The Well-Rounded World of the Early Ojibway

Occupying a vast territory that extended from the northern shores of Lakes Huron and Superior, and from Georgian Bay to Lake Winnipeg and the edge of the prairies, the Algonkian-speaking Ojibway were bordered by the Iroquois to the south and east, and the Cree to the north.

With abundant forests and waterways at their disposal, the pre-contact Ojibway lived a prosperous, versatile life as hunters, fishers, and gatherers. Pursuing moose, deer and beaver, fishing for pickerel and whitefish, collecting maple sap and harvesting many wild varieties of nuts and berries, the Ojibway enjoyed the physical and cultural benefits of a well-fed people. The natural abundance of their environment allowed them to develop a complex social structure, and fostered a distinctive style of arts and crafts. A dependable supply of food also left time for leisure activities, including lacrosse, ball games, and gambling games.

Like their neighbours, the Cree, within whom they occasionally intermarried, the Ojibway maintained a strong belief in supernatural forces, and a reverence for all living things. They were particularly renowned for the quality and workmanship of their birchbark canoes. Birchbark was in ample supply in Ojibway territory, and was used not only to produce light, durable, streamlined vessels, but also for covering dwellings and for making boxes, baskets, trays, dishes and utensils.

The Ojibway maintained a highly-developed clan system that regulated hunting territories, civic responsibilities, and marriage. Members of one clan could be found in a number of bands; fellow clan members were regarded as relatives. Each Ojibway band, which consisted of up to 300 people, had a chief, but beyond this level, no tribal hierarchy existed.