History continues …………..

_Elsa_

“This is Nuka,” says Takoda. “His name means little brother. Nuka, this is Chewy and Yeti. They fell down from the sky. I think there might be a spiritual meaning that they landed here. We’ll have to check with Denali to see if might know why this happened.”

Takoda continues sharing as Nuka sits down with them.

‘In the mid-1700s, the Ojibwe's westward expansion was finally halted in North Dakota when they ran into a better armed enemy – the Lakota. They had large numbers of horses and were able to hold their own territory against intruders. By the 1800s they were spread out across the Midwest and Southern parts of Canada. Today they are still one of the largest Native American tribes in North America (Ojibwe).

After the birth of the United States, treaties began to be made selling off land between the Native Americans and new settlers. The Ojibwe had little conflict with the United States during their reign, even after Fort Snelling was built in Minnesota to try to section off the Dakota from the Ojibwe. This may have been because they knew they had little chance of victory over the numerous, technologically advanced settlers. Although they presented little direct problem to the whites, they still went on attacking the Dakota as the hostilities between the two tribes continued on.

Treaties began in the 1800s between Whites and the Ojibwe, making land trades. The Ojibwe had gotten into some debt with the fur traders, being cheated out on the books by whites who wanted to make more money, so they needed some way to repay them. Selling land was one of their most immediate sources for cash, and the Americans were all too eager to take it up from them. Copper and lumber were in great demand, and the Ojibwe were on land that had a lot of it. In exchange for their territories, the tribes were moved on to Reservations, almost all of which were too small to fully support the entire groups of people sent there, but arrangements continued on with little decisive power being in the hands of the natives. Between 1854 and 1856, all of the Ojibwe reservation plans were organized, sending many people either out of their homes, or into much smaller plots of the expansive lands they once owned. The reservations were often too dense to fully keep up all of their traditions like hunting.

Today in Minnesota, the United States recognizes six different bands of the Ojibwe nation, including: Boise Forte, Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, and the White Earth (Ojibwe). Although the tribe underwent great recession with the involvement of whites settling America, they are still one of the largest groups of Native Americans around, with the total estimated number of people comprising the tribe as 190,000.’ (Source)

Chewy notices a dream catcher hanging out of the corner of his eye. He asks what it is. A smile comes to Takoda’s face and he can’t wait to share the story of the Spider Woman.

Let’s continue - Ojibwe Dreamcatcher Legend

Start at the beginning – Chewy and Yeti learn all about dream catchers