Of the 500 Indigenous languages that were spoken in 1492, today only 150 survive. Some languages were absorbed during colonization, while others disappeared with tribes.
The Ojibwe survived, thanks in part to their birchbark canoes that were useful for hunting and
fishing. The canoes were light, and in battle, the Ojibwe easily outmaneuvered canoes carved from solid wood
After 1833, many of the Ojibwe moved north to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The canoe Valliere is building at Northwestern is based on a 3,000-year-old shape, but he also uses a power drill or a glue gun. Even in the days of the French traders, the Ojibwe embraced new methods. Many canoe makers used European steel axes and knives, replacing wooden tools.
