As the Chippewa were scattered over a region extending 1,000 miles from north to west, they had a large number of villages, bands, and local divisions. Some of the bands bore the name of the village, lake, or river near which they resided, but these were grouped under larger divisions or sub-tribes which occupied certain fixed limits and were distinguished by marked differences. According to Warren there were 10 of these principal divisions:
Kechegunmewininewug, on the south shore of Lake Superior;
Betonukeengainubejig, in North Wisconsin;
Munominikasheenhug, on the headwaters of St Croix river in Wisconsin and Minnesota;
Wahsuahgunewininewug, at the head of Wisconsin river;
Ottawa Lake Men, on Lac Courte Oreilles, Wis.;
Kechesebewininewug, on the upper Mississippi in Minnesota;
Mukmeduawininewug, or Pillagers, on Leech lake, Minn.;
Sugwaundugahwininewug, north of Lake Superior;
Kojejewininewug, on Rainy lake and river about the north boundary of Minnesota; Omushkasug, on the northwest side of Lake Superior at the Canadian border.
Besides these general divisions the following collective or local names are recognized as belonging to various settlements, bands, or divisions of the tribe:
Lower Michigan
| Angwassag Big Rock Little Forks Menitegow Blackbird Menoquet’s Village Ketchewaundaugenink Kawkawling Kishkawbawee Saginaw | Thunder Bay Nagonabe Ommunise Shabwasing Beaver Islands Nabohish Cheboygan Otusson Reaum’s Village Wapisiwisibiwininiwak |
Wisconsin and upper Michigan
| Red Cedar Lake Sukaauguning Knife Lake Kechepukwaiwah Long Lake Chetac Lake Turtle Portage Rice Lake Yellow Lake Trout Lake Pawating Ontonagon | Wauswagiming Lac Courte Oreilles Shaugwaumikong Burnt Woods Gatageteganning Bay du Noc Wequadong Mekadewagamitigweyawininwak Michilimackinac St Francis Xavier Wiaquahhechegumeeng |
Minnesota and the Dakotas
| Grand Portage Pokegma Fund du Lac Red Cliff Crow Wing River Gull Lake Onepowesepewenenewak Miskwagamiwisagaigan Wabasemowenenewak(?) Wanamakewajenerik | Mikinakwadshiwininiwak Misisagaikaniwininiwak Gasakaskuatchimmekak Oschekkamegawenenewak Winnebegoshishiwininiwak Gamiskwakokawininiwak Gawababiganikak Anibiminanisibiwininiwak Kahmetahwungaguma Rabbit Lake |
Ontario
| Oueschekgagamioulimy Walpole Island Obidgewong Michipicoten Doki’s Band Bagoache | Epinette (1744) Ouasouarini Mishtawayawininiwak, Nopeming Nameuilni |
Manitoba
Portage de Prairie
Mattawan
Pic River
Saskatchewan
Nibowisibiwininiwak
Additional Chippewa Indian Resources
The books presented are for their historical value only and are not the opinions of the Webmasters of the site. Handbook of American Indians, 1906