Who Are the Ottawa?
The Ottawa (Odawa, meaning "traders") are an Anishinaabe people of the Great Lakes region, closely related to the Ojibwe and Potawatomi—together forming the Council of Three Fires alliance. Today numbering approximately 15,000-20,000, they live primarily in Michigan, Ontario, and Oklahoma. They speak Odawa, a dialect of Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe), an Algonquian language. The Ottawa were renowned as middlemen traders in the pre-contact period, controlling key routes between the Great Lakes and the interior. Their name, meaning "to trade" or "to buy and sell," reflected their commercial importance. The city of Ottawa, Canada's capital, takes its name from this people.
Trade and Alliance
The Ottawa occupied a strategic position in pre-contact trade networks, controlling the Straits of Mackinac and key portage routes. They traded extensively, moving goods hundreds of miles—copper from Lake Superior, furs from the interior, agricultural products from farming peoples, and marine shells from distant coasts. This commercial orientation gave them skills that made them valuable partners in the French fur trade. The Council of Three Fires united Ottawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi in military and political alliance, with the Ottawa typically playing a diplomatic role. French missionaries and traders established relationships with Ottawa communities at sites like Michilimackinac. The Ottawa chief Pontiac led a major multi-tribal resistance to British rule in 1763 (Pontiac's War).
Displacement and Survival
American expansion following the Revolutionary War pressured Ottawa communities. Treaties ceded lands throughout Michigan and Ohio. Some Ottawa removed to Kansas and eventually Oklahoma, while others remained in Michigan on diminished reservations or in scattered communities. The federal government ceased recognizing many Ottawa bands, though communities continued. The Little Traverse Bay Bands and Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa regained federal recognition in the 1990s after decades of advocacy. In Ontario, Ottawa communities maintained continuous presence, though facing colonial pressures. Throughout displacement, Ottawa maintained cultural connections and community identity, even when lacking official recognition.
Contemporary Ottawa
Modern Ottawa communities include federally recognized tribes in Michigan (Little Traverse Bay Bands, Grand Traverse Band, Little River Band) and Oklahoma (Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma), plus First Nations in Ontario (Wikwemikong, among others). Casino gaming has provided economic development opportunities for some communities. Cultural revitalization programs work to maintain Odawa language (endangered but with dedicated speakers and learners), traditional crafts including quillwork and basketry, and ceremonial practices. The Three Fires alliance remains culturally significant. Ottawa communities navigate between maintaining traditional identity and engaging with contemporary political and economic systems, demonstrating indigenous resilience and adaptation in the Great Lakes region.
References
- Cleland, C. E. (1992). Rites of Conquest: The History and Culture of Michigan's Native Americans
- Tanner, H. H. (ed.) (1987). Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History
- McClurken, J. M. (1991). Gah-Baeh-Jhagwah-Buk: The Way It Happened