The Ojibwa (also spelled Ojibwe or Chippewa) are one of the largest Native American nations in North America, with communities stretching from Michigan and Wisconsin up through Minnesota and into Canada. Before European contact, Ojibwa people lived in birchbark houses and canoes, harvested wild rice from northern lakes, and developed a system of picture-writing on birchbark scrolls to record stories and knowledge.

The Ojibwa spoke (and many still speak) the Ojibwa language, part of the Algonquian language family. Many English words come from Ojibwa, including totem, moccasin, and toboggan. Different Ojibwa communities developed their own ways of life: some became expert wild rice harvesters, others focused on fishing or hunting, and groups that moved onto the Great Plains became skilled buffalo hunters.

Today, Ojibwa people live both on reservations and in cities across the United States and Canada. Many Ojibwa communities work to keep their language alive and pass down traditional practices like beadwork, drumming, and seasonal ceremonies. The people often call themselves Anishinaabe, meaning “original people.”