Manitowaning gathering marks anniversary of Bond Head Treaty and its objectors
On Monday, May 22, the first day of a two-day event, the Never on the Fringe Treaties Gathering, was held in Manitowaning at the site of the signing of the Manitoulin Treaties.
It was an extraordinary and significant experience held on Anishinaabe Territory, overlooking the sparkling waters of the bay and the magnificent Wiikwemkoong Peninsula. Those who took advantage of attending the “open to all event” will long remember the wisdom of the speeches, the presentation of the artifacts and the atmosphere of friendship.
The purpose of the gathering was to talk about the history of Mnidoo/Odawa Mnis and the treaties of the region including Manitoulin Island, the North Shore of Lake Huron and the Sauking Territory. First Nations leaders, elders, and community members gathered to share their experiences and knowledge. Naomi Recollet, of the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, described it as “an important opportunity to strengthen our relationships and to celebrate our Treaty relationships and responsibilities.”
In 1836 a treaty was signed in Manitowaning acknowledging it as Anishinaabe Territory. A second treaty followed in 1862, ceding most of the island to non-Indigenous settlers and resulting in the land assignments of today. The 1862 treaty was signed following several years of intense pressure and persuasion and remains controversial today.
May 2023 is the 160th anniversary of two very significant petitions written by the Anishinaabeg of M’Chigeeng and Sheshegwaning to the governor that demanded the treaty be cancelled. They declared that persons who were not authorized to represent them had signed the treaty and had done so under threats of expulsion and punishment and the inevitability of government action.
The gathering began on May 22 with a pipe and sunrise ceremony. Ogimaa and Ogimaa-kwe from the treaty signatory First Nations were invited to attend the gathering, including Regional Chief Glen Hare for the Chiefs of Ontario, and Grand Chief Reg Niganobe for the Anishinabek Nation.
Although there were many highlights, the sharing of the 1836 Treaty Pipe was particularly poignant. The pipe was most likely presented to the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Sir Francis Bond Head, at the Manitowaning Treaty in 1836 during the treaty gift ceremony. It remained in his family until about five years ago when it was offered for sale. The pipe was rescued from the auction block in 2017 by a team led by former Ogimaa Duke Peltier. During the Treaties Gathering, Dr. Alan Corbiere outlined the pipe’s significance, while Naomi Recollet, archivist at the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, carried it into the audience so it could be intimately viewed.
Former Wiikwemkoong Ogimaa Duke Peltier recounted the truly incredible story of the pipe’s rescue and its return to the people affected by it. The pipe is an extremely unique item that brings a momentous event to life.
Ken Maracle’s presentation of wampum teachings, accompanied by wampum belts and wampum strings was incredible. Mr. Maracle is a faith keeper of the Lower Cayuga Longhouse and a member of the Cayuga Nation, Iroquois Confederacy. He is one of the few people who continue to make real wampum beads from shells, and then create exact replicas of original wampum belts.
The viewing of the pipe, and the wampum belts beneath the special Anishinaabe flag, combined with the profound statements of the speakers made the day memorable for all participants.
Ogimaa Rachel Manitowabi of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory was unable to attend due to illness, however her message captured the spirit of the event: “Days like today offer immeasurable achievement in Treaty knowledge. The importance of this knowledge is not only for ourselves but for our youth and future generations so that they too carry on this knowledge of our shared history. It also offers our friends and neighbours the opportunity to become and maintain, strong allies in this history and in the writing of our future history together. Let us be the generation that brings even more meaning to the partnership our ancestors sought to achieve: the shared and equal benefits of this land within the concepts of traditional Anishinaabe laws and understandings.”
The gathering continued Tuesday, May 23 at the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation in M’Chigeeng First Nation with presentations by academics and researchers.
The gathering was hosted by the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation and sponsored by the Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin, the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, Wiikwemkoong Tourism, Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and Indigenous Tourism Ontario. The academic partners were York University, Brock University, and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
Shelley Pearen is author of Four Voices the Great Manitoulin Island Treaty of 1862, and transcriber, translator, and editor of the recently published Wikwemikong Diariums 1844-1873.
