Meet the People
Key Terms
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Anishinaabe
The name Ojibwe people use when talking about themselves. Literal translation is “original people.”
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Ojibwe
A name originally used by other American Indians for the Anishinaabe. It may come from the Ojibwe word for “puckered,” used to describe traditional moccasins worn by the Ojibwe.
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Chippewa
The name for the Ojibwe people used in official agreements with the United States. Believed to come from a mispronunciation of the word Ojibwe.
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Manoomin
Ojibwe word for wild rice. Manoomin is not technically a rice, but a grass that grows only in water.
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Band
A small group within a tribe or Native nation. Not all tribes or nations have bands.
Explore: Territory Maps
Where the Leech Lake Ojibwe are located.
Historical Ojibwe Territory: The Ojibwe people once lived, hunted, and fished throughout a huge territory in the Great Lakes region.
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe: Today, many self-governing Ojibwe bands (19 in the US) are spread out across five U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Six bands make up the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.
Leech Lake Reservation: The Leech Lake Reservation was established in 1855 by treaty with the United States. It has about 865,000 acres, one-third of which acreage is in wetlands, lakes, and rivers.
Try These Questions
That is correct!
Although different names are commonly used, in official documents with the government, Chippewa is preferred. The word Chippewa is believed to have come from a mispronunciation of the word Ojibwe.
That is correct!
Wild rice is the subject of Ojibwe traditional oral history. It has spiritual importance, is a food staple, and is considered to have medicinal properties.
That is correct!
Historical accounts and stories describe much more rice in the past than there is today.
Story Project Planner
Choose Images for Story Project
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Image 1 of 13
Toggle Favorite The Leech Lake Reservation was created i...The Leech Lake Reservation was created in 1855, when the Ojibwe living around Leech Lake signed treaties with the U.S. government. It was three years later, in 1858, that the state of Minnesota was admitted to the Union.
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Image 2 of 13
Toggle Favorite "They say that whatever happens to your ...Elaine Fleming, instructor, Leech Lake Tribal College
"They say that whatever happens to your food will happen to the people."
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Image 3 of 13
Toggle Favorite This nineteenth-century illustration sho...This nineteenth-century illustration shows Ojibwe people harvesting wild rice in the same way that it is harvested today.
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Image 4 of 13
Toggle Favorite "One of the prophecies that was given to...
Elaine Fleming, instructor, Leech Lake Tribal College
"One of the prophecies that was given to us was that we would be leaving that place, and we would be journeying west . . . until we came to a place where food grew on the water. And that is that manoomin."
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Image 5 of 13
Toggle Favorite Ojibwe people lived in wigwams—homes m...Ojibwe people lived in wigwams—homes made of bent tree limbs covered with birch bark. When people moved to a new area, they rolled up the bark and took it with them. 1923
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Image 6 of 13
Toggle Favorite "We have ties—there are connections we...Leslie Harper, director, Niigaane Ojibwe Language Immersion Program
"We have ties—there are connections we have—to the fish. There are connections we have to the birds and the trees and the rocks and the animals."
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Image 7 of 13
Toggle Favorite This fawn skin was sewn up and used as a...This fawn skin was sewn up and used as a bag to collect rice. ca. 1890-1900
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Image 8 of 13
Toggle Favorite "We're gifted with so much from everyone...
Leslie Harper, director, Niigaane Ojibwe Language Immersion Program
"We're gifted with so much from everyone around us, from the trees, and from the rocks, from the water, from everyone around us. We don't just take and take and take."
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Image 9 of 13
Toggle Favorite The Ojibwe are experts at making birchba...The Ojibwe are experts at making birchbark containers. Extensive knowledge of the birch tree's life cycle is necessary to determine when to harvest the strongest or most flexible bark. ca. 1920–28
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Image 10 of 13
Toggle Favorite "The word manoomin almost has the sense ...Colleen Wells, archeologist, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Heritage Sites Program
"The word manoomin almost has the sense of a life-force type. It has been so entwined in the culture that it obviously can't be seen as simply a food resource."
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Image 11 of 13
Toggle Favorite Moccasins and clothing were made from de...Moccasins and clothing were made from deer and elk hides. Often they were decorated with colorful glass beads. These moccasins feature a beautiful beaded floral design. ca. 1900
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Image 12 of 13
Toggle Favorite Ojibwe birchbark canoes are some of the ...Ojibwe birchbark canoes are some of the best-designed watercraft ever invented. Usually made from the bark of one tree, they are shaped and sewn together ingeniously, making them watertight and capable of navigating the most treacherous rapids. ca. 1920
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Image 13 of 13
Toggle Favorite The Ojibwe have an extensive knowledge o...The Ojibwe have an extensive knowledge of the natural resources available to them. These bowls were carved from hardwood trees. 1890
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Take notes and save images to help answer these questions. Your images and notes will be saved to the Story Project where you can use them to create your own slideshow.
