The Ojibwa Indians are a large Native American nation originally from the northern US and southern Canada. They lived in tribes and were primarily hunters, gatherers, and fishermen. Today, they live on reservations with their own government, schools, and legal system, and some income comes from reservation casinos.
The Ojibwa Indians, also known as the Chippewa Indians, are one of the largest Indian nations in North America. Their original homeland is the northern United States and southern Canada. Eventually they moved westward into the Midwest and the Great Plains. Many Ojibwa bands still exist, mostly living in Michigan, North Dakota, Minnesota, Ohio and Ontario, Canada.
The history of the Ojibwa Indians can be traced back to the 1600s. It was then that the various Algonquian-speaking bands united to become the Ojibwa Nation. The name is thought to come from the Algonquian Indian term for wrinkled due to the style of moccasin the Ojibwa Indians wore.
The Ojibwa lived in groups called tribes, which typically consisted of family and extended family. They were mostly hunters, gatherers and fishermen, and in more southern climes, they were also farmers. Their first contact with non-Native Americans is thought to have been in the early 1600s when the French made their way through the Great Lakes area. The French befriended the Ojibwa Indians, trading goods with them and often marrying Ojibwa women. The Ojibwas fought with the French during the French and Indian War. During the American Revolution, the Ojibwa allied with the British.
The early Ojibwa tribes living in the plains states were generally nomadic. They lived in tents or tents made of animal skins, which were easy to pack up and move. In forested areas, the Ojibwa were sedentary and lived in bark huts called wigwams. Women typically wore long dresses and men wore breeches and leggings. Both men and women wore their hair in long braids. In times of war, some men wore their hair in the Mohawk style.
The woodland tribes mainly hunted small game, fished, and gathered rice and berries. The Ojibwa who lived on the plains ate mostly buffalo meat. The weapon of choice was the bow and arrow, until the Europeans introduced firearms.
Today the Ojibwa Indians live mainly on reservations. Each tribal reservation is like an independent nation, with its own government, political system, schools, and legal system. The chief or chieftain can be a man or a woman and is elected by tribal affiliation. Since 1998, when the US government passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, a significant portion of tribal income has come from reservation casinos. Tribes have used the money to buy more land, set up schools and medical facilities, and improve housing.
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