Whenever a child was born, a loud, wild party would be thrown. The Ojibwa believed that if a child was born into a unruly environment, The child would become brave as a result. The Ojibwa child was then given six names, but was usually called by just one. For boys and girls entering puberty, special rituals were held for both. A had to fast and complete a vision quest. His father brought him into the woods and built him a nest in a tree and would leave him there. The father would check on him regularly until the boy killed his first game. The ritual had to be held many times until the boy had a vision of a spirit to guide him to his transfer to manhood. A feast has held after the quest was completed. When a girl had her first period, she had to fast in a special wigwam created by her mother. She could not touch herself, and was given a stick to scratch herself. She had to do this for four days and nights. A banquet in her honor was held after the trial. A woman going through her menstrual cycle was said to going through her "Moon Time". The spirits were said to very strong within a woman during this cycle, so she would be excluded from her duties and be cared for during this period. It shows the sacrifice than women go through when having a child.
For marriage, Ojibwa people had to marry outside their own group, which was called a clan. Any children that the couple had belonged to the father's clan. Their was never any formal wedding ceremony. Instead, the man and women lived together for a year. They could separate if the woman didn't become pregnant or the relationship was failing. Marriage with non-Ojibwa and non-natives was acceptable by the Ojibwa. This lead to an increase of Ojibwa with mixed heritage, specifically French heritage.
