Page 13 - Chippewas of Rama First Nation

Fish Weirs
The Mnjikaning Fish Weirs became a National Historic Site of WORDS TO KNOW
Canada in 1982. The word Mnjikaning means “place of the Mnjikaning (mN-jick-an-ing):
fence.” It is named for the weirs, which are an underwater place of the fence
fencing system in a narrow channel between Lake Couchiching
and Lake Simcoe. These weirs assist in the fish harvest by
trapping large fish as they move between the lakes. There is
space for smaller fish to pass through to allow the fish to grow
for future harvests. Scientists have dated the oldest pieces of
the fish weirs to be more than 5000 years year old!
There is not much known about the area in this time period, so
there are still questions about who may have been the earliest
people to create or use the weirs. It is known that the area was
populated by the Huron-Wendat people and that the fish fence
was cared for by them until the Anishinaabeg began maintaining
the weir system in the 1600s.

A diver examines old pieces of the fish weir.

Chippewas of Rama First Nation 11

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