The entire population of the island constituted a single band 
(kwinoak) , nominally governed by a chief ( ogimma ). Now that they are 
confined to the reserve, and the position carries little authority, the Indians 
elect their chief annually; but formerly he held his position for life, and 
in the usual course of events was succeeded by one of his sons, generally 
the eldest. His power depended on his character and ability; an unpopular 
chief often wielded less influence than one of the medicine-men, and at his 
death the band might follow the leadership of another family, preferably 
one that was closely related. As his powers were limited, so his duties too 
were not onerous. He was expected to take the initiative in all public 
matters, to receive delegations from neighbouring bands or tribes, and to 
summon and preside over council meetings of all the adult hunters of his 
band, or of such families as were directly concerned in the matter at issue. 
He had no means of enforcing his wishes unless the principal men in the 
band endorsed them and the remainder were content to acquiesce. Council 
meetings were held out of doors in summer; but in winter, when the band 
scattered into small groups, the chief often erected a large wigwam — using 
for corner posts, sometimes, two large trees cut off at the tops — that would 
not only house his immediate family, but enable him to entertain the other 
households in his group. The people demanded from their chiefs liberality 
above all things. If a family were in need the chief had to provide for it 
from his own resources, as well as levy contributions from other families in 
the band ; and in times of plenty he maintained his popularity and prestige 
by a bountiful distribution of the fish and game that he secured through 
his own exertions. 
“ Every spring my father sent my brothers and myself to gather crayfish enough 
to till two quart pails. Using these as bait he fished all one night, and in the morning 
bade the official messenger of our band divide up his catch among the different families 
of our group. In the autumn he cut a lane through the ripe fields of wild rice and 
shot large numbers of ducks that came to settle there; these too he distributed among 
our group” (James Walker). 
The chief naturally assumed the command when the entire body of 
hunters went on the warpath; but this happened apparently only in times 
of extreme danger, as when an invasion of the Iroquois imperilled the lives 
of all the community. More often all the bands of Ojibwa within a certain 
area contributed a number of volunteers to a combined expedition, and 
each selected a leader ( meyosi ) for its own contingent. One old Indian, 
Jim Nanibush, stated that before its departure the contingent held a dance 
lasting four days and four nights, and that the chief of the band, the 
medicine-men, and the warriors chose the leader at its conclusion. Another 
informant, Pegahmagabow, said that the medicine-men sometimes appointed 
the leader; the Great Spirit, they would declare, had ordained that a cer- 
tain man should lead the warriors into battle. The region has not been 
troubled by wars for over a century, and the memories of the Indians have 
grown dim in the interval. Probably there were different ways of selecting 
a war-leader according to circumstances. Certainly a pusillanimous or 
inefficient chief would obtain few followers, whereas the Indians would 
voluntarily follow a warrior who had distinguished himself on previous 
occasions. 
