I want to briefly consider one more treaty that affects the region we travelled to around Wawa Ontario. But this one has a happier ending.

This area we travelled through on our way to Nova Scotia is incredibly interesting. Particularly, because I learned so little of this going to school from Kindergarten to Law School I now find it very interesting to fill in at least a few of the gaps. And there are many gaps.

There are many Indigenous groups across Canada and I have discovered that they all have interesting stories. At least as far as I now know. Frankly, I have only looked at merely a few of them.

One more interesting area in the region Chris and I drove through this autumn was the Michipicoten First Nation. I have obtained information from the Michipicoten First Nation website.  According to them the history of the Michipicoten First Nation is

“a history of forced relocations that were endured by the First Nation as a result of “mistakes” and unfair actions taken by the Government of the day. From the time of the first contact in the early 17th century the Michipicoten First Nation had an established presence at the mouth of the Michipicoten River, on the northeast shore of Lake Superior. In 1850 at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Chief Tootomenei had asked that the reserve be from the mouth of the Michipicoten River and the Harbour to the mouth of the Dore River. Instead, the Crown did not survey out the proper location but set aside the reserve of Gros Cap (Indian Reserve 49) which was located several kilometres west of the mouth of the Michipicoten River and harbour. As a result, Michipicoten First Nation did not live on Reserve land for most of its history between 1850 and 1970.”

As a result, they see their own history as a history of the displacement of their people. Involuntary displacements are a recurring theme in the history of Canada. It is no exaggeration to say that the history of Canada since the arrival of Europeans is a history of Europeans and their successors displacing the people they encountered here. In different ways, it happened over and over again.

By mistake or perhaps caprice, the Michipicoten First Nation were forced to settle on land that was not of their own choosing. Instead, the “best land” was sold to a development company and the Algoma Central Railway Co. (‘ACR’). Those transfers took away their best land and as a direct result they were cut off from their traditional camping grounds and waterway route. The coastal land they always used was cut off from them. There was no road into the site. Consequently, “Michipicoten First Nation did not live on Reserve land for most of its history between 1850 and 1970.”

Unfortunately, the land they were given was unsafe for a sanitation system and once again they had to move. They negotiated a deal with Ontario Hydro for land they currently occupied and Hydro agreed to build a road to their land as part of that deal.  In exchange, Hydro had the right to put a transmission line across their land. Another group attained a reserve elsewhere and occupied it until the fur trade dropped off.

Now the Michipicoten First Nation advises that,

“Michipicoten First Nation Gros Cap IR49 today and its surrounding lands include extensive coastline along the shores of Lake Superior, the addition of lands settled through various land claim settlements, including the reserves as Missanabie and Chapleau and boasts a pristine and eco-rich environment of unparalleled wilderness beauty, unpolluted waters and an abundance of wildlife, birds and indigenous plants. Fishing, hunting, and trapping are still practiced by the people and children can be taught the ways of their Ancestors.”

This now looks like a success story. But clearly it was an uphill struggle to obtain this land. Now (as of October 2024 when we drove nearby), in their own words,

“Michipicoten First Nation is a vibrant community with approximately 1,442 (October 2024) members dispersed around the globe, building on socio-economic independence and with a strong sense of community and cultural identity, Michipicoten First Nation strives to maintain harmony and balance with Mother Earth, neighboring First Nations and surrounding communities.”

In their own words, it is clear that the Michipicoten First Nation are a proud people who have created, after some sever challenges, a vibrant community.

Success at last.