Page 16 - Chippewas of Rama First Nation

TURTLE ISLAND
Mnjikaning was also known
as a place where treaties and
agreements were created
and recounted among the
First Nations.
WORDS TO KNOW
nomadic: travelling from place
to place
14 Chippewas of Rama First Nation
ogemawahj_community_book5.indd 14
Turtle Island is what our people call North America.
Like many other people around the world, Anishinaabe
people carry stories about how living things survived a
great flood. The name Turtle Island comes from our story
of how the flood came to be and how, after the flood,
the last human and other animals took turns diving into
water to try to grab earth to grow new land. Only the
muskrat was able to dive deep enough to grab land, but
he died when he came back up. In his honour, the turtle
offered to carry the new land on her back.
In the 1700s, Atherly Narrows was an important resting place for
the Anishinaabeg travelling from what is now Southern Ontario
to Northern Ontario. The Anishinaabeg people shared the food
provided by the fishing weirs, so the area where they lived came
to be known as Mnjikaning or the gathering place.
In addition, travellers who were too sick to continue stayed
behind and were cared for by the people of the Narrows. To this
day, our community identifies with the Deer or Hoof clan—the
clan responsible for taking care of people.
The Anishinaabeg lived what some call a semi-nomadic life; they
established large hunting territories and were nomadic within
these territories. Based on the seasons and needs, the people
moved throughout these territories (unlike settlers who build a
home in a single location).
Meanwhile, the government was concerned with the movement
and settlement of non-Indigenous settlers into the Anishinaabeg
territories. They attempted to establish treaties with the
Anishinaabeg, and in the late 1700s and early 1800’s, a number of
treaties were signed.
During the French and Indian War and the American War of
Independence in 1776, Europeans began to develop relationships
with First Nations based on their military and strategic needs.
They made promises to First Nations for protection, homes,
and general welfare. The promises were not always honoured,
neither then nor in later years. In fact, First Nations and Canada
continue to address these issues today.
2019-03-14 8:11 AM