![Anishinaabe-Anishinini Distribution Map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Anishinaabe-Anishinini_Distribution_Map.svg)
The Mississauga are a subtribe of the
Anishinaabe
The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawa ...
-speaking
First Nations peoples located in southern
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. They are closely related to the
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
. The name "Mississauga" comes from the
Anishinaabe
The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawa ...
word ''Misi-zaagiing'', meaning "
hose at theGreat River-mouth." It is closely related to the Ojibwe word ''Misswezahging'', which means ‘a river with many outlets.’
History
According to the oral histories of the Anishinaabe, after departing the "Second Stopping Place" near
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...
, the core Anishinaabe peoples migrated along the shores of
Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also ha ...
to what is now southern
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
. They became "lost" both physically and spiritually. The Mississauga migrated along a northern route by the
Credit River, to
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay (french: Baie Georgienne) is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. T ...
. These were considered their historic traditional lands on the shores of
Lake Superior
Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
and northern
Lake Huron
Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Straits of Mack ...
around the
Mississagi River
The Mississagi River is a river in Algoma and Sudbury Districts, Ontario, Canada, that originates in Sudbury District and flows to Lake Huron at Blind River, Algoma District.
Etymology
The river's name comes from the Ojibwe ''misi-zaagi'' ...
. The Mississauga called for the core Anishinaabe to ''
Midewiwin'', meaning 'return to the path of the good life'. The core Anishinaabe peoples formed the
Council of Three Fires and migrated from their "Third Stopping Place" near the present city of
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
to their "Fourth Stopping Place" on
Manitoulin Island, along the eastern shores of Georgian Bay.
The homelands of the Mississaugas were originally claimed by the
Huron/Wyandot, who were driven off by the
Haudenosaunee
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...
in the
Beaver Wars
The Beaver Wars ( moh, Tsianì kayonkwere), also known as the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars (french: Guerres franco-iroquoises) were a series of conflicts fought intermittently during the 17th century in North America throughout t ...
in 1649/50.
The Ojibwe Anishinaabe then moved into the area around 1700, pushing out the Haudenosaunee.
The
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
had previously called an Anishinaabe band near the
Mississagi River
The Mississagi River is a river in Algoma and Sudbury Districts, Ontario, Canada, that originates in Sudbury District and flows to Lake Huron at Blind River, Algoma District.
Etymology
The river's name comes from the Ojibwe ''misi-zaagi'' ...
''Oumisagai'' or ''Mississauga'' and for unknown reasons began to apply that name to the Ojibwe who took over the lands immediately north of
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
.
On the 1675 ''Carte du Mississippi et des lacs Supérieur, Michigan et Huron'', the Mississauga were recorded as "Missisakingdachirinouek" (''Misi-zaaging dash ininweg'': "Regular-speakers of the Great River-mouth"). This was not how the Mississaugas originally knew themselves,
but they eventually adopted the name and use it today.
When
Conrad Weiser conducted a census in
Logstown
"extensive flats"
, settlement_type = Historic Native American village
, image_skyline = Image:Logstown1.jpg
, imagesize = 220px
, image_alt =
, image_map1 = Pennsylvania in United States ...
in 1748, he identified the people as ''Tisagechroamis'', his attempt at conveying the sound of their
exonym
An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group ...
name in
Wendat. Other variants of this spelling were ''Tisagechroamis'', ''Tisaghechroamis'', ''Tisagechroan'', ''Tisagechroanu'', and ''Zisaugeghroanu''. "The Tisagechroanu were the Mississagas from
Lake Huron
Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Straits of Mack ...
, a large tribe of French Indians, or under French influences. The name Tisagechroanue here is probably a misprint, for it is most often found Zisaugeghroanu."
![Plan of the Tract of Land Purchased from the Mississauga Indians in 1806 CTASC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Plan_of_the_Tract_of_Land_Purchased_from_the_Mississauga_Indians_in_1806_CTASC.jpg)
In the waning years of the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
, starting in 1781, the
British Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
purchased land from the Mississauga in a series of transactions that encompassed much of present-day southern
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. They purchased the land to fulfill promises made in the 'Haldimand Deed', land promised to the ''Haudenosaunne'' of the Six Nations' Iroquois Confederacy for their allied support in the war, and to compensate them for losses of former territory to American colonists. But Britain, and subsequently Canada, reneged on many of their promises, as Lord Simcoe sought instead make land grants to
United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America dur ...
and other white settlers seeking farmland.
In 1848, the Haudenosaunee granted land to the Mississauga within the former's Six Nations Reserve on Grand River. The Mississauga became established on the New Credit.
Beginning in the 19th century, the Mississauga sought to gain compensation for the land granted to them but given to other settlers. In the 21st century, the Canadian government awarded the Mississauga of the New Credit First Nation nearly $145 million in settlement of this land claim.
Legacy
* The city of
Mississauga
Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popu ...
is named after them.
* The Western and Eastern
massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) are named after them.
*
Fort Mississauga is named after them.
Today
All the Mississaugas are a subset of the
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
nation of 200,000 people.
Historically, there were five
First Nations that made up the Mississauga Nations. Today, there are six, listed here along with their historical counterparts, where applicable:
*
Mississauga First Nation —
Mississagi River 8 Reserve
** Mississaugas of Chibaouinani (historical)
*
Alderville First Nation
Alderville First Nation is a band of Mississaugas, a sub-nation of the Ojibways. The Alderville and Sugar Island 37A reserves belong to that First Nation band government.
First Nation
The Alderville First Nation is an Anishinaabe First Nati ...
(formerly: Mississaugas of Alnwick) —
Alderville First Nation Reserve,
Sugar Island 37A Reserve
* Mississaugas of the Credit (historical)
**Mississaugas of Beldom (historical)
**
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation ( oj, Mazina'iga-ziibing Misi-zaagiwininiwag, ''meaning: "Mississauga people at the Credit River"'') is a Mississauga Ojibwa First Nation located near Brantford in south-central Ontario, Canada. In April ...
—
New Credit 40A Reserve. One of the largest communities; as of 2005, the Mississaugas of the Credit had a population of 1,375.
* Mississaugas of Matchedash (historical)
* Mississaugas of Rice Lake, Mud Lake and Scugog Lake (historical)
**
Curve Lake First Nation
Curve Lake First Nation ( oj, Oshkiigmong) is a Mississauga Ojibway First Nation located in Peterborough County of Ontario. Curve Lake First Nation occupies three reserves; Curve Lake First Nation 35, Curve Lake 35A, and Islands in the Trent ...
(formerly: Mississaugas of Mud Lake) —
Curve Lake First Nation 35 Reserve,
Curve Lake 35A Reserve and
Islands in the Trent Waters Indian Reserve 36A
Islands in the Trent Waters 36A is a First Nations reserve about 15 kilometres north of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, on scattered islands in the Kawartha lakes
The City of Kawartha Lakes (2021 population 79,247) is a unitary municipality i ...
**Mississaugas of Grape Island (historical)
**
Hiawatha First Nation
The Hiawatha First Nation (formerly Mississaugas of Rice Lake) is a Mississauga Ojibwe First Nations reserve located on the north shore of Rice Lake east of the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada.
It is found in Otonabee Township less than 15 ...
(formerly: Mississaugas of Rice Lake) —
Hiawatha First Nation Indian Reserve,
Islands in the Trent Waters Indian Reserve 36A
Islands in the Trent Waters 36A is a First Nations reserve about 15 kilometres north of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, on scattered islands in the Kawartha lakes
The City of Kawartha Lakes (2021 population 79,247) is a unitary municipality i ...
**
Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation
Mississaugas of Scugog Island is a First Nation and reserve for the Mississaugas of Scugog Island band government in south-central Ontario, Canada. It is located near Lake Scugog in Durham Region.
Governance
Scugog Island's leadership consists ...
—
Mississaugas of Scugog Island Reserve,
Islands in the Trent Waters Indian Reserve 36A
Islands in the Trent Waters 36A is a First Nations reserve about 15 kilometres north of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, on scattered islands in the Kawartha lakes
The City of Kawartha Lakes (2021 population 79,247) is a unitary municipality i ...
Notable people
*
Peter Jones (1802–1856), Mississauga missionary and writer
*
Edmonia Lewis (ca. 1844–1907), Mississauga Ojibwe/African-American sculptor
*
Quenippenon {{tone, date=April 2015
Chief Kineubenae (also recorded as Golden Eagle, Quinipeno, Quenebenaw, etc.) (floruit, fl. 1797–1812), was a principal chief of the Mississaugas, Mississauga Ojibwa, located on the north shore of Lake Ontario. His name ...
, Mississauga Chief
See also
*
Crawford Purchase
*
Toronto Purchase
References
External links
Mississaugas of the Credit First NationsMississaugas of Alderville First NationOgemawahj Tribal Council
{{Authority control
Algonquian ethnonyms