Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation ( oj, Mazina'iga-ziibing Misi-zaagiwininiwag, ''meaning: "Mississauga people at the

Credit River The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario, which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment near Orangeville and Caledon East to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately . The total le ...

"'') is a

Mississauga Ojibwa The Mississauga are a subtribe of the Anishinaabe-speaking First Nations peoples located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are closely related to the Ojibwe. The name "Mississauga" comes from the Anishinaabe word ''Misi-zaagiing'', meaning " hos ...

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

located near

Brantford Brantford (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by County of Brant, Brant County, but is politically separate with ...

in south-central

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. In April 2015, MCFN had an enrolled population of 2,330 people, 850 of whom lived on the MCFN Reserve. The first nation governs the 2,392.6-hectare parcel of New Credit 40A

Indian Reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) 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." Ind ...

known as Reserve 40B near

Hagersville, Ontario Hagersville is a community in Haldimand County, Ontario in Canada. Location and airports *Hagersville is approximately southwest of Hamilton, Ontario, southwest of Caledonia, Ontario, and northeast of Port Dover, Ontario. *Hagersville's neares ...

. This reserve is located beside the

Six Nations of the Grand River Six Nations (or Six Nations of the Grand River, french: Réserve des Six Nations, see, Ye:i’ Níónöëdzage:h) is demographically the largest First Nations reserve in Canada. As of the end of 2017, it has a total of 27,276 members, 12,848 of w ...

, near

. In the 19th century, under pressure from the rapid growth of the European-origin population, the Mississaugas wanted to move from their reserve in the present-day 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 popul ...

. Unable to make an agreement with the provincial government of the time, the Mississaugas in 1848 accepted an offer from the Six Nations Confederacy of of land inside their own property, as a compensation to the Mississaugas for their authorization for the British purchase of the land in 1784 for the establishment of the Six Nations Reserve. (The reserve had been granted to the Six Nations by the

Haldimand Proclamation The ''Haldimand Proclamation'' was a decree that granted land to the Mohawk (or Kanien'kehà:ka) (Mohawk nation) who had served on the British side during the American Revolution. The decree was issued by the Governor of the Province of Quebec, ...

in gratitude for their military alliance with the British during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, allowing their resettlement from their previous homeland in what had become New York State.) The Six Nations is the only reserve in the Canadian system with a subsection reserve. The Mississaugas eventually purchased the land gifted as well as an additional for a sum of $10,000.00 on June 15, 1903, for the all-time right of undisturbed use and occupancy of the land. The reserve as it stands today consists of lots 1 to 12 in the first and second concessions in the Township of Tuscarora, in the

County of Brant The County of Brant ( 2021 population 39,474) is a single-tier municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario. Although it retains the word "county" in its name, the municipality is a single-tier municipal government and has no upper tier. The ...

, and lots 1-12 in the first and second concessions in the Township of Oneida. In 1997, MCFN purchased an additional bordering on

Highway 6 Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * Asian Highway 6 * European route E6 * European route E006 Albania * National Road SH6 Argentina * Buenos Aires Provincial Route 6 Australia New ...

, Hagersville. The First Nation made claims to land on which

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

sits through the disputed

Toronto Purchase The Toronto Purchase was the sale of lands in the Toronto area from the Mississaugas of New Credit to the British crown. An initial, disputed, agreement was made in 1787, in exchange for various items. The agreement was revisited in 1805, intend ...

of 1787. In 2010, Canada agreed to pay for the lands, based on the historic value of the land, extrapolated to current dollars. The money was distributed to the band government, with each of the 1,700 present day Mississaugas receiving $20,000, with the rest placed in trust for future generations. The Band put a controversial hold on new band membership during this time, ostensibly to preserve the greatest financial gain possible. The multi-million dollar settlement was only given to previously registered members despite any valid claims to membership. On January 8, 2019 the Mississaugas of the New Credit announced that they would rename as The Mississaugas of the Credit.

Prominent members

Harry LaForme Harry Smith LaForme (born October 31, 1946) is a Canadian judge. A member of the Mississaugas people, LaForme is the first appellate court judge in Canadian history with a First Nations background. He has served as the Commissioner of the Indian ...

, appellate court judge, served as head of the

Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC; french: Commission de vérité et réconciliation du Canada []) was a truth and reconciliation commission active in Canada from 2008 to 2015, organized by the parties of the Indian Residen ...

* Walt Secord, Australian politician. * Chief Wakabinine, Mississauga Chief and Warrior who died enroute from

York, Upper Canada York was a town and second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the Old Toronto, old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location for th ...

in 1796 protecting his sister from British soldier Charles McEwan

References

External links

Official website of the Mississaugas of the Credit First NationAANDC profile
{{authority control First Nations governments in Ontario Mississaugas Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians Mississauga reserves in Ontario Communities in Norfolk County, Ontario Communities in Haldimand County