaa Waabizheshi Doodemag (Fisher and Marten Clans)
Type : Ojibwe-style graphic overlay rings featuring a stylized Fisher (left ring) and a stylized Marten (right ring)
Materials : 14K white gold, 14K warm yellow gold inlay (Fisher clan ring), 14K red gold inlay (Marten clan ring); sterling silver interiors
Width: 0.39 inch / 10 mm
Price from: 1,370 USD* / 1,505 CAD* per ring
Item # 9-6 YG (Fisher clan ring)
Item # 9-6 RD (Marten clan ring)
Clan rings executed in sterling silver:
Price from: 537 USD* /640 CAD* per ring
Item # 9-6 SF (Sterling silver Fisher clan ring)
Item # 9-6 SM (Sterling silver Marten clan ring)
SCROLL DOWN to read about the symbolism of these clan rings.
PLEASE NOTE: The cost of precious metals is fluctuating weekly. Although prices on this website are being updated on a regular base, they are merely indicative. zhaawano@gmail.com for a customized price quotation if you find a set of wedding or clan rings or a piece of jewelry you are interested in ordering. Please do not forget to mention the item number and the exact ring sizes in case you ask for a price quotation for wedding rings or clan rings.
Some considerations when measuring ring sizes:
Professional sizing methods are more reliable and accurate than online or at-home methods. Professional sizing can be done at a local reputable jeweler.
It is important to take into account the width of your ring band as wider bands typically require a larger size to fit comfortably. It is therefore always best to be sized with a professional jeweler's ring sizer of the same width as the one you intend to purchase.
The best size is usually the ring that fits snugly and gives a little resistance when you take it off. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
The origin and symbolic significance of the Fisher and Marten Clans of the Anishinaabeg Peoples
The Fisher is a forest-dwelling, weasel-like animal related to but larger than the American marten; its range covers much of the boreal forest in Canada to the northern fringes of the United States.
Historically, the Marten and Fisher clans of the Anishinaabe Peoples have a common origin and share segments of a common culture.
Among some Ojibwe communities, the Waabizheshi doodem (Marten clan) consists partly of descendants of the Maanadwe doodem (Fisher clan) of the Odagaamii Meshkwahkihaki, a sibling Anishinaabe Nation that once lived along the south shore of Gichigami (Lake Superior) in what is now Wisconsin and who were defeated in a fierce battle with the Ojibweg; throughout time, the Ojibwe Marten clan would also adopt many persons with a non-Native father and an Ojibwe mother.
The Odagaamiig were once economically and politically allied to the Dakota Nation, and it is said that one of the reasons the Ojibweg went to war with the Dakota was because of the sibling rivalry between the Odagaamiig and the Ojibweg. This is one of the reasons why back in those days, before the Maanadwe Doodem became adopted into the Ojibwe Marten clan, the Dakota were looked upon as fierce but noble enemies and the Odagaamii Fisher Clan as “evil enemies,” beyond mythical proportions even…
Fishers, or Ojiig(w)ag in the Ojibwe language, were known by the Anishinaabe Peoples as lively hunters and also for their fierce nature. Waabojiig, the White Fisher was especially loved by the Ojibweg. They stand particularly for singleness of purpose, and good sense.
Several great War Chiefs of the Ojibweg who lived in the 18th and 19th century were named after Waabojiig, the White Fisher.
Ojiiganang, a beloved constellation of seven bright stars in the northern skies, called Big and Little Dipper by the Euro-Americans, was also named after the Fisher.
* Courtesy of Beatrice Menasekwe Jackson
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From of old, Marten clan members are in charge of labor and sustenance as they have always been the hunters and food gatherers of the Anishinaabe Peoples. In some communities marten clan members would also cultivate the land for food. Their task was not only to locate berries and transfer the berries and plants to other areas; in the southern parts of Anishinaabe Aki, Waabizheshi members would even grow corn, squash, and beans, and build culverts. They would work with the Nooke (Bear) clans and protect the women and children. Traditionally they hold ceremonies with other clans to honor the life of the animals that are being hunted. In the fall time the waabizheshiwag take leadership roles in preparation for the coming winter...
But Marten clan members are not just foragers: they are also looked upon as ogichidaag (protectors)!
In the communities of the Odaawaag of Michigan and southern Ontario as well as those of the Ojibweg of Michigan's Upper Peninsula – among whose forebears were the Baawitigowininiwag, People of the Rapids -, Waabizheshi doodem members are known as warrior clan people inclined to be great strategic logistic thinkers and defenders of Mino- bimaadiziwin, the Good Way of the Heart (Midewiwin) and of Anishinaabemowin, the beautiful language of the Anishinaabe Peoples. Their clan colors are yellow, light brown, and gold. They are considered Ogichidaag; warrior-leaders, not followers. Like their colors suggest, waabizheshiwag (marten people) go into the unknown and complete darkness without fear. They are known for their single-mindedness in the pursuit of their convictions and goals.
In the old days, members of the Marten clan were master strategists in planning the defense of their communities, and they often served as oshkaabewisag (pipe bearers) and mizhinaweg (messengers) for the ogimaag (chiefs). Marten is known as an outsider who stands outside of the circle of those warriors who appeal to the imagination and attract the most attention: the bear, the wolf, and the lynx. Marten is on the outside looking in. Certainly the other clans are seen as protector, but it is waabizheshi who fights for change, for what is right, who makes change with an amazing intellect and strategic mind. He or she defends those who commit themselves to the cultural and educative values and the environment, to a proper use of the land and its recources, and to the survival of the language, science, and art of the Anishinaabe People.
So, sometimes marten steps forward to protect the land or retrieve the language, keeps the culture by supporting those who are fighting for it, he is never one to take a back seat, actively doing what is right no matter the cost...Waabizheshi is gifted with a great and unlimited mental potential and, on a personal level, he helps others to reach theirs. Waabizheshi, in short, is a WARRIOR OF THE MIND.*
