Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation () is an Anishinaabek First Nation from the

Bruce Peninsula The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada, that divides Georgian Bay of Lake Huron from the lake's main basin. The peninsula extends roughly northwestwards from the rest of Southwestern Ontario, pointing towards Manitoulin Island, wi ...

region in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Along with the

Saugeen First Nation Saugeen First Nation () is an Ojibway First Nation band located along the Saugeen River and Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. The band states that their legal name is the "Chippewas of Saugeen". Organized in the mid-1970s, Saugeen First Nati ...

, they form the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. The Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation had a registered membership of 2758 individuals, as of December 2020. Approximately 700 members live on the main reserve, Neyaashiinigmiing 27 (formerly known as Cape Croker). The First Nation has 3 reserves,

Neyaashiinigmiing 27 Neyaashiinigmiing, formerly Cape Croker, is a reserve within Bruce County, Ontario. It is one of the parcels of land administered by the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation. Etymology The name Neyaashiinigmiing is loosely translated fro ...

Cape Croker Hunting Ground 60B Cape Croker Hunting Ground 60B is a reserve located on the Bruce Peninsula The Bruce Peninsula is a peninsula in Ontario, Canada, that divides Georgian Bay of Lake Huron from the lake's main basin. The peninsula extends roughly northwestward ...

and

Saugeen and Cape Croker Fishing Islands 1 Saugeen and Cape Croker Fishing Islands 1 is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations Indian reserve, reserve consisting of 89 islands in Lake Huron off the western coast of the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario. They extend north of Chief's Point 28 for ...

. The size of all reserves is 8083.70 hectares (31.21 sq. mi.).

Etymology

The name Chippewas of Nawash is from Chief Nawash who fought with

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

History

Neyaashiinigmiing has always been the home of the Chippewas of Nawash. Their traditional lands included the entire

and roughly south of it. In 1993, the First Nation won a court battle giving them the right to fish for trade and commerce in their traditional waters surrounding the Bruce Peninsula.

Reserves

Chippewas of Nawash have three reserves in perpetuity, amassing to . Of these three, the Neyaashiinigmiing 27 is considered the main reserve and Saugeen & Cape Croker Fishing Island 1 is shared with

Neyaashiinigmiing 27

Formerly known as Cape Croker 27, this reserve is located within

Bruce County Bruce County is a county in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It has eight lower-tier municipalities with a total 2021 population of 73,396. It is named for James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, the sixth Governor General of t ...

, Ontario. It is big. It is the largest reserve of the three.

Cape Croker Hunting Ground 60B

The reserve is surrounded by

Bruce Peninsula National Park Bruce Peninsula National Park is a national park on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. Located on a part of the Niagara Escarpment, the park comprises 156 square kilometres and is one of the largest protected areas in southern Ontario, formi ...

and

Saugeen Hunting Grounds 60A Saugeen Hunting Grounds 60A is a First Nations reserve in Bruce County Bruce County is a county in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It has eight lower-tier municipalities with a total 2021 population of 73,396. It is named for James Bruce, 8th ...

Saugeen and Cape Croker Fishing Islands

The reserve consist of 89 island shared with

Government

Leaders of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation are elected every two years by the population registered on the band list. The next election date has not yet been set however it will be held around the same time in 2025. The current Chief and Council are: * Chief Greg Nadjiwon * Anthony Chegahno * Arlene Chegahno * Carlene Keeshig * Norma Tobey * Beverly Nadjiwon * Nick Saunders * Jessica Keeshig-Martin * Theron Solomon * Paul Jones

Media

FM Radio

* 100.1 - CHFN - The Chippewas of Nawash operate a low power FM station that plays an eclectic mix of Rock, country, gospel, and pow wow.

Local newspaper

*''Community Newsletter Eziwehbak (what's happening)'' *''Winter Count: Neyaashiinigmiing's History Newsletter'' *''Dibaudjimoh'' (no longer publishing)

Culture

The Chippewas of Nawash hold a Traditional Pow Wow every year. Chippewas of Nawash is also the home of musician Ira Nadjiwon, Marc Merilainen (Nadjiwon), Jacques Pigeon, Kevin (The Hooch) Lavalley, and Bryden "Gwiss" Kiwenzie who grew up on Nawash. They are also home to an award-winning powwow singers group called "Chippewa Travellers".

Land claims

In 1994, the Nawash and the

s filed a lawsuit against the Government of Canada; the claims for land, and payment of rent on lands, discussed in early treaties are significant. "The two First Nations are claiming aboriginal title to the lands under the water covering an area of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay from south of Goderich, west to the international border and north to the mid-point between the tip of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island; then east to the mid-point of Georgian Bay and south to the southernmost point of Nottawasaga Bay." This suit has yet to be resolved. The Official Plan for the Town of

Saugeen Shores Saugeen Shores is a town in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1998. In addition to the two main population centres of Southampton, Ontario, Southampton and Port Elgin, Ontario, Port Elgin, the town includes a portion of the village of Burgo ...

(2014) includes the following comment about this issue: "The Chippewas of the Saugeen First Nation and the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation have filed a Native Land Claim for the islands in the Saugeen River, the lands that border the north side of the Saugeen River and the shoreline from the mouth of the Saugeen River northerly around the Bruce Peninsula."

Notable members

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm is an Anishinaabe writer of mixed ancestry from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation in Canada. She lives and works at Neyaashiinigmiing, Cape Croker Reserve on the Saugeen Peninsula in southwestern Ontario, and in Ottawa, ...

, poet, founder of Kegedonce Press *

John Borrows John Borrows (or Kegedonce in Anishinaabe) is a Canadian academic and jurist. He is a full Professor of Law and the Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He is known as a leading authority on Canadian Indig ...

(b. 1963), Professor Borrows, B.A., M.A., J.D., LL.M. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Osgoode Hall Law School), LL.D. (Hons.)(Dalhousie) F.R.S.C., is Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law at the University of Victoria Law School. *

Basil H. Johnston Basil H. Johnston (13 July 1929 – 8 September 2015) was an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) and Canadian writer, storyteller, language teacher and scholar. Biography Johnston was born July 13, 1929, on the Parry Island Indian Reserve to Rufus and Mary ...

(1929-2015), writer and educator, residential school survivor *

Verna Patronella Johnston Verna Patronella Johnston (1909-1996) was an Ojibway and Potawatomi (Anishinaabe) author, mother, grandmother, mentor, and community activist, known for helping Indigenous youth who had travelled to the city of Toronto for secondary and post-sec ...

, author (''Tales of Nokomis'') and community organizer in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

during the 1960s and 1970s * Lenore Keeshig-Tobias, author (''Emma and the Trees'' and ''Bird Talk)'' and major advocate for Indigenous writers in Canada * Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie, musician *

Michelle LaVallee Michelle LaVallee is a Canadian curator, artist, and educator. She is Ojibwe, Ojibway and a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation in Cape Croker, Ontario, Cape Croker, Ontario. She has BFA (2000) and BEd (2004) degrees from York ...

, curator, artist, and educator * Naomi Smith, artist *

Clifford Solomon Clifford "King" Solomon (January 17, 1931 – June 21, 2004) was an American jazz and R&B musician. Solomon was born in Los Angeles and learned to play clarinet from an early age and picked up saxophone when he was 13. In the late 1940s he pla ...

, television actor * Mary Spencer (b. 1984), Canadian, World Champion, Pan AM, and Olympic middleweight boxer"Writers-in-Residence Program: Robin Kimmerer."
''HJ Andrews Experimental Forest.'' 2004. Retrieved 17 July 2012.

References

External links

*
"Hope Bay South East Shore Cottager's Group"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chippewas Of Nawash Unceded First Nation First Nations governments in Ontario Communities in Bruce County