DIBAAJIMOWIN
  • HOME
  • Dibaajimowin Blog
  • Metis People
  • Ojibwe People
  • Author

Tawn Kaayaash

Called by the Cree

6/27/2018

4 Comments

 

The real reason for coming west was not European pressure

​There is a common misconception that the Ojibwe were enticed, or contracted, by the European fur traders to come west of the Great Lakes and Mississippi regions to be part of the fur trade, rather than having expanded under other influences.  This belief has led many historians to falsely provide the impression that the Ojibwe operated at the behest of the Europeans. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
 
While the Ojibwe did come west about the same time as the advent of intense fur-trading, this move was part of a larger move westward that happily coincided with the expansion of trading; the Ojibwe were simply there to (naturally) take advantage of the trend.  This newfound economic avenue allowed for an even greater expansion (by warfare and by sheer population) westward as the Ojibwe were also caught up in the genesis of the Metis Nation through marriage to Europeans. 
Picture
Chief Peguis
That the early western Ojibwe concentrated on, and were extremely successful in, trapping large numbers of beaver, many scholars hypothesized that they must have been brought in by the fur companies. Also, because of the close ties to the Canadian traders and the newly formed kinship ties to the Canadian-friendly Metis, the rumor that the Ojibwe were bought and paid for by the Canadians was spread widely by the Hudson Bay Company.
 
The most interesting reason for the movement of the Ojibwe into the Red River Valley region is one that is based on oral tradition.  Chief Peguis, in explaining why the Ojibwe had come to the region stated to the European governors of Manitoba that:

“About the year 1780, smallpox overtook [the Cree and Assiniboine], and decimated them fearfully. Thereafter…the Saulteaux [Ojibwe] left the forests…and entered on the plains of Red River…The Saulteaux found the Assiniboines and the Crees encamped at the Pembina Mountain,…and after smoking and feasting for two or three days, the children of the forest were formally invited to dwell on the plains — to eat out of the same dish, to warm themselves at the same fire, and to make common cause with them against their enemies the Sioux…” The Assiniboine told the Ojibwe, “Your presence will remove the cloud of sorrow that is in our minds and strengthen us against our enemies.”

Learn more at Peers, Laura L. (Laura Lynn). 1994. “Ojibwa Of Western Canada, 1780 To 1870.” Manitoba Studies In Native History. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press. 

4 Comments
Denis Berthelette link
6/27/2018 03:02:34 pm

My gggg Grandfather married Marguerite Saulteuse of the Chief Peguis Saulteuse and brought her here to St.Norbert Manitoba in the Red River Settlement.It was not long after many of Marguerites tribe came here to for the Bison hunting as well as the fur trade.

Reply
Jayla
6/27/2018 05:01:11 pm

Who was your grand mother married to

Reply
Janice LaVerdure Wallen
6/27/2018 03:54:57 pm

Very interesting

Reply
leo nolin link
6/27/2018 09:04:45 pm

I was also told that One of the Chief of the Ojibwas had a vision to take his people to a mountain and that the people traveled west some stopping in various areas and some continued on to BC and stopped in Moberly. I believe this story as when i travelled to northern BC i was able to speak to some of our relatives. but that is my story.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    A collaborative effort of members of the Ojibwe and Metis communities

    Archives

    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

About Dibaajimowin

Dibaajimowin was created as a way to share interesting and unique stories and other information about the Metis and Ojibwe people (and others) so that these can be used by our guests to educate themselves and others about the history, culture, and language of the people.

We hope you enjoy everything you find here and are glad to have you return in the future. If you are interested in using our content for educational or personal purposes, please give proper attribution and credit to our page. It is important that we acknowledge the tellers of stories and the creators of intellectual property in all forms.

​Please enjoy! See you soon.

Photo used under Creative Commons from trendingtopics
  • HOME
  • Dibaajimowin Blog
  • Metis People
  • Ojibwe People
  • Author