The Story of the Three Fires
by: Gary Mitchell
Potawatomi tradition states the Odawa, Ojibiwas, and the Potatwatomi originally were one tribe. The Members of the “three fires” shared a similar way of life. They were also called the “Three Brothers,” with the Potawatomis being considered the younger brother.
A Potawatomi legend says the tribes braided three small trees together to signify their brotherhood. It is said, this tree has grown together over the years and stands full-grown today in the lower Peninsula of Michigan. Loyalties between the three tribes ran deep and they often came to each other’s defense in times of war, much like a brother would come to the aid of another in a fight. So it is with this history, the coalition was solidified over the early years. Coalitions, such as these, were to become an essential element to the tribe’s social fabric throughout the early years, thus it served the tribe well in those times. In the years of prolonged conflict, territorial expansion and other common goals of advancement, these coalitions were absolutely necessary and were utilized heavily to their benefit.
Still another aspect of this coalition was that the Potawatomi, Odawa, Ojibiwas enjoyed a particularly close trade relationship. Each tribe had a certain function to keep the alliance strong. The Odawa were the “Trader People” responsible for providing food and supplies. The Ojibiwas were the keepers of the faith and kept the sacred teachings. The Potawatomi were in charge of the ceremonial fire burning. It was around this fire nations came together in peace to make decisions regarding the welfare of all people.
All three groups spoke related languages linguists classify as part of the Algonquin tongues. It was said this language could carry an Indian traveler across more than a thousand miles of land from east to west, the Great Lakes, and they could understand other tribes enough to get by.
In time, the coalition with the Odawa and Ojibiwas ended when the Potawatomi went out on their own and built a new “Fire”, which, in Indian parlance, means to set up as an independent tribe. The Potawatomi (People of the Place of the Fire) may thus owe their name to these circumstances. Yet remnants of the three tribes have interwoven for the years, which is why the tribes still retain much of the same characteristics and language today, despite being in vastly different locations.