Friday Nights

Lee Chi-obizaan Staples, a drum-keeper at Aazhoomog, first-language speaker, and a principal authority on the ceremonial life of the Southwestern Ojibwe-Anishinaabe. Viewers should be advised that like many of our Anishinaabe ceremonies, there are many variations of the Big Drum ceremony throughout the geographic area where the drum has traveled. The intention of these videos are not to standardize nor prescribe the manner in which each drum community conducts its doings, but rather, to inform those interested in the current drum ceremony held at Aazhoomog and to provide a resource for individuals working hard to learn and preserve a long standing traditional ceremony. Viewers should keep in mind that these videos and its contents represent Obizaan’s teachings that he received from the drum keepers in his community that came before him. As I have heard him say many times, “You can only do what your elders taught you”.