Anishinaabe Peoples

Hello! We are the Anishinaabe. Our name means the “Original People.” We are a big family made up of many different groups. Three of these groups are the Ojibwe, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi. For a very, very long time, our home has been near the Great Lakes. These lakes are so big they look like oceans. We live on the land all around these big waters.

Living here, we have a close relationship with nature. The forests and waters give us many gifts. We use the smooth, white bark from birch trees. We are careful when we take the bark so the tree can stay healthy. With this special bark, we build strong canoes that glide across the water. These canoes help us travel and fish. We also weave the bark into baskets of all sizes. We use them to gather food. A very special food for us is manoomin, which is wild rice. It is a grass that grows right on top of the water. We go out in our canoes to gently gather the grains of rice. Manoomin is an important part of our meals.

We, the Anishinaabe people, are still here today. Our communities are strong in places across the United States and Canada. We work to keep our culture alive for our children. We do this by sharing our traditions. We tell our important stories. Artists in our communities make beautiful beadwork, sewing tiny, colorful beads onto clothing. We also love to gather for powwows. A powwow is a wonderful celebration with drumming, singing, and dancing. It is a time for all of us to come together and share our pride in being Anishinaabe.