The Chippewa Native Americans

The Chippewa Indians, also know as the the Ojibwa and Saulteurs  in some parts of Canada and Northern Untied states are from the Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan area of the U.S. and is the  Fourth largest surviving tribe in modern day with about 115,859 members. It is thought that the Chippewa native people first lived in Canada and moved slowly down in the U.S due to spiritual visions. They eventually made it all the way to great lakes where most still live to this day.
The culture and religion of the Chippewa is very completed and not fully understood. One thing that is understood though and has been passed down since their beggings is that the Chippewa live in doodem's or clans. As of today there is about 150 different clans.
These clans have a major connection to the Chippewa's complicated religion. It is believed that seven great miigis, or holy beings, appeared to there ancestors to teach them a good way of life. One the miigis was unkind to the people and returned to the ocean. The other six remained and created the first doodem's. There was five, the Wawaazisii (bullhead), Baswenaazhi ( crane), Aan'aawenh (pintail duck), Nooke (bear), and Moozoonsii (little moose). Each of these tribes was symbolised with an animal.
Due to this  method of different clans, one can only marry if there are from different clans and
 the wife and husband pair will live in the clan of the husband.
The Chippewa speak the Ojibway language and in modern day many speak English. They are a people know for the Birch bark canoes, sacred Birch bark scrolls, cultivation of wild rice, use of copper arrow points, beautiful bead work and using cowrie shells for trading. They lived a wooden lodges called a wiigwaam, and they are also known for their strange burial mounds. The Chippewa do to bury their dead but instead create a jiibegamig or "spirit-house" over a mound. This is a wooden stake in a mound engraved with the decease's clan sign. Although interesting, this caused many grave looting when the white man started to arrive in that area of the U.S.
The Chipppewa was involved in many American Treaties in its earlier days like most Native Americans and they have done a pretty good job at keeping there land and being humble in it all. One of the hero's from history though was Kechewaishke, or "Great Buffalo".  A man of extremely high stature for his was labeled as the chief of Lake Superior Chippewas, a group of 41 Ojibwa leaders in 1825.  No treaties went through without Kechewaishke approval. He is known for is work, dedication and signing of The Pine Tree Treaty in 1837 to change the laws of foresting in the Ojibwa territory, The Copper Treaty of 1842 over the production of copper across the land and the Ojibwa need for that copper,
and the 1845 Treaty of which led to the guarantee to hunt, fish and gather on all the ceded territory for the Ojibwa. Kechewaishke died on Sep. 7 1855, but helped much in creating territory and land for his people.


Sources:

wikipedia.org
www.indians.org
www.bigorrin.org
http://www.infoplease.com/