Children were highly valued in Ojibwe culture, and it was very important to the Ojibwe and to all other Native American tribes to have well-dressed children. The “partridge moccasin” was the type of moccasin most commonly made for children.  This moccasin was also made for the elderly members of the tribe.  It was constructed from a single piece of leather and purposely made large so in the winter the moccasins could be lined with rabbit fur, moss, or hay.

     Because of their high value, children were expected to behave to an equally high standard as they matured and were expected to participate fully in the day-to-day activities of their society. Young girls learned the skills appropriate to their future roles as wives and mothers by imitating their own mothers, but on a smaller scale.  For example, girls practiced beadwork decoration on dolls and made birch bark rolls for miniature wigwams. Both girls and boys were taught the importance of nature.  Each child was expected to know a variety of medicinal cures that could be created from herbal compounds.