Muskegoes
According to William W. Warren they are the northern most Ojibwa's. Warren also wrote their name as O-mush-ke-go-wag. It means Swamp People, or Swampy People.
Location
Their land was the most northern of the Ojibwa's. Their land was north of Lake Superior and extended to the western shores of James Bay to the southern shores of Hudson Bay, on up to near where present day Churchill, Manitoba is located. Their land was very swampy and had a lack of trees. It was not suited for agriculture so the Muskegoes had to tough it out by fishing a lot and hunting for the wildgame that roamed throughout their vast land.
Totems
Their Nations or clans, were largely non military or had a small Noka Nation or clan or military and police population, which was quite unlike other regions throughout the vast domain of the Ojibwa's. That changed after the white invasion. After the whites invaded, Ojibwa leaders increased the number of their police and soldiers throughout their vast domain including among the Mus-ke-goes.
Origin of the names Muskego and Ojibwa
Muskego or O-mush-ke-go means marsh and swamp in Ojibwa. In some locations of the vast Ojibwa domain, particularly the southeast, it is pronounced as Mish-ko-ki which is almost identical to Mus-ko-gee. The Mus-ko-gee are the Creek Indians including the Seminole. It is no coincidence. The whites took to calling the northern most Ojibwa's, who called themselves the Swampy People, the Swampy Cree. The Swampy Cree, however, are the northern most Ojibwa's. Both the Plains Cree and the Woodland Cree are extensions of the northern most Ojibwa's or the Muskegoes.
The origins of the name Ojibwa are far more difficult to ascertain. The Ojibwa word for before is jib-bwa. If you pronounce jib-bwa you will actually hear a sound resembling chip-ah-wa. That is likely how the name Chippewa arose. If you ad and "n" sound to the "bwa" in jib-bwa, it sounds like jib-bwan. If you pronounce jib-bwan you will actually hear a sound resembling chippewan as in Chipewyan people. Chipewyan may mean First People or Original People, as possibly O-jib-bwan. Though i'm not certain if Ojibwa actually means First People or Original People, it possibly does. It may depend on the ending "n" sound.
Bwan is an Ojibwa word which likely has several meanings. An example is chief Pontiac name. In Ojibwa it is really pronounced as Bwan-di-ac. It has an almost silent ba-won sound. Another example is the Pawnee people. The name Pawnee may be of Ojibwa origin. It would be pronounced as Bwan-ni.
History
Long before the white invasion, the Great Lakes were one large lake. Just before the white invasion the huge lake commenced to evaporate as a result of a warm up in temperatures. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan region, the huge lake dried out. At first the Upper Peninsula of Michigan may have been a large island. It then merged with the land off the coast of the huge lake after the lake dried up some more.
The Winnebago
Their history tells of a time when they lived north of the Great Lakes. In the 1880s, Iowa leaders told Dorsey that the Iowa, Missouria, Omaha, Otoe, and the Ponca are a part of the Winnebago Nation. White historians are claiming that the Winnebago Indians are Dakota. According to William W. Warren, the Dakotas did not practice a totemic system which means the Winnebago are Ojibwa because the Winnebago have at least 12 totems or clans.
Wisconsin
The Ojibwa (the Winnebago) eventually spread out from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to what is now northeastern Wisconsin. They settled down at what is now the Green Bay, Wisconsin region then spread out to the west, southwest, and south. The Illini Indians may be Winnebago.
Ontario
The Muskegoes eventually spread out throughout all of what is now the Canadian province of Ontario, Canada, after the huge lake dried up and became what are now the Great Lakes. The Muskegoes continued to live in the region from Lake Nipigon to James Bay and up to Hudson Bay. That is where they were living when the whites invaded the America's in 1492.
Further Expansions
After the whites invaded, the Muskegoes commenced to spread out to the west and north. They became the Plains Cree and Woodland Cree, and also the Chipewyan people. They migrated as far as British Columbia and possibly to what is now Yukon Territory. This event occurred after Ojibwa leaders increased the number of their soldiers among the Muskegoes.
Language
Their language has an origin which is very difficult to ascertain. The Oji-Cree speak a dialect of the Ojibwa Language. Oji-Cree is more properly known as the Severn Ojibwe. It is spoken throughout northwestern Ontario including the Oji-Cree settlements near the southern shores of Hudson Bay in northwestern Ontario including at the Weenusk First Nation. It is also spoken in northeastern Manitoba. Between the Ojibwa Language which is spoken from the northern shores of Lake Superior to the southern shores of Hudson Bay, is the supposed Cree Language which is not understood by the Ojibwa. Exactly how the Cree Language became separated by nearly 1,000 miles and survived on to be understood by the Cree of James Bay and the Cree of northern Manitoba, is anyone's guess! The Cree Language is obviously a dialect of the Ojibwa Language.
Oji-Cree or Severn Ojibwe Dialect
It is the language of the Muskegoes. The Oji-Cree or Severn Ojibwe Language may be the root of all Ojibwa dialects including the Cree dialects of the Ojibwa Language. It is a buffer between the present northern most Ojibwa's and the southern most Ojibwa's. The Ojibwa dialects of Cree and Severn Ojibwe are actually increasing in the number of speakers. That will change in the future if white settlement to their land increases.
First Nations
Included among the Muskegoes and their First Nations, will be the Cree First Nations, Ojibwa First Nations of Canada, and the Chipewyan First Nations.
Ontario
The following Muskegoes First Nations are administered by the Mushkegowuk Council.
The Following are the Muskegoes First Nations administered by the Wabun Tribal Council.
The following is a list of the Muskegoes First Nations administered by the Matawa First Nations.
The following is a list of the Muskegoes First Nations administered by the Shibogama First Nations Council.
The following is a list of the Muskegoes First Nations administered by the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Council.
North Spirit Lake First Nation
The following is a list of the Muskegoes First Nations administered by the Windigo First Nations Council.
North Caribou Lake First Nation
The following is a list of the Muskegoes First Nations adminstered by the Independent First Nations Alliance
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation
Other Ontario Muskegoes First Nations include the following:
Animbiigoo Zaagi-igan First Nation
Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging First Nation
Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation
The Treaty 3 Muskegoes First Nations include the following:
Big Grassy First Nation Ontario
Big Island First Nation Ontario
Buffalo Point First Nation Manitoba
Couchiching First Nation Ontario
Eagle Lake First Nation Ontario
Grassy Narrows First Nation Ontario
Iskatewizaagegan 39 First Nation Ontario
Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation Ontario
Lac La Croix First Nation Ontario
Naicatchewenin First Nation Ontario
Naotkamegwanning First Nation Ontario
Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation Ontario
Northwest Angle 33 First Nation Ontario
Northwest Angle 37 First Nation Ontario
Obashkaandagaang Bay First Nation Ontario
Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining Ojibway Nation Ontario
Onigaming First Nation Ontario
Rainy River First Nations Ontario
Ojibway Nation of Saugeen First Nation Ontario
Seine River First Nation Ontario
Stanjikoming First Nation Ontario
Shoal Lake 40 First Nation Ontario
Wabauskang First Nation Ontario
Wabigoon Lake First Nation Ontario
Wauzhusk Onigum First Nation Ontario
Wabaseemoong Independent Nations Ontario