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The Ojibwe
Reveals another historical perspective to western expansion in the early U.S.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published September 1, 1989
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January 1, 2015
There was some good, useful information presented in this book and overall it was pretty enjoyable to read. It talked about how the Ojibwe lived in bands of 300 to 400 people, that were a loosely connected group of clans. Clans consisted of several families, and they had their own symbol, or totem. It was pretty interesting to learn that every family had a certain thing they were supposed to do in their village; some gathered wood, farmed, made canoes, or governed.
Everyone had a special place inside the wigwam, around the fire in the center. The grandmother sat opposite the entrance, but it was vague saying that the father sat with the sons on one side while the mother say with the daughters on the other side. I would have liked to know which side exactly they sat on so I don't have to make it up. It was interesting and new for me though, and that children were taught to remain on their own side of the fire and respect the rights of others.
The Ojibwe move seasonally in order to be close to the resources that season provides. Families returned to the same seasonal camps every year. In the summer they lived on the shores of a river or lake, planted gardens, gathered plants and herbs, and fished. In the fall they moved to rice marshes and gathered rice in canoes. In the winter they moved to their winter homes, which were longer wigwams, in the forest. The men hunted and trapped and did things outdoors while the women stayed indoors and cooked and made clothing. In the spring they moved to the sugar bush where the maple trees grew. It was a time of socializing and working together as they gathered sap to make syrup, sugar to season fruits, wild rice, vegetables and fish, or they dissolved it in water and had it as a cool drink, or ate it as candy.
I learned a little more about the eagle feather and the significance of it, which was pretty cool. It represented great bravery and wasn't worn just for decoration. Men and women could wear them if they had an experience that entitled them to wear an eagle feather. They used color to paint their bodies, mostly the face.
Ojibwe cherish children, and they brought them up gently while teaching them tribe values. Infants and children were taken care of carefully so they would be healthy. Families lived together in wigwams and were close to each other. Children were supposed to love and respect all living things, and sharing was important while stealing and lying resulted in severe punishment. It wasn't said what forms of punishment there were, and that was an important detail that should've been included, because I have no idea how they would punish someone and I don't like having to make up things or use vague details.
It was nice to learn how important sharing and caring were for the Ojibwe. They thought life was a cycle and that what they do would come back to them, whether it was good or bad. If you helped someone, or a plant or animal, then you would receive help in the future when you needed it.
I liked that it mentioned the Ojibwe were friendly with the Fox in Wisconsin, but then it said they were friendly with some of the tribes they encountered when they moved west, but didn't even mention another tribe. They were peaceful with the Dakota Sioux sometimes but also warred with them. It's just always surprising to me when there's so little information given. This is crucial information and it's just left out!
It went on to talk briefly about their experience with Europeans, and how they were bribed or badgered into signing treaties, and told that if they didn't their land would be taken from them anyway. Many thought they weren't signing over their land for the whites to own, but were just giving them rights to use it. They didn't understand the concept of owning land, because they believed it belonged to their Creator, who let them use it. Whenever they took something from the land they thought of it as a gift and repaid it with an offering.
Treaties were made with the Ojibwe that put them on reserved lands called reservations. This was the first time Indians were put on reservations in their own area. They were forced to farm on land that was unsuited for it. Children were forced to attend boarding schools, where they had their hair cut, were forbidden to speak their own language, and usually had to wear uniforms. They went to class half the day and the other half were required to do chores. Most were forced to stay away for years without seeing their families, and forgot how to speak their language and so couldn't communicate with their parents.
It was interesting to learn that today they're ruled by tribal government, with their own police and separate license plates. On reservations tribal programs and businesses offer jobs to as many people as possible. They run saw mills, bait companies, marinas, campgrounds, tourist attraction, and even manufacture their own clothing.
They keep their traditions alive today in the form of powwows, where they dance, sing and eat. I would have wanted to know more about the pictures of the dances, what the dances meant, the steps and the meaning behind the designs and colors of their clothing and everything, but that was left out. As always in children's books, there's a lot more left to be desired and you come away with about the same amount of questions if not more than you had when you went in. There needs to be more explanations, details and description available so there's no questions and nothing is left up in the air.
Everyone had a special place inside the wigwam, around the fire in the center. The grandmother sat opposite the entrance, but it was vague saying that the father sat with the sons on one side while the mother say with the daughters on the other side. I would have liked to know which side exactly they sat on so I don't have to make it up. It was interesting and new for me though, and that children were taught to remain on their own side of the fire and respect the rights of others.
The Ojibwe move seasonally in order to be close to the resources that season provides. Families returned to the same seasonal camps every year. In the summer they lived on the shores of a river or lake, planted gardens, gathered plants and herbs, and fished. In the fall they moved to rice marshes and gathered rice in canoes. In the winter they moved to their winter homes, which were longer wigwams, in the forest. The men hunted and trapped and did things outdoors while the women stayed indoors and cooked and made clothing. In the spring they moved to the sugar bush where the maple trees grew. It was a time of socializing and working together as they gathered sap to make syrup, sugar to season fruits, wild rice, vegetables and fish, or they dissolved it in water and had it as a cool drink, or ate it as candy.
I learned a little more about the eagle feather and the significance of it, which was pretty cool. It represented great bravery and wasn't worn just for decoration. Men and women could wear them if they had an experience that entitled them to wear an eagle feather. They used color to paint their bodies, mostly the face.
Ojibwe cherish children, and they brought them up gently while teaching them tribe values. Infants and children were taken care of carefully so they would be healthy. Families lived together in wigwams and were close to each other. Children were supposed to love and respect all living things, and sharing was important while stealing and lying resulted in severe punishment. It wasn't said what forms of punishment there were, and that was an important detail that should've been included, because I have no idea how they would punish someone and I don't like having to make up things or use vague details.
It was nice to learn how important sharing and caring were for the Ojibwe. They thought life was a cycle and that what they do would come back to them, whether it was good or bad. If you helped someone, or a plant or animal, then you would receive help in the future when you needed it.
I liked that it mentioned the Ojibwe were friendly with the Fox in Wisconsin, but then it said they were friendly with some of the tribes they encountered when they moved west, but didn't even mention another tribe. They were peaceful with the Dakota Sioux sometimes but also warred with them. It's just always surprising to me when there's so little information given. This is crucial information and it's just left out!
It went on to talk briefly about their experience with Europeans, and how they were bribed or badgered into signing treaties, and told that if they didn't their land would be taken from them anyway. Many thought they weren't signing over their land for the whites to own, but were just giving them rights to use it. They didn't understand the concept of owning land, because they believed it belonged to their Creator, who let them use it. Whenever they took something from the land they thought of it as a gift and repaid it with an offering.
Treaties were made with the Ojibwe that put them on reserved lands called reservations. This was the first time Indians were put on reservations in their own area. They were forced to farm on land that was unsuited for it. Children were forced to attend boarding schools, where they had their hair cut, were forbidden to speak their own language, and usually had to wear uniforms. They went to class half the day and the other half were required to do chores. Most were forced to stay away for years without seeing their families, and forgot how to speak their language and so couldn't communicate with their parents.
It was interesting to learn that today they're ruled by tribal government, with their own police and separate license plates. On reservations tribal programs and businesses offer jobs to as many people as possible. They run saw mills, bait companies, marinas, campgrounds, tourist attraction, and even manufacture their own clothing.
They keep their traditions alive today in the form of powwows, where they dance, sing and eat. I would have wanted to know more about the pictures of the dances, what the dances meant, the steps and the meaning behind the designs and colors of their clothing and everything, but that was left out. As always in children's books, there's a lot more left to be desired and you come away with about the same amount of questions if not more than you had when you went in. There needs to be more explanations, details and description available so there's no questions and nothing is left up in the air.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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