Manitoulin Island
Encyclopedia
Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron
, in the province of Ontario
. It is the largest island in a freshwater
lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe
and Europe
an settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah
have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and Archaic cultures dating from 10,000 BCE to 2000 BCE.
The island has an area of 2766 km² (1,068 sq mi), making it the 172nd largest island in the world, and Canada's 31st largest island. The island separates the larger part of Lake Huron
to its south and west from Georgian Bay
to its east and the North Channel
to the north. Manitoulin Island itself has 108 freshwater lakes, some of which have their own islands; in turn several of these "islands within islands" have their own ponds. Lake Manitou
(about 104 km2 - 40.5 sq. mi.) is the largest lake in a freshwater island in the world, and Treasure Island
in Lake Mindemoya
is the largest island in a lake on an island in a lake in the world. Nameless Lake
is the island's only no-motor lake.
The island also has four major rivers: the Kagawong
, Manitou River
, Blue Jay Creek
in Michaels Bay and Mindemoya River
s, which provide spawning
grounds for salmon
and trout
. The Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association
was formed in 2000 and incorporated in 2007. The organization rehabilitates streams, rivers and creeks on Manitoulin Island for the sake of water quality and the fisheries resource. They have conducted enhancement strategies for the Manitou River and Blue Jay Creek. They have rehabilitated 17 major sites on the Manitou River and three major sites on Blue Jay Creek and have completed work on Bass Lake Creek and Norton's Creek. The organization plans to start work on the Mindemoya River in 2010.
The island is physio-graphically part of Southern Ontario
, an "eastward extension of the Interior Plains, a region characterized by low relief and sedimentary underpinnings". It consists mainly of dolomite
. It is a continuation of the Bruce Peninsula
and Niagara Escarpment
, a geological rock formation running south into Niagara Falls
and continuing into New York
. The "Cup and Saucer Trail", which climbs the escarpment
, provides a spectacular lookout over the island.
and Gore Bay
), eight townships
(Assiginack
, Billings
, Burpee and Mills
, Central Manitoulin
, Dawson, Gordon/Barrie Island
, Robinson and Tehkummah
) and six Anishinaabe
reserve
s (M'Chigeeng, Sheguiandah, Sheshegwaning, Aundeck Omni Kaning, Wikwemikong
and Zhiibaahaasing.)
During the summer, the population (12,600 permanent residents) on the island grows by more than a quarter due to the popularity of boating and other activities offered to tourists. The island, along with several smaller neighbouring islands, constitutes the Manitoulin District
census division
of Ontario.
Year-round motor-vehicle access to the island is available via the one-lane Little Current Swing Bridge
, which crosses the North Channel at Little Current. From late May to early October, a daily passenger-vehicle ferry, the MS Chi-Cheemaun (Ojibwe
for "Big Canoe"), travels between Tobermory
on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula
and South Baymouth.
Manitoulin Island's soil is relatively alkaline, which precludes the growth of common Northern Ontario
flora such as blueberries, but allows for the island's trademark hawberries. These berries are so distinctive that people born on the island are referred to as "Haweaters". Each year on the August long weekend
, the island hosts the Haweater Festival. The festival is a large tourist draw and includes parades, firework shows, craft shows, and rural
competitions, such as horse pulls.
Religious groups
Manitoulin Island, like many rural areas, is vulnerable to a large degree of brain drain
, as young people move off the island in search of education and jobs. The effects of this brain drain are evident by looking at the average education levels.
Highest Education Received
discovered Sheguiandah
on the island, a prehistoric site with artifact
s of the Paleo-Indian and Archaic periods, dating at least to 10,000 BCE and possibly to 30,000 years ago. Additional studies were undertaken by a team he led from the National Museum of Canada in succeeding years. Popular interest in the finds was so high that it contributed to Ontario's passing legislation in 1953 to protect its archeological sites. A team performed excavations again in the early 1990s, as well as being able to draw from new material in botany and other disciplines. They concluded the site was at least 9500 years old, making it one of the most significant in Ontario.
Manitoulin means spirit island in Anishinaabemowin (the Ojibwe language
). The island is considered sacred by the Native Anishinaabe
people, who call themselves the "People of the Three Fires
." They are generally known as the Ojibwe, Odawa
and Potawatomi
tribes.
The North Channel was part of the route used by the Voyageurs
and Coureur des bois
to reach Lake Superior
. The first known Europe
an to settle on the island was Father Joseph Poncet
, a French
Jesuit
, who set up a mission
near Wikwemikong in 1648. The Jesuits called the island "Isle de Ste. Marie". Eurasia
n infectious disease
s introduced by the visitors had a devastating effect on the island's population, as the Natives had no natural immunity to the new diseases.
In addition, the Five Nations of the Iroquois
began raiding the island and area to try to control the fur trade
with the French. As part of what was called the Beaver Wars
, the Iroquois drove the Anishinaabe people from the island by 1650. According to Anishinaabe oral tradition, to purify the island from disease, the people burned their settlements as they left. The island was mostly uninhabited for nearly 150 years.
Native people (Odawa
, Ojibwe, Potawatomi
) began to return to the island following the War of 1812
. They ceded the island to the British Crown
in 1836; the government set aside the land as a refuge for Natives. In 1838 Jean-Baptiste Proulx re-established a Roman Catholic mission
. The Jesuits took over the mission in 1845.
In 1862, the government opened up the island to settlement by non-Native people by the Manitoulin Island treaty. As the Wikwemikong chief did not accept this treaty, his people's reserve was held back from being offered for development. That reserve remains unceded. On August 7, 1975 the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve reasserted their sovereignty over the islands off the east end of Manitoulin Island, declaring, "Wikwemikong Band has jurisdiction over its reservation lands and surrounding waters."
The province erected an Ontario Historical Plaque on the grounds of the Assiginack Museum to commemorate the Manitoulin Treaties' role in Ontario's heritage.
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
, in the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It is the largest island in a freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah
Sheguiandah
Sheguiandah is a notable Paleo-Indian archaeological site on the northeastern shore of Manitoulin Island, Manitoulin District, Ontario. It was originally discovered in 1951 by Thomas E. Lee, who led excavation teams for the next four years. He estimated the earliest occupation date of about 30...
have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and Archaic cultures dating from 10,000 BCE to 2000 BCE.
Geography and geology
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
to its south and west from Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
to its east and the North Channel
North Channel (Ontario)
The North Channel is the body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is bordered on the east by Georgian Bay, on the west by the St. Marys River, to the north by the eastern Algoma District and to the south by the islands of Manitoulin, Cockburn,...
to the north. Manitoulin Island itself has 108 freshwater lakes, some of which have their own islands; in turn several of these "islands within islands" have their own ponds. Lake Manitou
Lake Manitou
Lake Manitou is the largest lake on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. It is the largest lake on a freshwater island in the world. Since Manitoulin Island itself is in Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes, Manitou qualifies as the largest "lake in a lake". Lake Manitou has an area of about . It...
(about 104 km2 - 40.5 sq. mi.) is the largest lake in a freshwater island in the world, and Treasure Island
Treasure Island, Ontario
Treasure Island is a notably large island in Lake Mindemoya, on Manitoulin Island. As Manitoulin's largest island, it is said to be the world's largest island in a lake in an island in a lake. The island has no permanent residents living on it, but there are some cottages...
in Lake Mindemoya
Lake Mindemoya
Lake Mindemoya is a lake of Ontario, Canada. It is located within Manitoulin Island, itself the largest island in a freshwater lake , is notable for having an island which may be the world's largest island in a lake in an island in a lake.Treasure Island is the largest island within Manitoulin....
is the largest island in a lake on an island in a lake in the world. Nameless Lake
Nameless Lake
Nameless Lake is a small, spring-fed lake on Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron approximately 8.5 km south of the town of Gore Bay in the township of Gordon/Barrie Island. It is approximately 2 km long and over 50 ft deep in some locations with no public access...
is the island's only no-motor lake.
The island also has four major rivers: the Kagawong
Kagawong River
The Kagawong River is a river on Manitoulin Island in Manitoulin District, Ontario, Canada which flows from Lake Kagawong to empty into Mudge Bay on the North Channel Lake Huron. The river falls over a limestone bluff at Bridal Veil Falls. "Kagawong" means "mists rising from falling water" in the...
, Manitou River
Manitou River (Manitoulin Island)
The Manitou River is a river in Ontario, Canada. It is approximately 15 km in length.It starts at the south end of Lake Manitou at a dam in Sandfield, ON in the Township of Central Manitoulin and ends at Michael's Bay on Lake Huron at the south end of Manitoulin Island.The Blue Jay Creek and...
, Blue Jay Creek
Blue Jay Creek
Blue Jay Creek is a river on Manitoulin Island in Central Manitoulin and Tehkummah townships, Manitoulin District in northeastern Ontario, Canada and a tributary of Lake Huron.-Course:...
in Michaels Bay and Mindemoya River
Mindemoya River
The Mindemoya River is a river on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada which flows about from Lake Mindemoya to empty into Providence Bay on Lake Huron. There is a large sandy beach at the mouth of the river. "Mindemoya" comes from the Ojibwe word mindimooyenh, which means "old woman"...
s, which provide spawning
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
grounds for salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
. The Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association
Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association
Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association is a not for profit group that rehabilitates streams, rivers and creeks on the largest freshwater island in the world Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. They partner with the entire community, including farmers, fisherman, and local lake and fish...
was formed in 2000 and incorporated in 2007. The organization rehabilitates streams, rivers and creeks on Manitoulin Island for the sake of water quality and the fisheries resource. They have conducted enhancement strategies for the Manitou River and Blue Jay Creek. They have rehabilitated 17 major sites on the Manitou River and three major sites on Blue Jay Creek and have completed work on Bass Lake Creek and Norton's Creek. The organization plans to start work on the Mindemoya River in 2010.
The island is physio-graphically part of Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
, an "eastward extension of the Interior Plains, a region characterized by low relief and sedimentary underpinnings". It consists mainly of dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
. It is a continuation of the Bruce Peninsula
Bruce Peninsula
The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada that lies between Georgian Bay and the main basin of Lake Huron. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, with which it forms the widest strait joining Georgian Bay to...
and Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
, a geological rock formation running south into Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
and continuing into New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The "Cup and Saucer Trail", which climbs the escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
, provides a spectacular lookout over the island.
Culture
The island has two incorporated towns (Northeastern Manitoulin and the IslandsNortheastern Manitoulin and the Islands, Ontario
Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands is a municipality with "town" status in Manitoulin District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, approximately 30 kilometres south of Espanola. Its main town is Little Current, located on the northeast side of Manitoulin Island...
and Gore Bay
Gore Bay, Ontario
Gore Bay is a town on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. Located on Gore Bay, a bay of Lake Huron's North Channel, it is one of the two incorporated towns of Manitoulin District....
), eight townships
Township (Canada)
The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...
(Assiginack
Assiginack, Ontario
Assiginack is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on Manitoulin Island. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected on the grounds of the Assiginack Museum by the province to commemorate the Manitoulin Treaties' role in Ontario's heritage...
, Billings
Billings, Ontario
Billings is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, as well as the name of a community within that township.Located in the Manitoulin District, the township had a population of 539 in the Canada 2006 Census.-Communities:...
, Burpee and Mills
Burpee and Mills, Ontario
Burpee and Mills is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario. The township comprises the communities of Burpee, Elizabeth Bay, Evansville and Poplar....
, Central Manitoulin
Central Manitoulin, Ontario
Central Manitoulin is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located on Manitoulin Island and in Manitoulin District.The primary community and administrative centre of the township is Mindemoya...
, Dawson, Gordon/Barrie Island
Gordon/Barrie Island
The Municipality of Gordon/Barrie Island is a township in Manitoulin District in north central Ontario, Canada. It was formed on January 1, 2009 upon the amalgamation of the townships of Gordon and Barrie Island....
, Robinson and Tehkummah
Tehkummah, Ontario
Tehkummah is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on Manitoulin Island. The township had a population of 382 in the Canada 2006 Census.-Communities:...
) and six Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
s (M'Chigeeng, Sheguiandah, Sheshegwaning, Aundeck Omni Kaning, Wikwemikong
Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve
Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve is an Indian reserve in the north-eastern section of Manitoulin Island in Manitoulin District, Ontario, Canada...
and Zhiibaahaasing.)
Manitoulin District, Ontario
Manitoulin District is a district in Northeastern Ontario within the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1888 from part of Algoma District. The district seat is Gore Bay....
census division
Census division
Census division is an official term in Canada and the United States. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic unit, below provinces and territories, and above "census subdivisions" and "dissemination areas". In provinces where they exist, the census division may correspond...
of Ontario.
Year-round motor-vehicle access to the island is available via the one-lane Little Current Swing Bridge
Little Current Swing Bridge
The Little Current Swing Bridge is a swing bridge in the Canadian province of Ontario, located at the community of Little Current in the town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands....
, which crosses the North Channel at Little Current. From late May to early October, a daily passenger-vehicle ferry, the MS Chi-Cheemaun (Ojibwe
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
for "Big Canoe"), travels between Tobermory
Tobermory, Ontario
Tobermory is a small community located at the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula in the municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada. It is 300 km northwest of Toronto...
on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula
Bruce Peninsula
The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada that lies between Georgian Bay and the main basin of Lake Huron. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, with which it forms the widest strait joining Georgian Bay to...
and South Baymouth.
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
flora such as blueberries, but allows for the island's trademark hawberries. These berries are so distinctive that people born on the island are referred to as "Haweaters". Each year on the August long weekend
Long weekend
Long weekend is a term used in Western countries to denote a weekend that is at least three days long , due to a holiday falling on either the Friday or Monday....
, the island hosts the Haweater Festival. The festival is a large tourist draw and includes parades, firework shows, craft shows, and rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
competitions, such as horse pulls.
Demographics
Ethnic groups- 62.4% WhiteWhite peopleWhite people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
- 38.0% AboriginalAboriginal peoples in CanadaAboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
Religious groups
- 42.3% Protestant
- 37.3% Roman Catholic
- 2.7% other Christian
- 17.7% other/none
Manitoulin Island, like many rural areas, is vulnerable to a large degree of brain drain
Brain drain
Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain", is the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge. The reasons usually include two aspects which respectively come from countries and individuals...
, as young people move off the island in search of education and jobs. The effects of this brain drain are evident by looking at the average education levels.
Highest Education Received
- Grade 8 or less 16.4%
- High School Diploma 60.4%
- College Diploma 18.1%
- Bachelors Degree 4.6%
- Masters Degree or Higher 0.5%
History
In 1952 archeologist Thomas E. LeeThomas E. Lee
Thomas Edward Lee was an archaeologist for the National Museum of Canada in the 1950s and discovered Sheguiandah on Manitoulin Island. Public interest in the find contributed to passage in Ontario of a bill to protect archeological sites...
discovered Sheguiandah
Sheguiandah
Sheguiandah is a notable Paleo-Indian archaeological site on the northeastern shore of Manitoulin Island, Manitoulin District, Ontario. It was originally discovered in 1951 by Thomas E. Lee, who led excavation teams for the next four years. He estimated the earliest occupation date of about 30...
on the island, a prehistoric site with artifact
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
s of the Paleo-Indian and Archaic periods, dating at least to 10,000 BCE and possibly to 30,000 years ago. Additional studies were undertaken by a team he led from the National Museum of Canada in succeeding years. Popular interest in the finds was so high that it contributed to Ontario's passing legislation in 1953 to protect its archeological sites. A team performed excavations again in the early 1990s, as well as being able to draw from new material in botany and other disciplines. They concluded the site was at least 9500 years old, making it one of the most significant in Ontario.
Manitoulin means spirit island in Anishinaabemowin (the Ojibwe language
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
). The island is considered sacred by the Native Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
people, who call themselves the "People of the Three Fires
Council of Three Fires
The Council of Three Fires, also known as the People of the Three Fires, the Three Fires Confederacy, the United Nations of Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi Indians, or Niswi-mishkodewin in the Anishinaabe language, is a long-standing Anishinaabe alliance of the Ojibwe , Ottawa , and Potawatomi...
." They are generally known as the Ojibwe, Odawa
Odawa people
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
and Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
tribes.
The North Channel was part of the route used by the Voyageurs
Voyageurs
The Voyageurs were the persons who engaged in the transportation of furs by canoe during the fur trade era. Voyageur is a French word which literally translates to "traveler"...
and Coureur des bois
Coureur des bois
A coureur des bois or coureur de bois was an independent entrepreneurial French-Canadian woodsman who traveled in New France and the interior of North America. They travelled in the woods to trade various things for fur....
to reach Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. The first known Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an to settle on the island was Father Joseph Poncet
Joseph Poncet
Joseph Anthony de la Rivière Poncet was a French Jesuit missionary to Canada.-Life:He entered the Jesuit novitiate in Paris at nineteen, as a student in rhetoric and philosophy...
, a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, who set up a mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
near Wikwemikong in 1648. The Jesuits called the island "Isle de Ste. Marie". Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
n infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
s introduced by the visitors had a devastating effect on the island's population, as the Natives had no natural immunity to the new diseases.
In addition, the Five Nations of the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
began raiding the island and area to try to control the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
with the French. As part of what was called the Beaver Wars
Beaver Wars
The Beaver Wars, also sometimes called the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars, commonly refers to a series of conflicts fought in the mid-17th century in eastern North America...
, the Iroquois drove the Anishinaabe people from the island by 1650. According to Anishinaabe oral tradition, to purify the island from disease, the people burned their settlements as they left. The island was mostly uninhabited for nearly 150 years.
Native people (Odawa
Odawa people
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
, Ojibwe, Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
) began to return to the island following the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. They ceded the island to the British Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
in 1836; the government set aside the land as a refuge for Natives. In 1838 Jean-Baptiste Proulx re-established a Roman Catholic mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
. The Jesuits took over the mission in 1845.
In 1862, the government opened up the island to settlement by non-Native people by the Manitoulin Island treaty. As the Wikwemikong chief did not accept this treaty, his people's reserve was held back from being offered for development. That reserve remains unceded. On August 7, 1975 the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve reasserted their sovereignty over the islands off the east end of Manitoulin Island, declaring, "Wikwemikong Band has jurisdiction over its reservation lands and surrounding waters."
The province erected an Ontario Historical Plaque on the grounds of the Assiginack Museum to commemorate the Manitoulin Treaties' role in Ontario's heritage.
Notable residents
- Daphne OdjigDaphne OdjigDaphne Odjig, CM, LL.D. , is an influential Canadian First Nations artist of Odawa-Potawatomi-English heritage. Her many awards include the Order of Canada and the Governor General's Award. Her painting is often characterized as Woodlands Style...
, artist, born and raised on the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island. - Kevin ClossKevin ClossKevin Closs is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Manitowaning, Ontario. Born in Sault Ste. Marie in 1963, Closs was raised on Manitoulin Island, and currently lives in Onaping Falls. An independent recording artist since 1987, he works both as a solo performer and with his rock band The Nobs.Closs...
, independent rock recording artist raised in Manitowaning. - Crystal ShawandaCrystal ShawandaCrystal Shawanda is a Canadian country music artist. CMT documented her rise to fame in the six-part series Crystal: Living the Dream, which aired in February 2008. Signed to RCA Records in 2007, she released her debut single, "You Can Let Go," in Canada in January 2008...
, country music artist from Wikwemikong - Writer Isabel PatersonIsabel PatersonIsabel Paterson was a Canadian-American journalist, novelist, political philosopher, and a leading literary critic of her day. Along with Rose Wilder Lane and Ayn Rand, who both acknowledged an intellectual debt to Paterson, she is one of the three founding mothers of American libertarianism...
was born on Manitoulin Island - Doug SmithDoug SmithDoug Smith may refer to:*Doug Smith , former MLB baseball player*Doug Smith , English flat racing jockey*Doug Smith , American former basketball player...
, founder of Manitoulin Transport, Order of Canada
External links
- Manitoulin Tourism Information
- Manitoulin Tourism Association
- Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association
- Manitoulin Living
- The Making of the Manitoulin Treaty of 1836
- The Making of the Manitoulin Treaty of 1862
- Manitoulin, an essay about Ojibway Indians and Lumbermen by Harold Nelson Burden (1895)
- Ontario photos. Manitoulin Island