Jam Sam is part of an Indian tribe called the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. He talked about many things and also showed us some things he brings to ceremonies. Some of them were his pouch that represented his pockets, two of his head bands, a talking stick which is something that Indians use when they are in ceremonies so only one person talks at a time. And he had some elk skin which is mostly what Indian shirts are made of. The best was that he had his flute. He is a wonderful player. It sounds so soothing and awesome. ... Erin W.

John Jay Sam told us about the Little River Band. They have a circle logo with four colors: yellow, red, black and white. The yellow means a new day & babies. Red means life and youth. Black means night & adults. White means elders & snow. The tree means peace. The two eagles, male and female, can produce more eagles. There are nine feathers on the bottom for the nine chiefs. There's a river inside the circle. That means they live near a river. And that's what I learned from John Jay Sam

Jay Sam talked to us yesterday. My favorite part was when he told us about the first man and woman and how they got a new house. They learned how to make a house from the eagle, the beaver and the fox. ...Nate

The Ottawa Indians smoked tobacco in pipes, but they only smoked it once in a while. They had a shell they used to burn the tobacco. The shell came from the Indian Ocean. The Ottawa had traded for it. ...Emily E

We had a guest speaker for reading. His name was Jay Sam. It was so cool when he first talked because he spoke in the Indian language. It was also cool to get out of reading class. ...Jason M.

Mr. Jay Sam was from the Ottawa tribe. He was very cool He talked about some maps and places were the Indians traveled a long time ago. They mostly traveled by rivers and lakes. I think this was because if they ever wanted to fish or get water it was right next to them. Above in the picture I am holding a headband made out of beads. It has a flower in the middle that stands for his mother. Then there are the trees that stand for peace. and there are feathers on the end. ... Amber J

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Mrs. Lyman's Page

Johnnie II Jay Sam, half blood-Ottawa Indian, is the uncle of I, Clelsea-quarter blood Ottawa Indian. I know, from going to tribal meetings that the four colors also represent something else. Yellow--the Asians, Red, the Indians, Black for the Blacks, and White for the Whites. All brought together in the same circle, bringing peace. ...Chelsea B.

One of the things he showed us was the pockets they use to put things in. In his pocket he had shells from the Indian Ocean and a beaded head band that he made. I liked his presentation and the things he showed us. ... Emily B.

The Indians moved a lot. In the winter they usually were in the north hunting and trapping. They would hunt for moose, elk, deer, and maybe rabbits and rodents. In the summer they would probably be in the south of Michigan growing things. They would plant and learn their customs. They planted corn, potatoes, and other vegetables. They would learn stories and traditions in the summer too. I guess you could say they migrated a lot. ...Ryan B.

The First Dwelling

When the first man and woman were in the world, they lived in a cave. It was nice and dry, but when they tried to make a fire, smoke filled the cave and they were forced to go outside. When the smoke cleared the fire had gone out. After one of these times, a spirit came. "What do we do?" they asked.

"Look at the other houses," said the spirit.

"What other houses?" they asked.

"Go look at the animal's houses," said the spirit. And then the spirit disappeared.

So they went to their friend Eagle. "Where do you live?" they asked him.

"I live in the top of a tree in a round nest made of big sticks." he answered.

"That's nice," they said. "If we could climb that high we could try that."

Next they asked their friend fox. "I make my house by hollowing out a hill."

"That's nice," they said, "but that isn't right for us."

So they went to their friend beaver. "I live in a dam with a water entrance and a roof hole for air."

"That's nice," they said, "but going in and out of the water doesn't sound fun."

So they went back to their cave. The man thought and thought until he had an Idea. Let's put all our friends' homes together. First he made a large circle like eagle's nest. And then he made a dome with a hole for smoke at the top like beaver. Then he made an entrance and he had a home. ...retold by Jordan K.

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