Nipissing
The Nipissing are an Indigenous group located in Ontario, Canada, named by the French in 1613 due to their settlement near Lake Nipissing. The term "Nipissing" translates to "little-water people," reflecting their connection to the lake. Historically, they established permanent villages and engaged in seasonal travel for food gathering, primarily fishing and limited agriculture, while also trading with neighboring Cree communities. The Nipissing maintained friendly relations with French missionaries, adopting aspects of Christianity alongside their traditional shamanistic practices. Throughout the 17th century, they faced significant challenges, including attacks from Iroquois groups, which contributed to a decline in their population and visibility. Today, the Nipissing First Nation comprises descendants of the historical Nipissing people, with approximately 3,141 members and a significant presence on the Nipissing Indian Reserve No. 10. In a notable development, the Nipissing First Nation ratified its own constitution in 2014, becoming the first Anishinaabe nation in Ontario to do so. The community continues to honor its cultural heritage and traditions while navigating contemporary challenges.
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Nipissing
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Northeast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Algonquian
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Ontario
The Nipissing, a branch of the Algonquian language family, were so named because the French found them in 1613 living on the shores of Lake Nipissing in Ontario, Canada. The name means “little-water people.” From the first contact with French missionaries, the Nipissing were friendly with them. They accepted Christianity but without giving up their traditional shamanism. They had steady contact with British traders after 1610 but remained allies of the French through the French and Indian Wars. The Nipissing lived in permanent villages along the lake, traveling throughout the fall to gather food. They grew a few crops but fished in southern waters and traded with the Cree, their neighbors to the north. Chiefs were elected from a group of eligible males. The Nipissing had great skill as jugglers, a skill different from modern entertainment juggling, and used in their spiritual ceremonies. Reliable population counts are unavailable. Their numbers were small throughout recorded history. Many were killed by attackers from the Iroquois in the middle of the seventeenth century, and at various times, groups moved away and disappeared from record. In the late nineteenth century, a group of Nipissing were living with other Algonquians at Lake of Two Mountains in Quebec. When the church and its records burned in 1877, the last register of Nipissing families was destroyed.
Still, in the twenty-first century, descendants of the Nipissing continued to live in areas surrounding Lake Nipissing in northern Ontario as members of the Nipissing First Nation. The nation claimed 3,141 members, with 968 members residing on the Nipissing Indian Reserve No. 10. In 2014, Nipissing First Nation became the first Anishinaabe nation in Ontario to ratify their own constitution.
Bibliography
"Culture & Heritage." Nipissing First Nation, nfn.ca/culture-heritage. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"First Nation Detail - Nipissing First Nation." Government of Canada, 3 May 2024, fnp-ppn.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/FNP/Main/Search/FNMain.aspx?BAND‗NUMBER=220&lang=eng. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"The Land, the People, the Future." Nipissing First Nation, nfn.ca/the-land-the-people-the-future. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"Nipissing First Nation Passes First Ontario Aboriginal Constitution." CBC News, 21 Jan. 2014, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/nipissing-first-nation-passes-first-ontario-aboriginal-constitution-1.2505488. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
Shabogesic, Joan McLeod, and Genevieve Couchie. "Nipissing (Nbisiing) First Nation." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2 Sept. 2022, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/nipissing-nbisiing-first-nation. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.