Jacob Berens ( c. 1835 – 7 July 1916) was an Ojibwa chief whose native name was Nah-wee-kee-sick-quah-yash (and variations). The name means ''light moving in the centre of the sky'' and probably was a result of the

Halley's comet Halley's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P/Halley, is a short-period comet visible from Earth every 75–79 years. Halley is the only known short-period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and thus the o ...

occurrence in 1835. Berens was instrumental in negotiations of Treaty No.5 with the Canadian government in 1875. The community of

Berens River The Berens River is a river in the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, Canada. It flows west from an unnamed lake in Kenora District, Ontario, and discharges its waters into Lake Winnipeg near the community and First Nation of Berens River, Manit ...

, and the

, itself gave rise to his English surname. The

Berens River First Nation Berens River First Nation ( oj, Mememwi-ziibiing) is a First Nations band government in Manitoba, Canada. The First Nation has two reserves: Berens River 13 and Pigeon River 13A, located in the boreal forest east of Lake Winnipeg. The First Natio ...

are the aboriginal population that also utilize the name.

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

''Manitoba Historical Society - Jacob Berens (Nah-wee-kee-sick-quah-yash)''
1835 births 1916 deaths Ojibwe people {{Canada-bio-stub