The three tribes mostcommonly associatedwith Michigan are

the Ojibway (Chippewa), theOdawa (Ottawa) and thePotawatomi. These threetribes were like members ofa family. The Ojibway werethe “older brothers.” TheOdawa were the next bornand the Potawatomi werethe “younger brothers.”These three tribes formed theThree Fires Confederacy, alsoknown as the Anishinabek. A confederacy is a loose-knitalliance that promotes common interests.

Ojibway means “to roast ‘til puckered up” anddescribes the unique style of moccasins these NativeAmericans wore. The Ojibway,a tribe of around 30,000 peo-ple, lived along the southernshores of Lake Superior andwestern Lake Huron. TheOjibway were excellenthunters and fishermen.

Odawa means “to trade.”The Odawa were skilled

traders. They also made excel-lent bark canoes that helpedthem trade all over NorthAmerica. The Odawa livedalong the eastern shores ofLake Michigan. When the

French arrived in the GreatLakes the Odawa had around3,000 people.

The Potawatomi werecalled “the people of the placeof the fire.” They were someof Michigan’s earliest farm-ers. The Potawatomi grew

squash, corn, melons, beansand tobacco. Their villageswere larger and more perma-nent than those of theOjibway and Odawa. Therewere about 4,000 Pota-watomi living in Michiganduring the mid-1600s.

The MittenA Publication of Michigan History magazine SEPTEMBER 2001

This painting shows Native Americansliving near present-day Sault Ste.Marie. The bark-covered houses shownhere are called wigwams.

THREE FIRESTHE

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In the mid-1600s,nine NativeAmerican tribes

lived in the Great Lakesarea. They totaledaround 100,000 people.The largest tribe was theHuron, who lived in theregion between LakesErie, Ontario and Huron.Tribes living in the area thatis now Michigan included theThree Fires: the Ojibway, theOdawa and the Potawatomi.Other area tribes were theMenominee, the Sac (alsoSauk), the Fox, theWinnebago and the Miami.

Each tribe was different, but they allshared three beliefs: 1)Spirits were more pow-erful than men; 2)Nature—the land, animals and plants—belonged to everyoneand 3) No one had theright to run another person’s life.

Everyone living in anIndian village worked.Women and girls did mostof the chores. They tanned(softened) animal skins, wovefishnets, chopped wood, grewcrops and cooked. Men andboys hunted and fished. Theymade bows and arrows, traps,wooden tools and canoes.

Unlike Native Americanswho lived on the GreatPlains, Michigan Native

Americans did not live intepees. Most lived in dome-shaped houses called wig-wams. Saplings were stuckinto the ground and tiedtogether to create a frame.Sheets of bark taken fromlarge trees were placed overthe saplings. When a family

moved to a newplace, they rolledup the bark cover-ing and took it withthem. They left thesapling framework behind.

Michigan Indiansobtained food in many ways.From the forests and lakesthey gathered berries, nutsand wild rice. They grew

corn, beans andsquash in gardens.They also hunted.Men and boys usedtraps and snares, aswell as bows andarrows, to take bear, moose, deer,wolf and fox.

Michigan Native Ameri-cans did not wear featheredheaddresses. They wore theirhair long. Sometimes theybraided their hair. In thesummer, Native Americanswore only a breechclothand moccasins. During cold

weather both menand women worefur hats, moc-casins, leggingsand shirts.Women also woreknee-length deer-skin skirts.

Today, manyplaces in Michi-gan have NativeAmericannames. The

word Michigancomes from anIndian language.“Michi” meansgreat; “gane”means lake or

water. But Native Americansgave Michigan more thannames. They taughtMichigan’s first white peoplehow to live in the wilderness,make canoes and hunt.

The birch-bark canoe

was a remarkable

invention. The canoe

was strong, water-

proof and lightweight.

NativeAmerican

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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE THREE FIRESThe MUSEUM OF OJIBWA CULTURE in downtown St. Ignace has

exhibits on the Native American ways of life. The museum’s residentChippewa artist, Ron Paquin, demonstrates how he makes birch-barkcanoes and baskets. For information, write to 566 North State Street,St. Ignace, MI 49781. Telephone (906) 643-9380 or visit on-line atwww.stignace.com/attractions/ojibwa.

The MICHIGAN HISTORICAL CENTER offers exhibits onNative Americans in the Great Lakes area. On display are arrow-

heads, trade goods and a birch-bark canoe. The museum is located at 717 West Allegan, Lansing, MI48918. Telephone (517) 373-3559, TDD: (800) 827-7007 or visit on-line at www.sos.state.mi.us/history.

The people of the ThreeFires had many storiesabout how the worldwas created by the

Great Manitou, or GreatSpirit. One of the stories isabout how North and SouthManitou Islands and SleepingBear Dunes were made.

A mother bear and hertwo cubs lived peacefully onthe western shore of LakeMichigan. They ate berriesand fish and drank from the

lake. The mother beartaught her cubs to bethankful to the GreatManitou for all things.

One summer nightthere was a big thunder-storm. Lightning set theforest on fire. The motherbear gathered her cubs andjumped into the lake to escapethe flames. All through thenight they swam toward thedistant shore, away from thefire. The cubs grew tired.

First, the younger onesank beneath thewaves, then the older

cub disappeared. The mother

bear could notsave them. Shemade it to

shore and fellinto a deep sleep

on the beach. As she

slept, the Great Manitou whis-pered to her. “Because youalways remembered me withthanks, I will take you to theLand of the Spirits. Your cubsare already there.”

The Great Manitou creat-ed two islands to honor thebrave bear cubs. He calledthem North and SouthManitou Islands. The GreatManitou then covered themother bear with a blanket ofwhite sand. Today she restsunder Sleeping Bear Dunes.

The Creation of Sleeping Bear Dunes Places

in Michigan with Native American names

MICHIGAN = great lakeCHEBOYGAN = Chippewa waterKALAMAZOO = reflecting river

ISHPEMING = heaven MUNISING = island in a lake

PETOSKEY = rising sunESCANABA = flat rock

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*The Mitten is produced by the staff of Michigan History

magazine, which is part of the Michigan HistoricalCenter. The Michigan Historical Center is part of the

Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Dedicated toenhancing the quality of life in Michigan, the departmentalso includes the Mackinac Island State Park Commission,the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Film Office, and the

Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs.

For more information, contact Michigan History at

(517) 373-3703 or visit us on-line atwww.sos.state.mi.us/history/mag

1. What does the word Potawatomi mean?a. people of the place of the fireb. growers of cornc. big lake

2. What did Native American women and girls do?a. make bows and arrowsb. tan animal skinsc. catch fish

3. Most Native Americans in Michigan lived in houses called ____________________.

4. The _________________ Indians lived in southern Michigan and were good farmers.

Vocabulary

WORDSGreat Plains: Prairie land inthe middle United States

breechcloth: Square leatherpieces worn over the frontand back of the hip area

leggings: Leather pants

alliance: People joinedtogether in purpose or beliefs

saplings: Young trees

9Q M C H K E B A N H S I N A N N T E Z S

J P D O I M O T A W A T O P V A O J W F

N W N D H F M I O X P T O W B H F Z A I

J J Q A A W K S J S I H L N S D P U U Y

Q G C W G C X M I P T Q X W E L U T Z U

W U H A P H W Q B V D H O P S S N G N F

B I Y C A N O E W R Y N I R P J G O M L

W S J M Q A S G A P S S Q G B W N J K D

Z H J I K S K G Y N M O C C A S I N J S

N R T H R E E F I R E S V D O G C A Z H

Find the following NATIVE

AMERICANwords

ANISHNABEKOJIBWAYODAWA

POTAWATOMITHREEFIRES

CANOESNOWSHOEMOCCASIN

What DidYou Learn?

BONUS:Which NativeAmerican group wasknown as skilledtraders?

a. Potawatomi

b. Menominee

c. Odawa