By David D. Plain
Early History
In the mid eighteenth century Aamjiwnaang territory covered a vast expanse of land on both sides of the waterway between Lakes Huron and Erie. Bounded by the Maitland River in the east and the Flint River in the west it contained some nine villages supporting a population of 15,000. Aamjiwnaang is an Ojibwa word denoting an important gathering place that had been used by First Nations for millennia. This gathering place was located at the foot of Lake Huron. The people who lived in this vibrant and prosperous band called Aamjiwnaang were members of the Anishnaabek First Nation. The French called us Saulteaux Ojibwe. The British and later the Americans called us Chippewa.
Beginning in the 1750’s Aamjiwnaang’s prosperity and population came under siege. We were allies first with the French and then the British. Multiple wars took their toll on our young men. At the same time outbreaks of cholera and small pox further decimated the population. In 1827 our population was enumerated at 440 on the Ontario side of the border and 275 in Michigan. Aamjiwnaang’s territory had also been reduced by several land cessation treaties to seven small reserves containing a total of approximately 25,000 acres. (Courtesy of David D. Plain)
Read more on Aamjiwnaang Early History.
Modern History
In 1807 we signed the Treaty of Detroit ceding all of our territory in Michigan. The treaty created two reservations, one at Swan Creek just south of Algonac and one at the mouth of the Black River at Port Huron. In 1827 we signed Treaty 29 ceding the remainder of our lands in Ontario to the British Colonial Government. This treaty created four reserves, one along the southern boundary of St. Clair Township, one at Sarnia, and two on Lake Huron. One located at Kettle Point and the other at the mouth of the Au Sauble River. The name Aamjiwnaang would disappear from the written record and fall out of general use until recently when it was revived and adopted as the name of the reserve located at Sarnia.
During the decades between 1850 and 1950 the community of Sarnia began to encroach upon the north end of Aamjiwnaang. Through a series of treaties our lands were reduced from over 10,000 acres to approximately 3,100 acres. Today Aamjiwnaang remains a vibrant, prosperous community interacting on excellent terms with the communities that surround us.
Modern History Meanwhile, land cessation treaties chipped away at Aamjiwnaang’s territory. Treaty 2 was signed in 1790 ceding a large tract of land along the north shore of Lake Erie from Catfish Creek to the Detroit River extending as far north as the Thames River. Treaty 6 and 7 were signed in 1796. The Colonial Government informed us they wished to move the capital city from York to the forks of the Thames. Treaty 6 was signed for this purpose ceding a tract of land that became London Township. However, the capital was moved to Ottawa instead. They also said they wished to create a reserve for an expected influx of First Nation allies from America. Treaty 7 created the Shawanese Reserve which later became Sombra Township. The expected exodus never occurred so both tracts were opened up for white settlement.
The Treaty of Detroit was signed in 1807 ceding all of our territory in Michigan to the Americans. This treaty created two reservations. The Swan Creek Reservation was a tract of land located in St. Clair County on Lake St. Clair at the mouth of the Swan Creek. The other reservation contained two tracts of land at the mouth of the Black River in what today is downtown Port Huron. These two reservations were ceded in 1836 because of the American Removal Policy.
In 1822 Treaty 25 was signed for the Longwoods Tract near London leaving the Huron Tract along Lake Huron from just north of Goderich to the St. Clair River bounded on the south by the Thames River and Sombra Township. Aamjiwnaang chiefs and principle men travelled to Amherstburg in 1818 to hear a proposal to cede the Huron Tract which included some 2.1 million acres. Little Thunder, now very old, and his son Red Sky attended the council. They agreed to the cessation and Treaty 29 was signed on July 10, 1827. This created four reserves. One reserve was located along the south boundary of what today is St. Clair Township. Another reserve was located at Sarnia on the St. Clair River just below the rapids. The other two were on Lake Huron at Kettle Point and the mouth of the Au Sauble River. The two on the St. Clair River were named the Lower St. Clair Reserve and the Upper St. Clair Reserve at first.
The Lower St. Clair was ceded in 1843. The Upper St. Clair Reserve became known as the Sarnia Reserve, but later took the original name Aamjiwnaang. Aamjiwnaang originally contained 10,280 acres. In the 1840s a tract of land one mile wide and four miles long on the east end of the reserve was transferred to land speculator Malcolm Cameron by an illegal transaction circumventing legal requirements for land transfers of reserve lands. This resulted in a law suit in the 1990s known as the Cameron Lands Litigation.
It has yet to be fully settled. Various other cessations took place in the last half of the nineteenth century as the Town of Port Sarnia encroached upon Aamjiwnaang lands reducing the size of the reserve another 1,257 acres. The Indian Act was amended in 1911 by legislation that became known as the Oliver Act. It allowed for expropriation of reserve lands if the reserve was located beside a city with a population of more than 8,000 or if the land was needed for the greater good of the wider community.
In 1919 the City of Sarnia approached Aamjiwnaang to cede 1,184 acres required to build a steel plant. Two votes were held to cede and both failed. The City threatened to invoke the Oliver Act and expropriate the whole reserve. A third vote was held and the cessation was passed under duress. The city also promised not to use the Oliver Act for five years.
Today Aamjiwnaang First Nation has succeeded in building a relationship with its neighbours that is built upon friendship and mutual respect despite the difficulties of the past. It is located in the middle of Canada’s ‘Chemical Valley’ and has integrated well with the industry that surrounds us. This has provided ample job prospects for band members. However, there has also been adverse health effects. Aamjiwnaang is a progressive community with a bright future. Governed by a democratically elected Chief and Council Aamjiwnaang First Nation has all the services and amenities of other modern communities.