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Native People of Western Canada Contents 1 The Ojibwa 1 1.1 Ojibwe ................................................. 1 1.1.1 Name ............................................. 1 1.1.2 Language ........................................... 2 1.1.3 History ............................................ 2 1.1.4 Culture ............................................ 4 1.1.5 Bands ............................................. 7 1.1.6 Ojibwe people ......................................... 9 1.1.7 Ojibwe treaties ........................................ 11 1.1.8 Gallery ............................................ 11 1.1.9 See also ............................................ 11 1.1.10 References .......................................... 11 1.1.11 Further reading ........................................ 12 1.1.12 External links ......................................... 13 2 The Cree 14 2.1 Cree .................................................. 14 2.1.1 Sub-groups .......................................... 14 2.1.2 Political organization ..................................... 15 2.1.3 Name ............................................. 15 2.1.4 Language ........................................... 15 2.1.5 Identity and ethnicity ..................................... 16 2.1.6 First Nation communities ................................... 17 2.1.7 Ethnobotany ......................................... 17 2.1.8 Notable leaders ........................................ 17 2.1.9 Other notable people ..................................... 20 2.1.10 See also ............................................ 21 2.1.11 Notes ............................................. 21 2.1.12 References .......................................... 22 2.1.13 External links ......................................... 22 3 The Chipewyan 23 3.1 Chipewyan ............................................... 23 i ii CONTENTS 3.1.1 Demographics ......................................... 23 3.1.2 Governance .......................................... 23 3.1.3 Historical Chipewyan regional groups ............................ 25 3.1.4 Ethnography ......................................... 26 3.1.5 Language ........................................... 26 3.1.6 Notable Chipewyan ..................................... 27 3.1.7 References .......................................... 27 3.1.8 Further reading ........................................ 28 3.1.9 External links ......................................... 29 4 The Assiniboine 30 4.1 Assiniboine .............................................. 30 4.1.1 Names ............................................. 30 4.1.2 Language ........................................... 30 4.1.3 Related peoples ........................................ 30 4.1.4 History ............................................ 30 4.1.5 Lifestyle ............................................ 32 4.1.6 Subgroups and Bands ..................................... 32 4.1.7 Present day .......................................... 34 4.1.8 Gallery ............................................ 35 4.1.9 Notable Assiniboine people .................................. 35 4.1.10 See also ............................................ 35 4.1.11 References .......................................... 35 4.1.12 Further reading ........................................ 36 4.1.13 External links ......................................... 36 5 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses 37 5.1 Text .................................................. 37 5.2 Images ................................................. 38 5.3 Content license ............................................ 40 Chapter 1 The Ojibwa 1.1 Ojibwe of the Anishinaabe-speaking peoples, a branch of the Algonquian language family. The Anishinaabe peoples “Chippewa” redirects here. For other uses, see Chippewa include the Algonquin, Nipissing, Oji-Cree, Odawa and (disambiguation) and Ojibway (disambiguation). the Potawatomi. The majority of the Ojibwe peoples The Ojibwe (also Ojibwa), or Chippewa are a large live in Canada. There are 77,940 mainline Ojibwe; 76,760 Saulteaux and 8,770 Mississaugas, organized in 125 bands, and living from western Quebec to east- Algonquin Odawa ern British Columbia. Ojibwe in the U.S. number over Nipissing Chippewa (Ojibwa) 56,440, living in an area stretching across the northern Mississaugas Oji-Cree tier from New York west to Montana. Potawatomi Chippewa (Salteaux) They are historically known for their crafting of birch bark canoes, their sacred birch bark scrolls, the use of cowrie shells for trading, the cultivation of wild rice, and the use of copper arrow points. In 1745, they adopted guns from the British to defeat the Dakota in the Lake Superior area, pushing them to the south and west. The Ojibwe Nation was the first to set the agenda with European-Canadian leaders by signing detailed treaties before they allowed many European settlers into their western areas. Their Midewiwin Society is well respected as the keeper of detailed and complex scrolls of events, oral history, songs, maps, memories, stories, geometry, and mathematics.[3] Traditional range of Anishinaabe-Anishinini, including Ojibwe 1.1.1 Name group of Native Americans and First Nations in North America. There are Ojibwe communities in both Canada Further information: List of Ojibwa ethnonyms and the United States. In Canada, they are the second- largest population among First Nations, surpassed only The autonym for this group of Anishinaabeg is Ojibwe by the Cree. In the United States, they have the fourth- (plural: Ojibweg). This name is commonly anglicized as largest population among Native American tribes, sur- “Ojibwa” or “Ojibway”. The name “Chippewa” is an al- passed only by the Navajo, Cherokee, and Lakota. ternative anglicization. Although many variations exist Because many Ojibwe were formerly located around the in literature, “Chippewa” is more common in the United outlet of Lake Superior, which the French colonists called States and “Ojibwa” predominates in Canada, but both Sault Ste. Marie for its rapids, the early Canadian settlers terms are used in each country. In many Ojibwe commu- referred to the Ojibwe as Saulteurs. Ojibwe who subse- nities throughout Canada and the U.S. since the late 20th quently moved to the prairie provinces of Canada have century, more members have been using the generalized retained the name Saulteaux. This is disputed since some name Anishinaabe(-g). scholars believe that only the name migrated west.[1] The exact meaning of the name Ojibwe is not known; the Ojibwe who were originally located along the Mississagi most common explanations for the name derivations are: River and made their way to southern Ontario are known [2] as the Mississaugas. • ojiibwabwe (/o/ + /jiibw/ + /abwe/), meaning The Ojibwe Peoples are a major component group “those who cook\roast until it puckers”, referring to 1 2 CHAPTER 1. THE OJIBWA their fire-curing of moccasin seams to make them people may have occurred in response to contact with Eu- waterproof.[4] Some 19th-century sources say this ropeans. The Europeans preferred to deal with bounded name described a method of ritual torture that the groups and tried to identify those they encountered.[8] [5] Ojibwe applied to enemies. According to their oral history, seven great miigis (ra- • ozhibii'iwe (/o/ + /zhibii'/ + /iwe/), meaning “those diant/iridescent) beings appeared to the peoples in the who keep records [of a Vision]", referring to their Waabanakiing (Land of the Dawn, i.e., Eastern Land) form of pictorial writing, and pictographs used in to teach them the mide way of life. One of the seven Midewiwin sacred rites;[6] or great miigis beings was too spiritually powerful and killed the peoples in the Waabanakiing when they were in • ojiibwe (/o/ + /jiib/ + /we/), meaning “those who its presence. The six great miigis beings remained to speak-stiffly"\"those who stammer”, an exonym or teach, while the one returned into the ocean. The six name given to them by the Cree, who described great miigis beings established doodem (clans) for the the Ojibwe language for its differences from their peoples in the east, symbolized by animal, fish or bird own.[7] species. The five original Anishinaabe doodem were the Wawaazisii (Bullhead), Baswenaazhi (Echo-maker, i.e., Crane), Aan'aawenh (Pintail Duck), Nooke (Tender, i.e., 1.1.2 Language Bear) and Moozoonsii (Little Moose), then these six mi- igis beings returned into the ocean as well. If the sev- Main article: Ojibwe language enth miigis being stayed, it would have established the Thunderbird doodem. The Ojibwe language is known as Anishinaabemowin or At a later time, one of these miigis appeared in a vision Ojibwemowin, and is still widely spoken, although the to relate a prophecy. It said that if the Anishinaabeg did number of fluent speakers has declined sharply. Today, not move further west, they would not be able to keep most of the language’s fluent speakers are elders. Since their traditional ways alive because of the many new set- the early 21st century, there is a growing movement to tlements and pale-skinned peoples who would arrive soon revitalize the language, and restore its strength as a cen- in the east. Their migration path would be symbolized by tral part of Ojibwe culture. The language belongs to a series of smaller Turtle Islands, which was confirmed the Algonquian linguistic group, and is descended from with miigis shells (i.e., cowry shells). After receiving as- Proto-Algonquian. Its sister languages include Blackfoot,