Chippewa
/ˈtʃɪp.ə.weɪ/noun
A member of the Ojibwe people; also used in older English as a name for the Ojibwe language and related places.
Did you know?"Chippewa" is an English form of Ojibwe, and many scholars connect the name to the word for the people’s distinctive puckered or "drawn up" style of moccasin seams, though the exact origin is not fully certain.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Contact / Indigenous usage
Ojibwe
Ojibwe
“The people’s own name for themselves; exact original sense is uncertain.”
17th-18th Century
French
Outaouais / Saulteurs / Chippewa
“French colonial spellings and labels used for Indigenous groups in the Great Lakes region.”
18th-19th Century
English
Chippewa
“An English name for the Ojibwe people, language, and related places.”
Modern English
English
Chippewa
“Used mainly in historical, geographic, and tribal contexts, alongside the preferred name Ojibwe.”
Explore more surprising origins