Prior to the 1700s, the Ojibwe (aka Chippwa) people originally lived along the East Coast, slowly migrating westward along the Great Lakes.

They hunted and fished seasonally, and gathered and farmed according to their needs. Their year consisted of 13 months, 28 days each. The new month began with the full moon and was named as to nature's happenings in that month. April was maple sap boiling month; May was budding month. August was rice harvesting month. September was leaves changing colors. November was the freezing month.

I visited the Ojibwe village in Vilas County on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation. Entering the village through the museum, I saw articles of art and objects that were used in those old times of existence before the visit of civilization from the outside world.

I paid my entrance fee as a "respected elder" (anyone older than 65). With a group of a dozen other visitors we walked to different camps (villages) that the Ojibwe would have lived in during the year. At the summer camp, we learned how their (lodges) wigwams were built with bent poles for the structure. Woven mats lined the inside, the frame was covered with large birch bark slabs like shingles. When moving to the next camp, the birch bark coverings were rolled up, carried along and new pole structures were built.

Birch bark was a very valuable resource in their livelihood, used for building strong, light canoes, pots for cooking and carrying. After summer, they moved to areas of hunting and rice gathering.

When the food supply was harvested, it was time to survive the harsh winter. Winter camp would be set up at the appropriate area. The canoes were stored at the bottom of a lake, weighted down with rocks, to keep them safe from porcupines and the sun. The glue used for the canoes was made of pine pitch, ash and animal tallow. The ropes were from the roots of trees.

Canoes would last up to 10 years with repairs and maintenance. During the winter, it was a rest period and a time to tell stories (oral history). The elders would pass along the history of their families around the campfires.

Their diet included wild rice, berries, corn, squash, small games, deer, elk and buffalo. They used all parts of plants and animals. The making of leather clothing, hunting tools, basket weaving and playing of games were important tasks. A surprise to me was the game of lacrosse. It was played sometimes with 10 miles between goals, and it was used to settle conflicts between tribes. The winner of the game also won the conflict and it saved lives.

Next spring, they would move to the sugar bush area to gather sap from maple and birch trees, boiling it down in birch containers. Yes, they could cook in birch containers, if the flame did not get above the liquid. Maple syrup was boiled to a hard candy, because they had no way to store and preserve liquids. Outside of their camp areas, a deep hole was lined with pointed logs and covered with heavy pointed logs to keep out thieves like raccoons and bears.

In about the 1500 B.C., the people of Ojibwe left their homes along the Atlantic seaboard and traveled west discovering Niagara Falls, Sault St. Marie and the Madeline Islands. More than 3,000 years later, the French came, bringing with them trading supplies of metal axes, iron cooking kettles, colorful cloth, beads and guns. These articles made life easier for a while, until more people came and wanted their land and resources. In 1785, the Ojibwe, other native nations and U.S. officials wrote the first of 42 treaties.

As the children grew and learned the stories and wisdom of their forefathers, at 12 years of age they were called to a camp called the Rite of Passage. The boys and girls became men and women with concentrated continuous teachings regarding the necessary functions of life to survive in this natural wilderness world. The Ojibwe people always gave thanks for the products they used and had appreciation for life. They depended on and respected the Creator.

Native nations and tribes lived and cared for this land we call home (America), now filled with people from all over the world. As we revere our forefathers from distant lands, let us also revere the original people of this land from 12,000 years before Europe and Asia discovered this side of the world and found that it was already full of human beings.

Margo Holzman is a lifelong resident of Columbia County and a member of the Pauquette Wordcrafters.