Page 13 - Georgina Island

e are Anishinaabeg, or Ojibway people. We believe our
ancestors have lived on Turtle Island since it was created.
The entire area surrounding Georgina Island, along with
Wthe area north to Lake Superior and south into the United
States, were the traditional lands of our people. Different First
Nations groups, such as the Huron, had lived in this area. The
ancestors of the Huron lived in this area from 1550 until 1651
WORDS TO KNOW
and were actively involved with the Jesuit missions at the time,
ancestors: relatives that lived
including establishing Fort Ste. Marie in 1639 at the present-day
long ago
town of Midland.
Jesuit: a member of the
Society of Jesus within the
In 1649, conflict with the Iroquois Nation caused the Huron Catholic Church
and Jesuits to flee to Isle St. Joseph (known as Gahoendoe by
the Huron). This island is now called Christian Island. The Jesuit
mission was set up in Isle St. Joseph in 1649. In 1650, all of the
Jesuits and most of the Huron left the mission due to disease,
lack of food, and ongoing conflict with the Iroquois.

TURTLE ISLAND
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 surfaced. In his
honour, the turtle offered to carry
the new land on her back.

Georgina Island First Nation 11

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