Review of \u3ci\u3e Preserving the Sacred: Historical Perspectives on Ojibwa Midewiwin\u3c/i\u3e By Michael Angel

This volume is a critical historiography of the nature and meaning of the Midewiwin as it was, and still is, practiced by southwestern, western, and northern Anishinaabeg (Ojibwa or Chippewa) in both Canada and the United States. A self-described culturally sensitive outsider, Angel has approached his subject from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing heavily from religious studies and historic and ethnographic documentation. The origins and functions of the Midewiwin are examined within the contexts of Anishinaabeg religion and society. Angel takes issue with the classification of the Midewiwin as a revitalization movement or a crisis cult by demonstrating that the essential elements of the Midewiwin were elaborations of traditional beliefs and practices. He argues that the roles of traditional healers, diviners, and healing ceremonies became more complex as the Anishinaabeg struggled with new challenges to their world following contact with European newcomers