Beliefs

The Ojibwe pass down their beliefs through oral tradition and through material culture like their sacred birch bark scrolls. There are three main sacred beliefs in the Ojibwe religious milieu: dodem, manitou, and midewiwin (Grimm 1983;62). 

Dodem:

Dodem (also known as totem) is a "mythical symbol of ancestral life forces" (Grimm 1983; 63). A dodem is the animal symbol that represents clan. It is assigned to a person at birth, and is passed down through the patrilineal line. A person whose father is unknown, or a person who does not have a Native American father has no clan. Dodems are not only cultural symbols that divide bands into smaller folkgroups called clans, they also have a social function (Grimm 1983: 63). Since clan is passed down patrilineally, clan association helps identify blood relatives: inter-clan marriage was strictly forbidden. In addition, "when totems are part of a group setting, they can promote social bonding" (Powell 2017), clan members are not only family: they are bonded by the dodem. 

Manitou:

 The Ojibwe religion centers around the spirit Gitchi Manitou, the great spirit and creator, though other spirits are present in their religious cannon such as Nanabozho (a trickster spirit) (Angel 2002). The manitou control many aspects of the natural world, and can be communicated with through certain rituals, which typically include fasting (Grimm 1983; 66). 

Midewiwin: 

Midewiwin are the Ojibwe's shamans. There are four main types of midewiwin: tcisaki (shaking-tent shaman) who reveals hidden truths, nanandawi (tube-sucking shaman) who is a tribal healer, wabeno (fire diviner) who manipulate fire in order to interpret dreams and guide others through spiritual contact, and the meda (family shaman) who aids families in their physical and spiritual sicknesses (Grimm 1983;67).