Food for the Ojibwe
Food is an important element in any tribe; the Ojibwa tribe has variety to eat. Meat is a big part of their diet. As they had a lot to choose from, deer, beaver, muskrat, elk and more. They live in bark huts called Wigwams; this allowed them to travel in hunting groups. These groups allowed them to scale a wide area without colliding into other tribes, this way everyone found food. The Ojibwa tribe has set different moons for each season. These moons told you exactly what you are supposed to do during these times. Whether its agriculture or hunting and gathering, they always find a set way to keep a healthy and strong community. August was rice moon, they grew Wild Rice along the shoreline of the lakes. Rice was an important element as they make rice flour and bread with it. The Ojibwa invented a system that allows them to harvest and plant at the same time. They gather rice by using their canoes as baskets, they would steer their canoe next to the stalks and bend them over as they hit the stalks with a stick. Some rice falls into the canoe and some rice falls into the lake. The rice in the lake is the seeds for next year’s crop. They made sure lots of rice fell into the lake, for more crops the next year. Every year crows leave for winter and don’t come back till early spring. To Ojibwa people the return of the crows meant that it was time to move into April, the maple syrup month. Ojibwa’s each have their own maple syrup camp. Men and women collect the maple syrup, they added this to many of their dishes especially rice dishes.