In 1836 the Ojibwa and Odawa inhabiting Manitoulin signed an agreement with the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada which made the Island a refuge for all First Nations. Authorities hoped that native peoples on the mainland would abandon their hunting grounds and take up farming here. Several hundred did come, but resisted the government's efforts to change their way of life. As white settlement moved north, farmers and commercial fishermen demanded access to the Manitoulin area. In 1862, amid much discord, resident chiefs relinquished most of the Island to the Crown. The people at Wikwemikong chose not to sign the treaty, and to this day the eastern peninsula of the Island remains unceded aboriginal land.

Location

On the grounds of the Assiginack Museum, Arthur and Nelson streets, Manitowaning

Themes

• First Nations
• Politics and law