Approximately 12,000 years ago, Michigan’s first residents arrived. They followed herds of caribou and other animals that were hunted for food, skin to make clothes of, and bones and teeth for tools. The Native Americans had to adapt to the changing plant and animal life over thousands of years. They hunted different animals, made new tools and eventually learned to grow their own crops. They had no written language and only left behind pieces of pottery and tools. The three main tribes that lived in Michigan were the Ojibwa, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi. These three formed a confederacy called the Three Fires. They shared beliefs and language and treated each other like family. The Ojibwa was considered the “oldest brother”. Their name …show more content…
They were important trading partners with the French. The Odawa would build birch bark canoes to transport their goods, such as furs, for trading. At the time of European exploration there were approximately five thousand Odawa tribal members. After European arrival, the Odawa began shifting into the lower peninsula. The Potawatomi were the “youngest brother” of the three. The name comes from the word for “people of the place of fire”. They were predominantly farmers and grew crops like corn, squash, tobacco and beans. They were also skilled at hunting and fishing. The Potawatomi lived in southern Michigan, near Lake Michigan. When Europeans began arriving there were about four thousand members of the Potawatomi tribe. The Three Fires were united in certain views. These include the belief that spirits are more powerful than men, nature belonged to everyone, and no one had the right to run another person’s life. Another similarity between the tribes was that everyone in their villages worked. Women would do chores in the community while men would hunt and fish and gather food. It’s impossible to know how many other tribes lived in Michigan, but the Three Fires were by far the largest and most