Chippewa Tribe





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Various Spellings: Chippewa, Ojibwa, Ojibway
Early on they were often called Chippeway or Chipaway. Chippewa is the Anglicized version of Ojibway (also spelled Ojibwe and Ojibwa). The name Chippewa is more commonly used in the United States and the name Ojibway is more common in Canada.

Major Bands: Algonquin; Bungee; Chipewyan includuing the Dogrib; Gwich'in; Hare; Slave; Yellowknifes; and all other Dene People; Cree (the northern Ojibway's or Muskeego); Missisaugaa; Nipissing; Ottawa or Odawa; Pembina; and Saulteaux or Saulteau. All Great Lakes Algonquians are Chippewa including the Abenaki; Delaware including the Mahican; Munsee; and Naticoke; Illini; Kickapoo; Menominee; Miami; Potawatomi; Sac or Sauk (both are short for Saginaw); the Saginaw including the Swan Creek and Black River Chippewa's; Shawnee; and Stockbridge. Out west, the Arapaho; Blackfeet; Cheyenne; and Gros Ventre. Further west, the Apache; Navajo; Wappo; Wichita (William Clark claimed in 1805, the Wichita are Chippaways who lived along the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas); Wiyot; Yuki; and Yurok.

Other Bands: Fish, Loon, Marten, Crane, and the Bear are totems. All totem members lived in all Chippewa villages.

Little Shell Band of Chippewa

List of bands from the National Archives descriptive pamphlet: Bad River Chippewa, Bois Fort Chippewa, Cass Lake and Winnibigoshish Chippewa, Chippewa Chippewa, Fond du Lac Chippewa. Grand Portage Chippewa, Gull Lake Chippewa, Lac Courte Oreilles Chippewa, Lac du Flambeau Chippewa, Leech Lake Pillager Chippewa, Mille Lac Chippewa, Nett Lake Chippewa, Otter Tail Pillage, Pembina, Red Cliff Chippewa, Red Lake Chippewa, Rice Lake Chippewa, turtle Mountain, Vermillion Lake Chippewa, and White Earth Chippewa

Original Homelands: Great Lakes region; Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa; North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Quebec, and Yukon; Mexico including the States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Sinaloa, and Sonora.

Linguistic: Algonquian including Athabascan or Dene. The 1832 Edinburgh Encyclopedia proves the Athabascan or Dene People, are Algonquian. Click the link below. Or visit googlebooks.com. Write The 1832 Edinburgh Encyclopedia in the search box. Another link below has a list of Algonquian speaking tribes. It's very helpful in learning about how spread the Algonquian language is.

books.google.com/books

www.wilkesweb.us/algonquin/nations.htm

See also: Chippewa-Cree

=== Tribal Headquarters ===

Great Lakes Inter-tribal Council Tribal St. Croix Chippewa Community 24663 Angeline Avenue - Webster WI 54893 Phone: 715-349-2195 - Fax: 715-349-5768

Office of Indian Affairs State Capitol Building 2nd Floor,Room 202 PO Box 200801 Helena, Montana 59620 (406) 444-3702 Fax: (406) 444-1350 email:oia@mt.gov

Little Shell Tribe Of Chippewa Indians of Montana P.O. Box 543 Black Eagle, MT 59414 Phone (406) 315-2400 Fax (406) 315-2401 email: ggray@gng.net

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians Tribal Government, please feel free to call either Cory LaVallie, Administrative Assistant – 477-2603; or Jolean Morin, Records Manager – 477-2602. They will gladly answer your questions.

The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Communications Department 531 Ashmun St. Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 Email: info@saulttribe.net Phone: 800-793-0660 Mobile: 906-632-6398 For further links see Wikipedia's Salt Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council The Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council (in Canada) consists of Nine Member First Nations.

History
The Chippewa or Ojibway Indians are one of the largest groups of American Indians in North America. There are nearly 150 different bands of Chippewa in the northern part of the United States and in southern Canada (especially in Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan).

The Chippewa were exposed to non-indians in the early 1600's.The tribe established trade relations with the French. During the French and Indian War, they fought the English and French to protect their land and race.

Relationships with other tribes developed as inter tribal warfare brought them together with the Ottawa, Potawatomi, Sac, Meskwaki and Kickapoo to defeat the Illinois in 1769.

The tribe fought the British Colonies during the Revolutionary War.

Land cessions began before 1815, and continued to the early 1900s. As land was ceded, many tribal members migrated north, south, and west.

Commencing in 1860, the tribe was removed to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Relocation to northeastern Oklahoma continued up to the early 1900s. They (the Swan Creek and Black River Saginaw Chippewa's with some Munsee), were forced to join the Cherokee in northeastern Oklahoma where they lost their tribal identity. In 1882, they were assigned to Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota, and later assigned to the Rocky Boy's reservation in Montana with the Cree tribe with whom they had united with in the 1890's. Later becoming known as the Chippewa-Cree.

The Chippewa's have lived in the western part of North America for an extremely long time. They had an early warning (the Seven Fires Prophecy) and prepared. Even before the whites invaded. Lewis and Clark knew the Chippewa's or Chippaways, were living in Texas long before 1805. William Clark wrote in his journals under Estimates for the Eastern Indians, that they lived in Texas. They are listed number 53. Click this lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/read/ link to read about it. Or google Lewis and Clarks journals.

Additional References to the History of the Tribe and/or Bands
Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Chippewa tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods. Additional details are given in John Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America.

Ohio History Central article on the Chippewa Indians

Chippewa Customs. by Frances Densmore and Smithsonian Institution

Edmund Jefferson Danziger. The Chippewas of Lake Superior. Norman, OK. University of OK. 1978.

Andrew J. Blackbird. History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan. Ypsilanti, MI 1887. FHL Book 970.1 B562h or FHL film 1011853 Item; or http://www.nanations.com/ottawachippewa/index.htm

Brief Timeline

 * 1622: Encountered a Frenchman employed by Samuel de Champlain
 * 1689-1763: Fought the English and French in the French and Indian War, to protect their land and race
 * 1754-63: Fought the English and French in another French and Indian War
 * 1763: Led by their leader By-yon-di-ac (Pontiac), they fought the English who protected the French Colony in Quebec.
 * 1769: Led the Ottawa, Potawatomi, Sac, Meskwaki and Kickapoo to defeat the Illinois tribe after the English hired an Illini assassin to kill Pontiac.
 * 1776-1783: Fought the British and their colonies during the Revolutionary War
 * 1783-1795: Fought the English and their American Colonies for control of the Midwest. The war ended after the Chippewa's lost the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. Land cessions soon commenced.
 * 1811-1815: Fought the English and their American Colonies, to defend their land and race. After losing the conflict, the Chippewa's ceded more land.
 * 1815: Ceded much of their land
 * 1830: In opposition to the Indian removal Act; many of the tribe moved north to Canada. Some remained in the U.S.
 * 1832: Led Black Hawks War. It was fought to stop the Chippewa's from leaving Illinois and Wisconsin, for Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. The Chippewa's lost the war and prepared for an exodus to the west and southwest.
 * 1833: On September 26, 1833, a treaty set aside a 5 million acre Reservation for the Chippewa's who originally lived in southern Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. It was located in western Iowa, extreme southern Minnesota, and northwestern Missouri. In Iowa, it extended up to where Spirit Lake is located then into extreme southern Minnesota. It was thought by leaders of the United States, that the vast Reservation would keep the Chippewa's from commencing an exodus.
 * 1836: May 9, the Swan Creek and Black River Saginaw Chippewa's, sign a treaty which eventually led to the exodus of 1838-1839.
 * 1836: In this year the United States used fraud to illegally take a large part of the 5 million acre Chippewa Reservation in Iowa, extreme southern Minnesota, and northwestern Missouri. The Platte Purchase was fraudulent and led to a short minor war (Heatherly War) in 1836. Mormons commenced to increase their missionary work among the Chippewa's of this location. It led to civil strife.
 * 1838-1839: Swan Creek and Black River Saginaw Chippewa's followed prophecy and commenced an exodus west into Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. They eventually settled in Kansas. Most continued to follow prophecy and migrated down to northern Mexico. The State of Coahuila, where a very large Reservation was set aside for them. Chief Eshtonoquot was one of the principle Chippewa leaders during the 1838-1839 exodus.
 * 1846: On June 5 and 17 of 1846, the United States broke treaty and illegally eradicated the 5 million acre Chippewa Reservation in Iowa, extreme southern Minnesota, and northwestern Missouri. After the Reservation was eradicated, large numbers of Chippewa's followed prophecy and migrated west and to Mexico. Among them was probably chief Big Bear and the parents of chief Rocky Boy. Actually, Chief Big Bear may have been chief Rocky Boy's father. Chief Little Bear (he was one of chief Big Bears sons) told the whites his father lived along the Snake River in southeastern Idaho. They moved up to the Black Hills of southwestern Montana. Chief Rocky Boy was born in either 1852 or 1853, near what would become Anaconda, Montana. After the eradication of the Chippewa's Iowa and Missouri Reservation, some of the Chippewa's relocated to eastern Kansas. The United States no longer referred to the Chippewa's of the old Chippewa Reservation in Iowa and Missouri, as Chippewa. They commenced to call them Potawatomi. Later, they included the Citizen Chippewa's as Citizen Potawatomi likewise. The Prairie Potawatomi Reservation of Kansas is really a Chippewa Reservation. They are the same people. The only part of the 5 million acre Reservation remaining now, is the Sac &amp; Fox and Ioway Reservation of Nebraska. It borders the old 5 million acre Chippewa Reservation. Of course, the Sac and Ioway are Chippewa.
 * 1846-1847: Another large exodus commenced in 1846-1847. Over 70,000 Chippewa's, other Indians, and blacks migrated west into Utah, from the old Chippewa Reservation in Iowa, extreme southern Minnesota, and northwestern Missouri. Many were also from Kansas. Many blacks came up from the southeast and joined them on the westward exodus. Some of the Indians and blacks, built ships and sailed for Hawaii and other islands in the Pacific. A few Mormon Missionaries were amongst them. From Utah, they sent out exploration parties to find land the whites would vomit over. They found it in the deserts of Arizona, California, and Nevada. Not all moved to those locations however. Many moved to the region just east of Los Angeles, California. They settled the region between Los Angeles and San Bernardino. Today, they are very numerous in that location. In response to the massive exodus, the United States launched a war for control of Mexico which includes California of course.
 * 1847: Ceded more land in Michigan and Wisconsin
 * 1860-1908: Removed to Indian territory (Oklahoma) among the Cherokee
 * 1860-1885: Fought a series of wars against the white invaders in Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.
 * 1864-1865: Another large exodus was commenced by the Chippewa's of Kansas during late 1864 and early 1865. Chief Eshtonoquot organized the large exodus. The United States learned about the large number of Indians and blacks migrating to Mexico and sent a force of several hundred of their soldiers to try and halt the exodus. A battle (the Battle of Dove Creek) was fought on January 8, 1865 in northwestern Texas in which the Indians defeated the United States. The exodus continued. They eventually settled down in the Mexican States of Chihuahua and Coahuila. Mexican leaders formed an alliance with the Indians and blacks. They created several very large Reservations for the Indians and blacks in the Mexican States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Sinaloa, and Sonora.
 * 1868: On June 1, 1868, a treaty was signed with Chippewa leaders of Kansas. Chief Eshtonoquot had recently died. After his death, new Chippewa leaders were more willing to relocate. They agreed to relocate to a new Reservation (the Navajo Reservation) in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Another treaty was supposedly signed also on June 1, 1868, at Fort Sumner, New Mexico Territory which set aside the Navajo Reservation. However, the United States did not ratify (they don't recognize the Navajo Reservation) the June 1, 1868 Treaty signed at Fort Sumner, New Mexico Territory. That's why the June 1, 1868 Treaty signed by Chippewa leaders in Kansas, is an important backup.
 * 1890's The Chippewa tribe united with the Cree tribe
 * 1892: Chiefs Little Shell III and Red Thunder, refused to sign the illegal McCumber Agreement which was about 11 million acres along the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota, and the vast Turtle Mountain Reservation in the northern plains which was set aside in 1882.
 * 1898: A short Rebelllion was fought in northern Minnesota. Chief Bugonaygishig led Chippewa soldiers during the short war to restore Chippewa Reservations in Minnesota. Through treaty agreements, the United States returned the Reservations.
 * 1910-1920: In northern Mexico, the large Reservations created for the Chippewa's, other Indians, and blacks were eradicated by Mexico. It led to the 1910-1920 Mexican Civil War. Indian and black soldiers fought their way south into southern Mexico. The settled between the Mexican States of Nayarit and Oaxaca. Many of the blacks settled in the region where Costa Chica is located.
 * 1916: Assigned to Rocky Boy's Reservation in Montana with the Plains Cree
 * 1968: The American Indian Movement (AIM) founded by three Ojibwa: Dennis Banks, George Mitchell, and Clyde Bellecourt

Reservations
From the mid-1800s, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether

The following list of reservations has been compiled from the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America , and other sources.

Bay Mills, Grand Portage, Leeck Lake, Mille Lacs, Red Lake, Nett Lake, Turtle Mountain, White Earth, Rocky Boy's, Bad River, Lac Courte Oreilles, Lac du Flambeau, Keweenaw Bay, Fond Du Lac, Mole Lake, Red Cliff,

St. Croix, Navajo_Indian_Reservation_(Arizona) San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, Arizona Fort Apache Indian Reservation, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Arizona (Reservation), Colorado River Indian Reservation (Arizona), Mescalero Reservation, New Mexico, Blackfeet_Indian_Reservation_(Montana) Leech Lake Indian Reservation (Minnesota), Wind River Indian Reservation (Wyoming), Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation (Montana), Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (Montana), Flathead Indian Reservation (Montana), Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation (Idaho), Colville Indian Reservation (Washington),

Spokane Indian Reservation (Washington), Hoopa Valley Reservation, California, Yurok Indian Reservation (California), Round Valley Indian Reservation (California)

United States
Many of the bands or groups of Chippewa in the United States reside in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The band names have changed or have been spelled differently over time. Many of the groups listed below have their own reservation. Some are federally recognized and have an agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs with whom they interact. Multiple groups sometimes interact with a single BIA Agency. More information will be forthcoming on pages for each of the bands or groups listed below.

Some of the larger bands of Chippewa in the United States are:

Canada
The Ojibway First Nations in Canada, live in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. .

Agencies
Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value were created by these offices.

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in Idaho has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Chippewa Agency

Allotment Records
Harold Hickerson. Land Tenure of the Rainy Lake Chippewa. item 5

1836 census - 6th article of 1836 Treaty of of men, women and children Item 4 or

National Archives film M2039, Correspondence, Field Notes, and Census Roll of all members or descendents of members who were on the roll of the Ottawa and the Chippewa tribes of Michigan in 1870, and living on March 4, 1907 (Durant Roll).


 * The 1907 census, the so-called Durant Roll entries are arranged alphabetically by first letter of the surname and grouped by tribal bands. The census includes the 1870 census roll number (This number indexes Durant's filed notes and consists of two numbers separated by a hypen. The firs number is assigned to a spacific family; the second number is the page numbere on the field notes. (source: NARA RR#1002)

National Archives film M234, Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affaris, 1824-1881. Includes 1. 1838 list of Chippewa, Ottawa and Pottawatomie entitled to benefits at the Council Bluffs Agency. (File H571, Roll 215) 2. 1878 lists of heads of families for Pillager and Lake Winnebigoshish Chippewa, (Fild K259, Roll 1166) 3. 1878 lists of heads of families for White Oake, Point and Mississippi Chippewa, (File K266, Roll 166)(source: NAR RR#1002)

[[Image:Chippewa, Chief Kenawash, 3.jpg|thumb|right|232x264px|Chippewa, Chief Kenawash, 3.jpg]]Treaties

 * 1785 January 21, at Fort McIntosh - Wyandot
 * 1789 January 9, at Fort Harmar - Wyandot
 * 1795 August 3, at Greenville - Wyandot
 * 1805 July 4, at Fort Industry - Wyandot
 * November 17, 1807, at Detroit - Ottawa
 * 1808 November 25, at Brownstown
 * 1815 September 8, at Spring Wells - Wyandot [[Image:Chippewa, Chief Obtossaway.jpg|thumb|right|217x248px|Chippewa, Chief Obtossaway.jpg]]
 * 1816 August 24, at St. Louis - Ottawa
 * 1817 September 29, on the Miami - Wyandot
 * 1818 Wyandot
 * 1819 September 24, at Saginaw
 * 1820 June 16, at Sault Ste. Marie
 * 1820 July 6, L'Arbe Croche and Michilmackinac
 * 1821 August 29, at Chicago - Ottawa
 * 1825 with the Sioux
 * 1826August 19, at Fond du Lac
 * 1827 August 11, at Butte des Morts
 * 1828 August25, at Green Bay - Winnebago
 * 1829 July 29, at Prairie du Chien
 * September 26, 1833, at Chicago
 * March 28, 1836, - Ottawa
 * 1836 May 9, at Washington
 * 1837January 14, at Detroit
 * 1837 July 29, at St. Peter
 * 1837 December, at Flint River
 * 1838 January 23, at Saginaw
 * 1839 February 7,
 * 1842 October 4, at La Pointe
 * June 5 and 17, 1846, at Council Bluffs
 * 1846 Potawatomi Nation
 * August 2, 1847, at Fond du Lac
 * 1847 August 2, Chippewa of the Mississippi and Lake Superior
 * August 2, 1847, Pillager Band of Chippewa
 * August 21, 1847, at Leech Lake
 * 1854September 30, at La Pointe
 * 1855 February 22, at Washington
 * 1855 August 2,of Saginaw
 * July 31, 1855, at Detroit -
 * August 2, 1855, at Detroit -Chippewa of Sault Ste., Marie
 * 1859 July 16, at Sauk and Foxes Agency
 * March 11, 1863, at Washington
 * March 11, 1863, Chippewa of the Mississippi and the Pilager and Lake Winnibigoshish Bands,
 * 1863 October 2, at Red Lake and Pembina Bands
 * 1864 April 12, at Washington, Red Lakd and Pembina Bands
 * 1864May 7,at Washington
 * October 18, 1864, at Isabella Reserve
 * 1864 October 18, Chippewa of Saginaw, Swan Creek and Black River
 * 1866 April 7, at Washington, Bois Forte Band
 * 1867 March 19, at Washington, Chippewa of the Mississippi

Black River Treaty

 * May 9, 1836
 * 1855 August 2,
 * October 18, 1864

Vital Records

 * Consolidated Chippewa Agency, M595, births and deaths, 1924-1932, FHL Film: 574229
 * Lad du Flambeau Agency, M595, births and deaths,1924-1932,FHL Film: 576920
 * Red Lake Agency, M595,births and deaths, 1925-1932, FHL Film: 581416
 * Turtle Mountain Agency, M595,births and deaths,1924-1932, FHL Film: 583063

Important Web Sites

 * Basic facts about the Chippewa, primarily written for students.
 * More detailed history of the Ojibwa or Chippewa, by Hodge