Fred Gray (from left), director of communications for Emmet County, and Kurt Grebe (center) of the Mackinaw Area Historical Society speak with Researcher Eric Hemenway after his presentation of 1800s Anishnaabe life at the Mackinaw Area Library Monday, January 11. Mr. Hemenway detailed the structures tribal members lived within and how they hunted in the Mackinaw City area. Trudging through the snow with only a few ceremonial items and anything else they can carry, the Anishnaabe tribal people head south from the Straits of Mackinac in search of milder climates and better hunting. For some Anishnaabe, luck is on their side and game is plentiful enough to sustain them on their trek to the southern reaches of present-day Michigan . Other families find sparse hunting in the harsh climate. Difficult trips are common during the winter for these people in the 1800s, however, so many of those families have planned ahead, drying corn, berries, and meat during warmer months and storing them in trees or burying them along their typical winter paths, creating food caches to sustain them through their trip.

The winter journeys of native people from the present-day Mackinaw City area are among many facets of the time period that researcher Eric Hemenway of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians detailed to a crowd of about 50 people attending the Mackinaw Area Historical Society program Monday, January 11, at the Mackinaw Area Library. Invited to speak about Indian life here in the 1800s, roughly the same time period highlighted by the nearby Mackinaw Historic Village, Mr. Hemenway shared his knowledge of the lifestyle of the Anishnaabe, which includes people of the Odawa, Chippewa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi tribes, and the buildings they lived in at the time.

Mr. Hemenway of Bay City is a research repatriation assistant for the Achives, Records and Cultural Preservation Department of the Little Traverse Bands of Odawa Indians at the tribal center in Harbor Springs. He researches museum records seeking evidence of human remains and funerary and sacred objects of Anishnabek ancestry in Michigan. He also works with museums to return culturally significant objects, or repatriate them, to the Odawa tribe.

The Early 1800s

Living quarters were a reflection of the Anishnaabe's needs, Mr. Hemenway said. As their needs changed throughout the 1800s, so did the types of structures they built. In the early years, the people of the area constructed wigwams, domed structures of hardwood saplings , birch bark or elm bark, and, occasionally, animal hides. People slept on the ground in the wigwams, using blankets and hides to cover themselves.

"They were very simple structures, very easy to put up and easy to take down. These people were always on the move...so it didn't make sense to put a lot of time and effort to construct this dwelling that you would abandon at a moment's notice," Mr. Hemenway said.

The Anishnaabe strove to have as little impact on their surroundings as possible, he said, and would either deconstruct the wigwam when traveling south for the winter or would burn it down. By the time winter came, the wigwams were often tattered, so burning them was probably not much of a loss, Mr. Hemenway told The St. Ignace News. The materials for the dwellings were easy to find.

In some cases, people would also live in longhouses, homes 40 to 80 feet long. Longhouses were typically used by the Hurons, who resided near the present-day Mackinaw City area. On occasion, the Anishnaabe would construct longhouses, which were also made of saplings and bark, that could support two to three families at a time. Unlike in the wigwams, people who lived in longhouses slept in bunks rather than on the floor.

The Anishnaabe lived in large communities during the summer when game and resources were plentiful, Mr. Hemenway said. The excellent fishing afforded by the straits was one of the reasons the tribe returned to the area every year. The Indian population rose to about 2,000 or 3,000 during the summer because of the fish, he said.

"I'd like to think we're big hunters, hunting bear and moose, but we weren't. We were fishermen, that's how we survived, predominantly," Mr. Hemenway said.

The Anishnaabe did hunt some deer and moose using snares. Game such as rabbits and ducks were rare because they were more difficult to catch, Mr. Hemenway said, and such prizes were considered delicacies.

Some hunting trips could take weeks, and would take the hunting party members away from their homes. Depending on the length of the trip and the prevalence of game, some of the people would be nearly starving by the time they were ready to return. When the hunt was over, none of the meat would be eaten until it reached the home community, Mr. Hemenway said. The hunter with the greatest energy would be sent back with the food, while the rest would follow.

"It was just protocol that they didn't eat before everybody else," he said.

Sharing supplies among families was common, and was a status symbol for hunters. Giving food to other families was a sign of a hunter's skill and success.

People moved from one region to another every few years. Staying in one area any longer would impact the prevalence of game. Moving to other areas ensured hunting and fishing could sustain the tribe, while allowing animals and fish populations to recover.

Hunting during the summer benefitted the entire tribe. Hunting for the family took place when the tribe split up and traveled south in the winter months. Some years, many died during the trip from exposure or starvation. Sometimes families would come across another group who was in need of food, and provided aid when they could.

The search for milder climates took tribal families from the tip of the Lower Peninsula to what is now known as Grand Rapids, and as far south as Chicago. The move would begin by late November or early December and would take about a month. Families would stop during their trip for awhile if they found game.

"For the most part, people didn't stick around here. It was too brutal, too harsh," Mr. Hemenway said of winter conditions.

When traveling, the people brought only what they could carry. Ceremonial items were often taken, but little else. Mr. Hemenway explained they could make whatever they needed, greatly easing the burden they had to carry.

Constant travel among the Anishnaabe enhanced the speed at which people would receive news. French explorers were surprised at how quickly news traveled among the Indians, Mr. Hemenway said.

The Middle and Late 1800s

In the mid-1800s, the situation began to change. Settlers moved into the area, hindering the tribe's ability to move about and hunt. Records of wigwams become sparse by the 1880s, Mr. Hemenway said. With their ability to roam about and hunt effectively cut off, the Anishnaabe resorted to farming the land. This meant the tribe needed better housing to resist the cold, leading to the construction of permanent residences such as cabins.

Encroachment by settlers also led to a change in Anishnaabe lifestyle. While some men could continue to hunt and fish in a limited fashion, others had to pick up odd farming jobs to support their families, or sell corn and maple syrup. When logging became prevalent, many men became lumberjacks. Women also helped out, typically taking jobs as nannies.

"As far as work goes, it was really hit or miss," Mr. Hemenway said.

The Anishnaabe received aid from the government through treaties on occasion. Basic supplies such as food, money, and sugar were given, but not all families received their share, he said. Agents working with the tribe were known to keep some of the aid for themselves, and would only give part to the families.

The Anishnaabe were often swindled out of their land, he said, through a number of means. Federal agents would claim tribe members were not properly developing the land for farming, and were therefore not using it. Since they were not "using" it, the land would return to the government. Reservations were set aside for the Anishnaabe and they were not supposed to pay taxes, he said, but many would lose their land when the government suddenly requested tax money.

Today, Mr. Hemenway said, there are 4,200 Odawas registered with the tribe nationwide, with most living in Emmet County.