An Enduring People
The Odawa people have been on the continent known as North America for centuries, stretching as far back as the beginning of the common era. But records often neglect to detail exactly how influential the Odawa and other Indigenous groups were in North American history—let’s correct that here.
The Greatest Traders Of All Time
The Odawa people, also known as the Ottawa or the Odaawaa, are a North American Indigenous group who have historically lived around the upper Great Lakes. Their name means “traders”, a common word for the Odawa, Ojibwe, Nipissing, and other bands in the Anishinaabeg groups.
Ludington city directory 1890, Wikimedia Commons
Living On The Lakes
Historically, they lived around the northern shorelines of Lake Huron and near the Bruce Peninsula in what is now known as Ontario, Canada. These areas are widely thought of as their ancestral land.
George Townshend, Wikimedia Commons
Part Of Something Bigger
The Odawa are considered a part of the Anishinaabe—this being the broader name for several distinct groups. This makes them similar to and closely related to the Ojibwe and Potawatomi peoples. As we’ll see later, the Odawa and Ojibwe were closely linked and often confused by French settlers.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
A Unique Language
The language of the Odawa peoples is a variation—or dialect—of the Algonquian language group. The Odawa language makes use of syncope, which is the lack of a sound within a word, in particular dropping a vowel that isn’t emphasized. This is one of the many qualities that define the Odawa as a unique cultural group.
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Creation Stories Told Through The Ages
The history of the Odawa has been passed down orally and through Wiigwaasabak—birch bark scrolls. These spoken and written records state that the Odawa came from the Dawnland in the East of Turtle Island (North America). But the story had even more interesting details than that.
Ernest Smith, Wikimedia Commons
They Sought Out A New Home
After direction from the luminescent creatures called miigis, the Anishinaabe peoples migrated inland. They used the Saint Lawrence River as a guide for their route. At first, the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi were all moving as one, but not for much longer.
D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Their New Home Along The Lakes
When they came to the “Third Stopping Place”, near modern Detroit, Michigan, the Anishinaabeg split into the three bands we know today. Their history and connection to the land of Turtle Island goes even further back than the Western-established common era.
SMU Central University Libraries, Wikimedia Commons
A Deep And Nuanced History
There’s evidence in the archaeological field that those called the Saugeen complex people eventually became the Odawa. The Saugeen occupied the same lands starting in 200 BCE through around 500 CE. This extends their relationship to the lands around the Great Lakes even further than is commonly thought.
cjuneau, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Interconnected Beyond Expectation
This timing and location also implies the Odawa were part of a larger network of trade and exchange between different Indigenous bands throughout the area. This network of interconnected groups is called the Hopewell tradition. At its peak, the exchange ran from the south of Lake Ontario all the way to modern-day Florida.
Houghton Library, Wikimedia Commons
European Influence And Invasion
One of the first instances of settler-colonial contact between the Odawa and Europeans was with French explorer Samuel de Champlain. He was one of the first French settlers to establish affable trade relations with them. Champlain was also the man responsible for the colony of New France.
Théophile Hamel, Wikimedia Commons
They Established Themselves As Important Traders
The Odawa were often grouped incorrectly with the Ojibwe, and vice versa. But the Odawa were uniquely important to the start of the fur trade in the later years of the 17th century. This was to their advantage.
James Otto Lewis, Wikimedia Commons
The Fur Trade Brought Allies
They became the middle person between the French and anyone living further west than them. Their allyship even extended beyond the fur trade. When Britain started infringing on what the French considered “theirs”, the Odawa stood up for their allies.
William Faden, Wikimedia Commons
The Seven Years’ War
In the mid-18th century, Britain was becoming greedy about encroaching on French and Indigenous lands. After years of forging strong ties with one another, the Odawa allied with French settlers to fight against their British enemies. This was one facet of what became known as the Seven Years’ War between France and Britain.
Hervey Smyth (1734-1811), Wikimedia Commons
The Seven Years’ War
France and its Indigenous allies were victorious on the American front of this international conflict. Unfortunately, France lost on the international level and the lands they controlled in North America were handed over to Britain. Emotions continued to run high between the two opposing factions.
Musée Virtuel, Wikimedia Commons
It Was Not An Easy Transition
Britain had set itself in opposition to the long-established First Nations groups of the area and the recently established French settlers. They had forcibly removed the influence of long-standing allies of the Odawa and other First Nations groups. Little did Britain know, this spelled rebellion for them.
George Agnew Reid, Wikimedia Commons
Pontiac’s War
It was then that the Odawa chief Pontiac’s desire to see the British subdued grew too intense to contain. In 1763, Pontiac led 300 followers to take Fort Detroit. This was meant to be a surprise, but his plan didn’t go as hoped. Luckily, this didn’t spell failure for Pontiac’s rebellion.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Pontiac’s War
Around 900 more warriors from six other nations joined Pontiac’s cause and helped him combat the British. News of what Pontiac had instigated spread beyond the local area. His warriors were unable to seize control of any forts, but they made a notable enough impact that Britain turned their attention to diplomatic strategies in order to soothe high tensions.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Pontiac’s War
Britain targeted individual chiefs and made separate peace agreements with them behind Pontiac’s back. But Pontiac continued to persevere, and the Odawa were buoyed by his conviction. That is, until he looked around and realized he’d been abandoned by the other chiefs from the Ojibwe and the Potawatomi.
Charles Yardley Turner, Wikimedia Commons
Pontiac’s War
Pontiac didn’t want to give up on antagonizing the British settlers, as it was difficult for him to come to terms with British infringement on their lands. But Britain saw a way to gain some favor with him by putting in place a Royal Proclamation. It was meant to ease tensions as much as possible but backfired in one specific way.
John Mix Stanley, Wikimedia Commons
The Royal Proclamation
The 1763 Royal Proclamation acknowledged western territories as Indigenous lands. This was a meager consolation for the Odawa. Additionally, settlers migrating into the Canadian frontiers were affronted by the Proclamation as it prevented them from taking even more territory for themselves.
Granger Collection, Wikimedia Commons
The End Of The Conflict And The Start Of Something New
In 1766, Pontiac had no other option but to cease his ongoing conflict with the British. His reputation and influence had gone down in the Detroit area when he retreated after a successful siege, but he still had considerable support behind him. But then he made a terrible mistake.
John Henry Walker (1831-1899), Wikimedia Commons
Pontiac’s Foray Into Politics
Britain had pushed Pontiac to take a more leading role in the local Indigenous bands, especially where he had traditional rights. Then, he began overstepping his bounds. His increased ego and recent actions drove his village to ostracise him. And that wasn’t all.
Internet Archive Book Images, Wikimedia Commons
Escaping His Mistakes And Meeting His End
Pontiac traveled to Cahokia, a French settlement, and likely stayed in the nearby Indigenous village. There, on April 20, 1769, he was confronted by a Peoria warrior seeking revenge for his father. Pontiac’s injuries were severe, and he didn’t survive the incident. Thankfully, his influence wasn’t the end of the Odawa.
IvoShandor, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
A United Front
The Odawa participated in the Council of Three Fires, alongside the Ojibwe and Potawatomi. They supported one another both through trade and via aid during conflicts, usually with the Iroquois Confederacy and the Dakota people. But they likely also had another reason to work together.
Charles Grignion the Elder, Wikimedia Commons
Colonial Conflicts Caused Even More Problems
They likely received pressure from colonial settlers in the years after the American Revolution in 1775. This would have encouraged the three different bands to work together so closely that they even assimilated in some circumstances. From there, they were inextricably linked.
John Trumbull, Wikimedia Commons
Colonial Conflicts Caused Even More Problems
It was also during the American Revolution and the War of 1812 that the Odawa allied with a former enemy. In the face of US aggression, they stood with Britain. However, the events of the revolution didn’t favor the Odawa peoples and their British comrades.
SMU Central University Libraries, Wikimedia Commons
Colonial Conflicts Caused Even More Problems
A decade later, the Odawa and their allies fought back against the US and European settlers. The colonizers were settling further and further west, creeping further into land that wasn’t theirs. The First Nations groups decided to take another stand.
They Were Losing Everything They Held Dear
In a tragic turn of events, the Odawa couldn’t contend with colonial forces. Many Odawa had been lost to the ongoing battles with European settlers, and their land was being plucked from beneath their feet. The settler-colonists were only growing more powerful and more intent on taking what wasn’t theirs.
cjuneau, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tensions Rose Between Nations
In the 17th century, pressures began to mount around the Great Lakes. Interactions with the Haudenosaunee people grew strained. This is one of the reasons the Odawa ventured further south. They began inhabiting the Ottawa River and in the northern areas of modern-day Michigan and Wisconsin. But conflict with other nations was just the tip of the iceberg.
cjuneau, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Odawa Had A New Opponent To Contend With
The US was formed in the late years of the 1700s, and ever since, they attempted to force the ceding of Odawa land to the new government. There were many smaller battles where the Odawa endeavored to resist US colonialism. Despite their continued resistance to settler encroachment, the American government wasn’t going to take any losses.
cjuneau, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
They Contended With More Restrictive Legislation
In 1830, the US government passed the Indian Removal Act, forcibly removing the Odawa and other allied bands from their ancestral lands by 1836. They lost everything and the US and other settler forces didn’t give them anything in return.
Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl, Wikimedia Commons
Forging New Paths And Returning To Old Ones
The Odawa who weren’t forced onto reserves traveled elsewhere in an effort to carve out a place for themselves. Some were drawn south to the newly established Fort Detroit, and others went as far west as Ohio. But for many Odawa, there was a desire to stay closer to home.
cjuneau, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Finding A New Place To Call Home
A notable number moved further north of their homelands and chose to resettle on Manitoulin Island in a sort of retaliation against settler activity. In 2021, the population of Indigenous inhabitants of Manitoulin Island was over %40.
cjuneau, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Turning Away From Traditional Beliefs
Many of the Odawa converted to Catholicism when they moved to Manitoulin. Chief Jean-Baptiste Assikinack, who was a leader during the War of 1812, convinced his people to take up the religion. Assikinack also made an even more contentious decision on behalf of his people.
William Armstrong, Wikimedia Commons
Further Loss Of Land
When the Province of Canada was formed in 1862, Assikinack sanctioned the surrender of Manitoulin Island to the government. This drew the ire of many Odawa who disagreed with his choice. Many fully refused to hand over their land, which has made the eastern half of the island unceded lands for over a century.
cjuneau, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Investigations Into Odawa Beliefs and Values
In the 20th century, a large anthropological study looked at the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians community, led by Jane Willetts Ettawageshik. She recorded Anishinaabe oral histories that talk about the aspects and values important to their communities. And there was more to the stories she recorded.
cjuneau, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Investigations Into Odawa Beliefs and Values
The stories include how Anishinaabe people interact with the land and one another. It also discusses the other ways they project their history, values, and perspectives in the areas around Northern Michigan. Later, Howard Webkamigada translated these stories and published them as a book.
cjuneau, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
A New Champion In The Odawa Community
In 2019, Odawa and Ojibwe Autumn Peltier was 15 when she was recognized for her advocacy for clean water in Indigenous communities. She has been advocating for clean water since she was nine, taught by her great-aunt and mentor Josephine Manadmin (Grandmother Water Walker).
A New Champion In The Odawa Community
Peltier has called on the Canadian government to stand by their promises to Indigenous communities and supply clean water and proper supplies for all. She has spoken to the UN and has called on world leaders to take a stand with her. She lives in Wikwemikong, the unceded territory of Manitoulin Island.
cjuneau, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Odawa Haven’t Given Up
Today, the Odawa people are spread thinly over a wider span of lands than their original, ancestral territories. Despite the efforts of the ruling bodies who attempted to eradicate and assimilate them, the Odawa have persisted. In spite of the constant bombardment from the Canadian and American governments, the Odawa have an ongoing relationship with their homelands today.
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