Odawa facts for kids

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Odawa
Total population
Odawa group areas.
15,000
Regions with significant populations
United States (Oklahoma, Michigan) Canada (Ontario)
Languages
English, French, Ojibwe (Ottawa dialect)
Religion
Midewiwin, Odawa religion, Christianity, other
Related ethnic groups
Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and other Algonquian peoples

adaawe "to trade" / "to buy and sell"
Person	Daawaa / Odaawaa Ojibwe Nishnaabe
People	Daawaak / Odaawaag Ojibweg Nishnaabeg
Language	Daawaamwin / Odaawaamwin Ojibwemowin Nishnaabemwin Hand Talk
Country	Daawaaying / Odaawaaying Daawaaw’kii / Odaawaaw’kii Ojibwewaki Nishnaabew’kii

The Odawa (also called Ottawa or Odaawaa) are a Native American and First Nations people. They live mainly in the Eastern Woodlands region of North America. This area is now part of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their traditional lands were here long before the current border between these two countries was created.

The Odawa are officially recognized as Native American tribes in the U.S. They also have many recognized First Nations groups in Canada. They are part of the larger Anishinaabeg family. They are related to, but also different from, the Ojibwe and Potawatomi peoples.

Long ago, the Odawa moved from the East Coast. They settled on Manitoulin Island and the Bruce Peninsula. These areas are near the northern shores of Lake Huron in what is now Ontario, Canada. They considered this their original home. Later, after the 1600s, they also settled along the Ottawa River. They moved into areas that are now Michigan and Wisconsin in the U.S. They also lived in other parts of the Midwest, south of the Great Lakes. Today, about 15,000 Odawa people live in Ontario, Canada, and in Michigan and Oklahoma in the U.S.

The Ottawa dialect is part of the large Algonquian language family. This family includes many smaller groups, often called "Tribes" in the U.S. and "First Nations" in Canada. The Odawa language is a unique dialect of Ojibwe. It has a special way of shortening words.

What Does "Odawa" Mean?
The Odawa Language
Odawa History: A Journey Through Time
The Odawa Today
Odawa Communities and Villages
Odawa Governments and Nations
Famous Odawa People
See also

What Does "Odawa" Mean?

The name Odawaa (sometimes shortened to Daawaa) comes from the Anishinaabe word adaawe. This word means "to trade" or "to buy and sell." This term is used by many related groups, including the Cree, Algonquin, Nipissing, Innu, Odawa, and Ojibwe. The Potawatomi spelling Odawa and the English name "Ottawa" are also common. The Anishinaabe word for "those men who trade" is Wadaawewinini(wag).

A Catholic priest named Frederic Baraga wrote down this word in his dictionary. He thought it meant "men of the bulrushes." This was because of the many bulrushes in the Ottawa River. However, this meaning is now linked more to another historical Algonquin group.

Other tribes called the Odawa "Traders." This is because the Odawa were known for trading with many different groups. They traded goods like cornmeal, sunflower oil, furs, skins, rugs, mats, tobacco, and medicinal roots and herbs.

The English name "Ottawa" gave its name to the Ottawa River. This river, in turn, gave its name to the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital. The Odawa's main home territory was west of this river and city.

There are also towns named Ottawa, Ohio and Ottawa, Kansas in the United States.

The Odawa Language

The Odawa language is a special dialect of the Ojibwe language. It is known for its unique way of shortening words. In the Odawa language, the general language group is called Nishnabemwin. The Odawa language itself is called Daawaamwin.

In the early 21st century, about 500 people in Ontario and Michigan spoke this language. The Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma had three fluent speakers. Today, efforts are being made to teach and preserve the language for future generations.

Odawa History: A Journey Through Time

Ancient Stories and Early Settlements

A mid-18th century drawing of an Odawa family by British soldier George Townshend.

According to Anishinaabeg traditions, the Odawa people came from the eastern parts of North America. This land is sometimes called Turtle Island. They came from a region known as Dawnland along the East Coast. Many Algonquian-speaking peoples lived there.

Guided by special "luminescent beings" called miigis, the Anishinaabe peoples moved inland. They traveled along the Saint Lawrence River. At a place called the "Third Stopping Place," near what is now the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan, the southern Anishinaabeg split. They formed three main groups: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi.

Archaeologists have found evidence that the Saugeen complex people may have become the Odawa. These people lived on the Bruce Peninsula long ago. They were part of the Hopewell tradition, a large trading network that existed from about 200 BCE to 500 CE. Some of these ancient people built earth mounds for burials.

The Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi formed a strong alliance called the Council of Three Fires. They worked together to protect their lands. They fought against groups like the Iroquois Confederacy from the East and the Dakota people.

In 1615, French explorer Samuel de Champlain met 300 men from a nation he called "les cheueux releuez." This means "hair lifted" or "hair rolled up." He described their simple weapons and their tattooed bodies and painted faces. In 1616, Champlain visited these people, who lived west of the Huron Confederacy.

Records from 1667 show that three Odawa tribes lived in the same town. These were the Odawa, the Kiskakon Odawa, and the Sinago Odawa. All three groups spoke the same language.

The Important Fur Trade

The Odawa had a large trading network. Because of this, many other Native American groups became known to Europeans by the names the Odawa used for them. For example, the Ho-Chunk were called Winnebago by the Odawa. The Dakota were called Sioux.

The Odawa were very important to the French and Canadians in the fur trade. Before 1670, many French colonists in Quebec called any Algonquian speaker from the Great Lakes region an Odawa. In their own language, the Odawa, like the Ojibwe, called themselves Anishinaabe (Neshnabek), meaning "people."

Beaver fur was highly valued in Europe. The Odawa also traded furs from deer, marten, raccoon, fox, otter, and muskrat. In return, they received European goods. These included hatchets, knives, kettles, traps, needles, fish hooks, cloth, blankets, and jewelry. Later, they also traded for firearms and alcohol. The Odawa had a strong position in the fur trade. They were known for trading cleverly with other tribes.

Conflicts and Changes

An Odawa warrior with a gunstock war club.

The Odawa often had disagreements and fought with other tribes. These conflicts were often about the valuable fur trade. For example, they once fought against the Mascouten people. In the mid-1600s, the Odawa joined other Algonquian tribes around the Great Lakes. They allied against the powerful Mohawk people and their Iroquois allies in the Beaver Wars.

The arrival of European guns changed the balance of power. This made conflicts more dangerous. Many Native American groups were greatly affected. Some groups, like the Iroquoian-speaking Erie, disappeared as distinct tribes. However, new diseases brought by Europeans had an even greater impact. Native peoples had no natural protection against these illnesses. Many suffered from epidemics, leading to many deaths.

In 1701, French colonists built Fort Detroit. This became an important trading post. Many Odawa moved there from Manitoulin Island. Wyandot (Huron) also settled nearby. Other Odawa bands established villages in northern Michigan and around Detroit. Their territory stretched into what is now Ohio.

Over time, tribes moved due to wars and European settlement. The Odawa settled in Northwest Ohio, along the Maumee, Auglaize, and Blanchard rivers. Other tribes like the Miami, Wyandot, Shawnee, and Delaware (Lenape) settled in different parts of Ohio.

In the mid-1700s, the Odawa allied with their French trading partners against the British. This was during the Seven Years' War, known as the French and Indian War in North America. They launched attacks against Anglo-American colonists. The famous Odawa chief Pontiac was born near the Maumee and Auglaize rivers. In 1763, after the British defeated France, Pontiac led a resistance against the British. He tried to stop British settlement, but he was not successful.

A decade later, Chief Egushawa led the Odawa as an ally of the British in the American Revolutionary War. He hoped British support would help keep European-American colonists out of his territory. However, the British lost the war. This meant many British-allied Native American tribes were forced to give up their lands to the United States.

After the Revolutionary War, in the 1790s, Egushawa and other tribal members fought the United States. This was during the Northwest Indian War. They hoped to stop pioneers from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. But they were eventually defeated. In 1792, a peace mission sent by President George Washington failed. In 1794, General Anthony Wayne built forts and defeated the Indian confederacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

The Battle of Pickawillany

In the winter of 1751–1752, Charles Michel de Langlade gathered a group of Odawa, Potawatomi, and Ojibwe warriors. They traveled to Pickawillany, a Miami village. On June 21, 1752, they attacked the village. Thirteen Miami men were killed, and five English traders were captured. The Miami chief, Memeskia, was captured and killed. The Odawa and their allies then left for Detroit with four captured Englishmen and many valuable trade goods.

This victory for the French and their allies is seen as a key event. It helped lead to the French and Indian War and the wider Seven Years' War in Europe.

Treaties and Moving West

In 1795, the Treaty of Greenville was signed. Under this treaty, the Odawa and other tribes gave up most of Ohio to the United States. They kept control of the northwest area.

In 1807, the Detroit Odawa, along with the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Wyandot, signed the Treaty of Detroit. This agreement was made under pressure from the United States. It gave the U.S. a large part of what is now southeastern Michigan and a section of northwest Ohio.

Many Odawa bands moved north into Michigan to avoid European-American settlers. Some bands kept control of small areas of land near the Maumee River. These included areas known as Roche de Boeuf and Wolf Rapids.

In 1817, the Ohio Odawa gave up more of their lands. They accepted reservations at Blanchard's Creek and the Little Auglaize River in Ohio. These were temporary reserves, and they received yearly payments for ten years. As more European-American settlers arrived, pressure on the Odawa grew.

After the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the U.S. government arranged for the Odawa to give up their reserves in 1831. Four Odawa bands were eventually forced to move to areas in Kansas. This land was then part of Indian Territory.

The Odawa Today

We can estimate the population of different Odawa groups over time. In 1906, about 1,497 Ojibwe and Odawa lived on Manitoulin and Cockburn Island. About half of these were Odawa. In Oklahoma, 197 Odawa were linked to the Seneca School. In Michigan, around 1900, there were 5,587 scattered Ojibwe and Odawa, with about two-thirds being Odawa.

In the early 21st century, the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma had about 4,700 enrolled members. About 10,000 people in the United States identify as Odawa, mostly in Michigan. Several thousand more live in Ontario, Canada.

A significant study of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians was done by Jane Willets Ettawageshik. She spent about two years studying their community. Ettawageshik recorded many Anishinaabe stories. These stories explain how the Anishinaabe people connect to their land and their community. They share their values, views, and histories in Northern Michigan. These stories were translated into English and published in a book.

Flag of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians of Michigan

Odawa Communities and Villages

Here are some past and present Odawa villages and communities:

Former Villages (not on reserves)

Aegakotcheising
Agushawas' Village
Anamiewatigong
Apontigoumy
Kitchiwikwedongsing
Machonee

Odawa Chief Pontiac speaking at a council on April 27, 1763, in a 19th-century engraving.

Menawzhetaunaung
Michilimackinac
Ogontz's Village
Saint Simon Mission
Shabawywyagun

Former Reserves and Their Villages

By the late 1700s, the Odawa in Ohio were mainly in the northwest. They lived along the Maumee River, which flows into Lake Erie. The following reserves were created after the Treaty of Greenville in 1795.

Auglaize Reserve, Ohio – Oquanoxa's Village
Blanchard's Fork Reserve, Ohio – Lower Tawa Town, Upper Tawa Town
North Maumee River Reserve, Ohio – Meshkemau's Village, Wassonquet's Village, Waugau's Village
Obidgewong Reserve, Ontario – Obijewong, Ontario
Roche de Bœuf Reserve, Ohio – Nawash's Village, Tontaganie's Village
South Maumee River Reserve, Ohio – A large reserve on the south side of the river. McCarty's Village was the main one. Ottokee and his band lived at the mouth of the Maumee River. Ottokee was a grandson of Chief Pontiac. His group was the last of the Odawa to move from Ohio to Kansas in 1839.
Wolf Rapids Reserve, Ohio – Kinjoino's Village
Ottawas of Blanchard's Fork Indian Reservation, Kansas – Ottawa
Ottawas of Roche de Bœuf and Wolf Rapids Indian Reservation, Kansas

Current Reserves and Associated Villages

Grand Traverse Indian Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, Michigan – Peshawbestown
Little River Indian Reservation, Michigan – Manistee, Muskegon
Little Traverse Bay Indian Reservation, Michigan – Charlevoix, Cross Village, L'Arbre Croche, Middle Village, Petoskey
M'Chigeeng 22 Indian Reserve, Ontario – M'Chigeeng
Ottawa OTSA, Oklahoma – Miami, Oklahoma
Point Grondine Indian Reserve, Ontario – Beaverstone
Sheshegwaning 20 Indian Reserve, Ontario – Sheshegwaning
Walpole Island 46 Indian Reserve, Ontario – Foreplex, Myersville, Wallaceburg, Walpole Island, Williamsville
Wiikwemkoong Unceded Reserve, Ontario – Buzwah, Kaboni, Maiangowi, Murray Hill, South Bay, Two O'Clock, Wabozominissing, Wikwemikong, Wikwemikonsing
Zhiibaahaasing 19 Indian Reserve, Ontario
Zhiibaahaasing 19A Indian Reserve, Ontario – Zhiibaahaasing

Odawa Governments and Nations

Here are some of the recognized Odawa governments and nations today:

Recognized Odawa Governments

United States:

Canada:

M'Chigeeng First Nation
Sheshegwaning First Nation, Ontario
Walpole Island First Nation, located between Ontario and Michigan
Wiikwemkoong First Nation, located on the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Reserve, Ontario
Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, Ontario

Other Recognized Governments with Many Odawa People