Location & Homes

Hundreds of years ago, the Ojibwe migrated from the east coast west along the Great Lakes and settled in what is now Minnesota and Wisconsin in the 1600s. They were, in many ways, much like their Dakota neighbors. They were woodland people who felt at home in the lands surrounding the Great Lakes. The forests were home to many animals, including deer, moose, elk, beaver, wolves, bears, and rabbits. The animals, plants, and fresh water of the lakes provided the Ojibwe people with everything they needed.

The Ojibwe name means "puckered", which refers to the puckered moccasins they wore during the winter months. The Ojibwe are also referred to as Anishinabe, meaning "the people" in their language. In addition, the spelling and pronunciation of their names varies and includes Ojibway, Ojibwa, and Chippewa.

Most Ojibwe traveled to different areas of their territories each season, but they usually returned to the same campsites year after year. They set up their camps for specific purposes, such as fishing, hunting, preparing maple sugar and wild rice, and holding special meetings and ceremonies. Summer camps were large. Winter hunting camps were much smaller--often just one or two families.

Food was scarce in winter, and animals such as elk, deer, and moose traveled over huge areas. Families moved frequently to follow the animals, and it was easier to move a small group than a large one. Since the Ojibwe moved each season, their housing had to be easy to carry and set up. For most of the year, they lived in wigwams. Wigwams had frames of wooden poles covered with birch bark or animal hides. When families moved from a campsite, they left the frames in place. They took their wigwam coverings with them, so they would not have to make new coverings each time they moved. People simply re-covered the frames when they returned the following year.