To understand the Ojibway people, one must understand their legends. The Ojibway people are their legends. Their legends originate from the special relationship that the Ojibway people have had with the land on which they have survived for many long years. To the Ojibway people, these legends are sacred as they form the basis for their spiritual beliefs.
The Ojibway people have a primarily oral culture. This means that their legends have been passed from one generation to another by the telling of stories. For centuries Ojibway people sat around a bonfire where the elders recounted these legends to the younger members of the Nation.
Many Ojibway people like to refer to themselves as Anishinabe, which means original man. One legend is the creation of Turtle Island which represents North America. The Anishinabe see themselves as the original humans of North America.