Do Now How many council fires are their from the Dakota? What two lessons did the Dakota oral histories teach us? Who was responsible for being the first person to record the oral histories?

Early Ojibwe Introduction

Getting to Minnesota Hundreds of years ago, the Ojibwe migrated west along the Great Lakes and settled in what is now Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Ojibwe’s original home was near the Atlantic Ocean by current day Maine. They traveled west using the St. Lawrence River and then connecting through the Great lakes. Finally settling around Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The Ojibwe Arrival At one point in the travel, the people split into three groups. The Ottawa settled mostly in the eastern Great Lakes region. The Potawatomi headed south into lands that included much of what is now Wisconsin. The Ojibwe, continued to move west and settled by the northern shores of Lake Superior.

The Ojibwe Arrived They arrived in what is now northeastern Minnesota in the 1600’s. They lived in villages in the cool pine forests, surrounded by relatives and neighbors. They fished, hunted game, harvested wild rice, and made sugar from maple sap.

Different from the Dakota They had their own language, customs, and beliefs. Instead of using tipis like the Dakota, they built wigwams-more permanent houses with round frames. Wigwam: a round dwelling made out of poles and saplings and covered with sheets of birchbark or woven mats.

Different from the Dakota Continued… Birchbark: the bark, or outer covering, of a birch tree. The Ojibwe also used birch bark to make canoes, instead of hollowing out logs like the Dakota did

People of the Woods and Water The Ojibwe found marshes brimming with wild rice. Wild rice: a tall grass that grows in shallow, still waters. The edible grain that comes from this plant is important in Ojibwe culture. The Ojibwe have always lived near lakes, so it makes sense that fishing is an important part of their culture. Usually used weighted nets, but used other tools such as spears, traps, and hooks.