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Ojibway Indian Fact SheetThis website was written for young people seeking Chippewa Indian information for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to visit our main Ojibwa language and culture pages for in-depth information about the Ojibway/Chippewa tribe, but here are our answers to common questions asked by kids, with Ojibway pictures and links suitable for all ages. Photographs are the property of the sources we have credited.
Chippewa Tribe
What is the difference between Chippewa, Ojibway, Ojibwe, and Ojibwa? What do these words mean?Where do the Chippewas live?How is the Ojibway Indian nation organized?  Flags of Chippewa bands |
Each Ojibway community lives on its own reservation (or reserve, in Canada).
Reservations are lands that belong to the Ojibways and are under their control.
Communities of Ojibway Indians are called tribes in the United States and First Nations in Canada.
Each Ojibway tribe is politically independent and has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country.
Some Ojibway nations have also formed coalitions to address common problems.
The political leader of an Ojibway band is called a chief (gimaa or ogimaa in the Ojibway language.) In the past Ojibway chiefs were men chosen by tribal councilmembers, often from among the last chief's sons, nephews, or sons-in-law. Today Ojibway chiefs can be men or women, and they are elected in most Ojibway bands, like mayors and governors. |
What language do the Ojibways speak?What was Ojibway culture like in the past? What is it like now?How do Ojibway Indian children live, and what did they do in the past? Ojibway string game | They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Ojibway children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like colonial children. But Ojibway kids did have dolls and toys to play with, and older boys liked to play lacrosse. Like many Native Americans, Ojibway mothers traditionally carried their babies in cradleboards on their backs. Here are some pictures of Native American cradleboards. now. |
What were Ojibway men and women's roles?What were Ojibway homes like in the past? Ojibway birchbark house | There were two types of dwellings used by the Chippewas. In the woodlands, Ojibway people lived in villages of birchbark houses called waginogans, or wigwams. On the Great Plains, the Ojibwas lived in large buffalo-hide tents called tipis. The Plains Ojibwa were nomadic people, and tipis (or tepees) were easier to move from place to place than a waginogan. Here are some pictures of wigwam, tipi, and other Indian houses. Today, Native Americans only build a wigwam or tepee for fun or to connect with their heritage. Most Ojibways live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you. |
What was Ojibway clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint? Chippewa chief  Ojibwa moccasin |
Chippewa women wore long dresses with removable sleeves. Chippewa men wore breechcloths and leggings.
Everybody wore moccasins
on their feet and cloaks or ponchos in bad weather. Later, the Chippewas adapted European costume such as cloth blouses and jackets, decorating
them with fancy beadwork.
Here are more
pictures of Ojibway clothing styles, and some photographs and links
about Native American clothes in general.
Traditionally, the Chippewas wore leather headbands with feathers standing straight up in the back. In times of war, some Chippewa men shaved their heads in the Mohawk style. Otherwise, Chippewa men and women both wore their hair in long braids. Some Chippewa warriors also wore a porcupine roach. In the 1800's, some Chippewa chiefs began wearing long headdresses like their neighbors the Sioux. Here are some pictures of these different styles of Native American headdress. The Chippewas painted their faces and arms with bright colors for special occasions. They used different patterns for war paint and festive decoration. Some Chippewas, especially men, also wore tribal tattoos. Today, some Chippewa people still wear moccasins or a beaded shirt, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and they only wear feathers or roaches in their hair on special occasions like a dance. |
What was Ojibway transportation like in the days before cars? Did they paddle canoes? Ojibway birchbark canoe | Yes--the Ojibway Indian tribe was well-known for their birchbark canoes. Canoeing is still popular in the Ojibway nation today, though few people handcraft their own canoe from birch bark anymore. Here is an article with pictures of Indian birch bark canoes. Over land, Chippewa people used dogs as pack animals. (There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe.) Today, of course, the Chippewas also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes. |
  Chippewa woman Chippewa man harvesting rice spear-fishing |
What was Ojibway food like in the days before supermarkets? Ojibway bands lived in different environments, so they didn't all eat the same types of foods. Woodland Chippewas were mostly farming people, harvesting wild rice and corn, fishing, hunting small game, and gathering nuts and fruit. Here is a website about Ojibwe wild rice. The Plains Ojibwa were big-game hunters, and buffalo meat made up most of their diet. Here is a website with more information about Native Americans' food. What were Ojibway weapons and tools like in the past?Ojibway warriors used bows and arrows, clubs, flails, and hide shields. Hunters also used snares, and when Plains Ojibway men hunted buffalo, they often set controlled fires to herd the animals into traps or over cliffs. Here is a website with pictures and more information about American Indian weapons. Woodland Chippewas used spears or fishhooks with sinew lines for fishing, and special paddles called knockers for ricing. |
What are Ojibway arts and crafts like? Ojibway beadwork | Ojibway artists are known for their beautiful beadwork, particularly floral design. Other traditional Ojibway crafts include birch bark boxes, baskets, and dreamcatchers. Like other eastern American Indians, the Ojibways also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. The designs and pictures on wampum belts often told a story or represented a person's family. |
What other Native Americans did the Chippewa tribe interact with?What kinds of stories do the Chippewas tell?What about Chippewa religion?Can you recommend a good book for me to read?How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
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