Pauwetiig at the Eastern End of the People's Great Water - Ojibwe

This website is meant to be a resource for Ojibwe People, and those who have an interest in the Ojibwe people, especially the Ojibwe of the Upper Great Lakes. The people are also known as Chippewa, Anishnabe, Anishnaabe, and First Nations Ojibwe. There are also some who identify as Metis, and as Mixed-Blood Indians, who will be included as time goes by. Not everyone who is Native is in a tribe or band, or officially recognized as Native by the the United States or the Canadian Government. One goal of this website is to assist those non-tribal or non-status Native People in their struggle to strengthen their identification with their Native Heritage. We are particularly interested in assisting the many Ojibwe and Chippewa People who have little or no contact with the traditions of their own culture. As much as we can, we will report on and describe the various aspects of Ojibwe Culture and Cultural Traditions, while giving due respect to those things which should not be recorded.

There are many Ojibwe people who search the web everyday wondering why this information is not more readily available. It should be realized that in some remote areas the Ojibwe culture has never been completely disrupted, while in others the culture is in the process of being reclaimed by and reintroduced to a Native population that was, for so long, the subject of both forced and circumstantial assimilation. In this long and confusing reclamation, many discrepancies are being discovered in the cultural expressions of various geographically diverse Ojibwe groups. Habits and traditions vary greatly, yet fall under the broad title of Traditional Anishnabe beliefs and lifeways. Some areas have preserved the quasi religious Mede teachings while others have a more open belief system based loosely on the 4 Directions teachings and the Storytelling tradition. In still other locations, it is the seasonal round of hunting and gathering, the practical life skills, that are the predominant expression of the Ojibwe Culture.

We will attempt to share as much as we practically can, and allow the individual to find what resonates with himself or herself, as a Native person. No one can tell an individual the best way to be oneself, It is a Native person's joy and responsibility to honor the Ancestors, and each must do that in a private and individual way.