1. Social 7 – Towards Confederation: Ch. 1 – Aboriginal Peoples

2. Where did the Ojibwa Live?

3.  Wooded country of central Ontario and southern Manitoba.  The Ojibwa were hunter-gatherers. Also, they relied on wild rice and tree sap, but again, the Ojibwa only took what they needed and lived in harmony with nature.

4. What was the Ojibwa Social Structure?  The Ojibwa lived according to seven virtues or values: 1. Wisdom; 2. Love; 3. Respect; 4. Bravery; 5. Honesty; 6. Humility; 7. Truth.  Ojibwa lived in extended family clans in lodges. The families were patrilineal. So it mattered more who your father was rather than your mother.  You could not marry within your clan or even in the same clan of another First Nation.

5. What was the Ojibwa Gov’t Structure?  The Ojibwa split power among seven clans, each with its own area of responsibility, much like Canada’s gov’t today (eg. Minister of Health, Minister of Education). Each of the clans had their own leaders chosen for special characteristics he had shown. The clans are:  Bird: Spiritual matters.  Marten: Hunters, food gatherers, warriors  Fish: Teachers and settling disputes between other clans.  Loon: Dealing with matters inside community.  Crane: Dealing with outsiders (eg. Trade)  Bear: Protection and defense.  Deer: Shelter

6. How Did Ojibwas Make Decisions?  Conflicts could arise between different clans where their decisions affected each other. Then it was up to the Fish Clan to settle disputes.

7. What was the Role and Status of Women in Ojibwa Society?  Treated as equal in status to men.  Women had their specialized jobs of gathering, hunting small game, collecting and sowing wild rice, maintaining the lodge and raising the children.