Ojibwa Indians

The Ojibwa Indians, also known as the Chippewa Indians, lived mainly in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ontario, Canada at the time of European contact. They were part of the Algonquian Indians. The Algonquian Indians consisted of various tribes that spoke similar languages. The Ojibwas were closely related to the Ottawa Indians and Potawatomi Indians. They were sustained through hunting, fishing, and some agriculture.

The Ojibwa Indians participated in the fur trade with French merchants. Numerous Frenchmen found spouses among Ojibwa women. Ojibwa warriors fought with the French against the British in the French and Indian War. Following France's defeat, the Ojibwa Indians assisted Pontiac in Pontiac's Rebellion. Pontiac was a chief of the Ottawas, but his mother was Ojibwa. During the American Revolution, the Ojibwa Indians allied themselves with the British. The natives feared colonial settlers would continue to move onto the Indians' land if they did not receive assistance from the British.

General Anthony Wayne defeated the Ojibwas, who fought alongside the Indians of the Ohio Country, at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. They gave up their claim to lands in Ohio with the signing of several treaties, including the Treaty of Fort Harmar (1789), the Treaty of Greeneville (1795), the Treaty of Fort Industry (1805), and the Treaty of the Maumee Rapids (1817). Unlike most other Indian tribes east of the Mississippi River, the United States government did not force a majority of the Ojibwas off of their land. Rather, the Ojibwas lost some of their territory in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota, but the Indians retained much of this land as reservations. In 2005, approximately 176,000 Ojibwa Indians resided in North America.