Оджибва or Chippewa, Native American people, of the Algonquian language family and of the Eastern Woodlands culture area. Their extensive territory reached into southern Canada between Lake Huron and the Turtle Mountains in North Dakota. According to Ojibwa tradition, the people originally emigrated from the region of the River St Lawrence in the east, in company with the related Ottawa and Potawatomi peoples. The three peoples separated at what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan, the Ojibwa spreading west along both shores of Lake Superior, while the two other groups went south. The Ojibwa were scattered over a vast area. They were made up of a large number of bands divided into permanent clans. Originally, the clans were divided into five phratries, or groups, from which more than 20 clans developed. One of the clans claimed the hereditary chieftainship of the entire people; another claimed precedence in the councils of war.

The economy of the Ojibwa was based chiefly on hunting, fishing, farming, and the gathering of wild fruits and seeds, particularly the abundant wild rice; they also made sugar from maple syrup. Their houses were built on pole frames in a wigwam shape and were usually covered with birchbark. Birchbark sheets were also used for keeping simple pictographic records of Ojibwa affairs. Ojibwa mythology was elaborate; the chief religious and superstitious rites centred on the Medewiwin, or grand medicine society.

Although the Ojibwa were one of the largest Native American groups north of Mexico, they did not have extensive relations with the early European explorers and settlers. They became known to Europeans in the mid-17th century, when they were confined within a narrow area along the shore of Lake Superior by the incursions of the Sioux and Fox. They acquired firearms from the French in about 1690, drove off their enemies, and greatly expanded their territory. The Ojibwa supported the French against the English in the various wars fought in North America — King William's War, Queen Anne's War, King George's War, and the French and Indian War. During the American War of Independence and the War of 1812, they sided with the British against the Americans. In 1815 they joined with the other peoples in signing a treaty of peace with the United States government. Under the terms of subsequent treaties, they sold most of their territory. Most descendants of the Ojibwa live on reservations in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Montana.

Омаха (народ), Native American people, of the Siouan language family and of the Plains culture area. They are closely related to the Kansa, Osage, Quapaw, and Ponca peoples and formerly inhabited an extensive territory west of the River Missouri, between the rivers Platte and Niobrara, within present-day Nebraska. The Omaha economy was based on the cultivation of maize and vegetables and the hunting of bison (buffaloes). Their dwellings were generally earth-covered lodges, but they also built bark lodges and used skin tepees on hunting expeditions. The Omaha were considerably reduced in number by an epidemic of smallpox in 1802 and by incessant warfare with the Sioux, which ended through the intervention of the United States government. In 1854 the Omaha ceded much of their territory to the United States; the rest was retained as a reservation, part of which was later sold to the government as a reservation for the Winnebago people. In 1882 the Omaha won the right to hold land individually.

Онейда, Native American people belonging linguistically to the Iroquoian family and forming part of the Iroquois Confederacy. The name by which the Oneida are known is a corruption of a Native American word meaning "standing rock", referring to a boulder sacred to them situated near the site of their ancient village on Lake Oneida, New York. Their territory included the region surrounding the lake, and later extended south to the Susquehanna River. The Oneida were friendly towards the French colonists and Jesuit missionaries, although most other members of the confederacy were hostile to the outsiders. During the American War of Independence the Oneida sided with the colonists and were obliged to take refuge within the American settlements when their fellow Native Americans took the side of the British. After the war most of the Oneida returned to Canada and settled in the region of the Thames River, Ontario, where their descendants remain. Between 1820 and 1835, most of the Oneida who had returned to their homes in New York State sold their land and moved to a reservation near Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Oneida currently number about 3,500.

Онондага, Native American people belonging linguistically to the Iroquoian family and forming part of the Iroquois Confederacy. The territory they occupied centred on Onondaga Lake in central New York State and extended north to Lake Ontario and south to the Susquehanna River. Their principal village was called Onondaga or Onondaga Castle. This served as the capital of the whole of the Iroquois Confederacy, and the Onondaga were the official guardians of the council fire of the league. The Onondaga ranked as the chief member of the confederacy. During the American War of Independence they sided with the British, and, after the war, most of them emigrated to a reservation on the River Grand, in Canada, where their descendants still live. The rest were placed on reservations in the region of their former territory in Onondaga County, New York.

Оседж (народ), Native Americans of the Siouan language family and of the Plains culture area. They formerly held an extensive territory between the Missouri and Arkansas rivers. During the 17th century they were discovered by French explorers near the Osage River in present-day Missouri; they subsequently allied themselves with the French against other Native American peoples, particularly the Illinois. Between 1808 and 1870 the Osage sold most of their land to the United States. In 1870 they entered their present reservation in north-eastern Oklahoma, securing favourable terms in land leases and interest derived from trust funds held for them by the US government. Subsequently, oil was discovered on their lands, and with royalties on the oil wells, they became the wealthiest Native American community of all. Their population was about 5,500 in the early 19th century; today it is roughly twice that.

Оттава (народ), Native American people of the Algonquian language family and of the Subarctic culture area. They formerly lived in the region of the upper Ottawa River, Canada. The Ottawa carried on an extensive trade with other Native Americans along the area's water routes. The Ottawas' rules of moral conduct, embodied in 21 precepts, resembled the Ten Commandments.

In about 1650 the Ottawa were driven out of their territory by the Iroquois and took refuge on Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, Canada. They later moved to the southern shore of Lake Superior, but were obliged to return to Manitoulin Island when they were attacked by the Sioux. Subsequently they extended their territory until they controlled all of lower Michigan, parts of Ohio and Illinois, and an area on the Canadian side of Lake Huron. During the colonial period the Ottawa fought on the side of the French, and one of their chiefs, Pontiac, achieved wide renown as a leader in war against the British. During the American War of Independence and the War of 1812, the Ottawa were allied with the British against the Americans. In 1870 several bands of Ottawa moved to the Indian Territory, in what is now Oklahoma, and soon lost their group identity. The majority of the Ottawa remained in Michigan, first on reservations, and then in scattered communities where many still reside.