As with many other indigenous people around the world, Ojibwa people traditionally
depended on the collection, use, and identification of local natural resources for their
survival. Because of the close ties they have with the natural world around them, the
Ojibwa hold many plants sacred. Their culture traditionally recognizes that each plant
has its own spirit. Therefore, many of their ceremonies, prayers, and offerings give
thanks for and honor the sacrifices of plants.
In recent years, the tribes have made efforts to reinvigorate their native culture. Part of
this revitalization includes identifying and caring for the native plants honored by their
ancestors. The Ojibwa identify three hundred eighty four traditional-use plants. This
represents twenty five to forty percent of all recorded vascular plant species in the ceded
territories. Although some plant surveys of this region have been done, little extensive
data yet exists to determine their potential locations - particularly in the case of low-
stature herbaceous and woody plants. Determining the habitat suitability for the many
plants utilized by the tribes would help them conduct more effective and efficient surveys
and better manage their resources.
As a pilot project preceding a more exhaustive effort, we intend to determine the habitat
suitability for one low-stature culturally significant plant: white sage. This plant was
traditionally smoked as a cure for bad medicine and used as a medicine for horses. Using
our knowledge of the habitat requirements for white sage, we will determine a range of
possible locations within the ceded territories. In so doing, we will be helping the Ojibwa
to preserve their culture and will assist in the protection of the habitats that foster the
survival of this sacred plant. (Meeker, Elias, and Heim 1993)
The Great Lakes Ojibwa ceded territories span an area encompassing a section of northern Minnesota, part
of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and nearly all of northern Wisconsin. Our study area limits the
extent of our analysis to the portion within Wisconsin State boundaries. The Wisconsin ceded territories
extend east from Douglas and Burnett Counties, to part of Marinette County; south from Lake Superior to a
jagged line cutting through Polk, St. Croix, Dunn, Eau Claire, Clark, Wood, Marathon, Portage, Shawano,
Menominee, and Oconto Counties. What we refer to today as "the ceded territories" is actually the
aggregate of three separate land cession treaties negotiated between the United States government and the
Ojibwa tribes in 1837, 1842, and 1854.
The history of this region, both natural and human, has dramatically affected its present
day plant geography. Glacial forces transformed most of northern Wisconsin, some of
this change occurring as recently as 10,000 years ago. In their retreat, the glaciers left a
patchwork landscape of till, outwash, and loess deposits, all of it riddled with lakes and
wetlands. These historic geologic events changed the soil composition and moisture
regimes of this region, influencing the formation and distribution of the native plant
communities. Human history further modified the plant geography of this area. Today, it
is difficult to determine the exact composition of this landscape before European contact.
Logging in the Great Lakes region, particularly during the 19th and early 20th centuries,
had three main influences on the forests: 1) a change in the age and size structure, 2) a
change in the relative abundance of different species and a loss of old growth, and 3) a
change in the locations of forested habitat and an increase in fragmentation.
Little of what is termed "the original vegetation" is extant today. However, analyses of
the original land surveys and the few remnants of old growth forest can give us a glimpse
of this vanished world. Coupling this theory of original vegetation composition with a
comprehension of the forces that shaped and altered, it can provide information to help us
understand the composition of the current vegetation.
Today, the lands within the Ojibwa ceded territories span a variety of habitats. Plants
Used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa, a 1995 publication by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and
Wildlife Commission, recognizes 14 general types.
1) Bracken Grassland/Oak Savannah: Open and dry. Characterized by dry soil.
Dominated by bracken fern, grasses, berry shrubs, and scrub oaks.
2) Dune, Beach, and Cliff: Open and dry. Poorly developed soil, usually loose sand,
gravel, or bare rock.
3) Old Fields: Open and mesic. Successional development as fallow on old farmland.
4) Prairies: Open and mesic. Better-developed soils. Tall grasses.
5) Aquatic: Open and wet. In shallow water or saturated soils throughout the growing
season. Typified by cattail, wild rice, water lily, water milfoil, and pondweed.
6) Sedge Meadow: Open and wet. Water-saturated soils bordering aquatic habitats on
the upland side. Vegetation tolerates periodic flooding (tussock sedge, blue-joint grass,
willow shrub, blue flag iris).
7) Sphagnum Bog: Open and wet. Nutrient-poor, acidic soils. Typified by pitcher plant
and cranberry.
8) Pine Forest: Closed canopy and dry. Sandy soil. Dominated by jack pine and red
pine.
9) Aspen/Birch Forest: Closed canopy and mesic. This type created since logging in
1920's.
10) Northern Mesic Forest: Closed canopy and mesic. Dominated by sugar maple. Loss
of yellow birch, hemlock, and white pine since logging.
11) Boreal Forest: Closed canopy and mesic. Dominated by balsam fir, white spruce,
white cedar, white birch, aspen, and red maple. Extensively logged. Prevalent along Lake
Superior.
12) Alder Thicket: Closed and wet. Dominated by speckled alder and willow. Common
along slow-moving streams.
13) Floodplain Forest: Closed canopy and wet. Found primarily along riverbanks in the
southern part of the ceded territories. Dominated by silver maple, box elder, American
elm, and green ash.
14) Northern Wet Forest: Closed canopy and wet. Dominated by white cedar, black
spruce, tamarack, and black ash.
The variety of habitats that exist today in Northern Wisconsin allow for the continued
survival of numerous culturally significant plants including white sage.
To achieve our project objective, we are using criteria based on known habitat requirements for white sage
in order to determine the possible places the plant may inhabit. Because it is known to grow in patches of
dry soil, we will look for areas at least 20 feet from the water table. We will eliminate wetlands and wet
forests. White sage is known to grow in sandy soils, thus we will select soils that have surficial deposits
containing primarily sand and/or gravel. We will also look for current open canopy land cover and
dry-vegetation types such as jack pine, oak barrens, and oak openings because white sage is known to
inhabit current prairie remnants and open areas. Lastly, we will include railroad right-of-ways because
the areas surrounding them are cleared, and many prairie plants persist in these openings. (Meeker, et. al 1993)
By determining the habitat suitability of white sage we will help the Ojibwa to determine where to look for
White sage. We also intend to use this effort as an example of the process that could be used to locate other
culturally significant plants. We hope that this example will provide a useful guide for the future of this
project.