Waganakising Life

Living with the Land

In their Great Lakes homelands, the Odawa moved with the seasons. The Odawa historically have lived in Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois, but northern Michigan has always been a steadfast home. Their movement helped maintain sustainability and respect to all living beings by not over-harvesting resources.

In the spring, Odawa families returning from their winter camps in the southern portion of Lake Michigan immediately engaged in two critical tasks: maple sugar production and fishing. Families would resettle lands at Waganakising, and entire communities would work to produce food not only for themselves, but also for feasts to honor and feed the ancestors. The summer and fall months were times of growing, fishing, hunting and harvesting, and the Odawa traveled far and wide. Waganakising would grow to a considerable size during this time, with thousands of Odawa living in the numerous villages along the shore and on the islands. Visiting tribal nations and later European/American delegates would come to hold councils at Waganakising on matters of diplomacy and trade. As with the spring, ceremonial feasts for the ancestors were held in the fall. All during these months, preparations were being made for the most difficult season of all: winter.

"Village Ottowa, Ile de Michilimakinac," black and white lithograph of Native American Village on Mackinac Island, circa 1842.

Traveling with the Seasons

To conserve resources during the winter, the majority of Odawa traveled to southern Michigan and northern Illinois to live in smaller family camps. Camps were often chosen near large rivers like the Grand and Kalamazoo as trapping and fishing was essential for survival. Food prepared earlier, especially maple sugar and dried corn, was critical. Although a dangerous and difficult time of year, winter provided an opportunity for families to bond. Winter is the storytelling time of year, and elders would share important historic and cultural stories with children, passing down the knowledge to the next generation.

Early 1700’s
Odawa spread south along shorelinelived in semi-permanent birch longhouses each housing 3-4 families surrounded by gardens and fisheries

1741
Principal settlement at Ahpitahwaing (“in the middle”) or Wa-ga-nak-sa (“the half-way place”) site of Jesuit mission and marked on maritime maps (about a mile south of current settlement)

1754-1763
French and Indian War, etc.

1755
Smallpox outbreak decimates Odawa community

1765
1,000 Odawa in settlements “every few rods”

1775-1783
American Revolution

Did you know…

1700’s: The Height of the Fur Trade

  • The L’Arbre Croche Odawa acted as middlemen for the fur trade and then provisioners – especially fresh produce, fish, game, and birchbark canoes — for Fort Michilimackinac and beyond.

  • By 1765 more than 1,000 Odawa lived in the L’Arbre Croche area, spread out in small settlements “every few rods” over “a full twenty miles”.

  • The principal Odawa settlement at Ahpitahwaing (“in the middle”) or Wa-ga-nak-sa (“the half way place”), one mile south of present day Middle Village, was marked on early maritime maps. Ahpitahwaing thrived as a fishing, farming, and trading village and was known for its discipline and civility.

  • In recognition of the importance of the settlement, Father Pierre Du Jaunay established a mission to the Ahpitahwaing Odawa in 1741.

  • Over the previous 100 years, Anishinabek leaders had developed accommodations (known as “the middle ground”) with the French and then the British that protected their cultural heritage while adapting to European religious, education, and trading practices.

  • These relationships were disrupted by an outbreak of smallpox (circa 1755) and growing conflicts over trade and land.

  • The Odawa sent warriors to fight for the French in the French and Indian War (1754-63) and the British in the American Revolution (1775-83) and the War of 1812.

  • In 1815, the United States finally established firm control over the upper Great Lakes in the Treaty of Ghent, bringing a 200-year era of French-British-Anishinabek “middle ground” to an end. The goal of the US was domination, not accommodation.

  • The ascension of the US threatened the L’Arbre Croche Odawa whose lifestyle and prosperity had largely rested on their mutually profitable association with the great fur-trading center on Mackinaw Island.