Book Review of People of the Three Fires
The book, People of the Three Fires, is written by three different people each describing a tribe in detail.The book is very well written and relatively easy to understand. It is informative and was written to be used as a teaching tool for schools. The book discusses the relationship between the groups that lived in Michigan and surrounding areas. James M. McClurken writes the first section, which deals with the Ottawa people. McClurken tells about the Ottawa peoples’ relationship with the environment they lived in and how they adapted to change when contacted by Europeans. One thing I found interesting about the Ottawa is their beliefs. The Ottawa believed in respect for the individual. Their leaders represented the people much like our elected officials represent us when a decision is needed for the whole of the country. They are in tune with nature and consider the earth and animals part of their family, addressing them with “father,” “mother,” “brother,” “sister.” The Ottawa’s also amazed me at their ability to believe in the supernatural, the spirits that told what sickness a person has and the healing power of the firewalkers is a leap of faith. I am al
with them. They were given land then it was taken from them, the classic story. The right to fish commercially was given to the Ojibway by the Fox decision in 1979, as judge Noel Fox looked to an 1836 treaty with the Ojibway. The Ojibway are now using the resources of the Great Lakes to better themselves, and their culture. thrived! The Ottawa were great traders, in fact they traded all over northern Michigan. A surprising fact I read in the section was of the fleecing of the Indians out of their lands by the Mason County government. In the past year however the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians have reclaimed land in Mason County. This worries me somewhat because I think the house in which we live was part of the land given to the Ottawa in the Treaty of 1855. While I feel bad that the Ottawa were cheated out of their land, I don’t think I should have to give up my house to right a 150 year-old wrong. Dr. George L. Cornell wrote the Ojibway section of the book. The section starts out by describing the first contact the Ojibway had with outsiders. The Norse were believed to have landed on the North American continent around A.D. 1000 bringing with them diseases that made the native people move westward. After the move into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the su
Some common words found in the essay are:
James McClurken, Peninsula Michigan, Sauk Fox, War Potawatomi, People Fires, Advil Tums, George Cornell, Ottawa Treaty, North American, Chippewa Ottawa, people fires, ottawa people, mason county, michigan surrounding, northern michigan,
Approximate Word count = 876
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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