Who We Are

Who We Are. . , The Mississaugas, who refer to themselves as Anishinabe, are part of the Algonkian/Algonquin culture. In 1640 Jesuits first recorded a people they referred to as the Oumisagai (Mississaugas), living near the Mississagi River on the northwestern shore of Lake Huron. By the early 1700s they had migrated to the shores of Lake Ontario. Early French and English traders came to refer to all Native peoples on the North shore of Lake Ontario as Chippewa or Ojibwa, of which the Mississaugas were a part., The name "Mississauga" is believed to mean "River of the North of Many Mouths", although a word in their Native language, "Missisakis", means "Many River Mouths". However, a large portion of the Mississaugas belonged to the Eagle Clan, which was pronounced in their language as "Ma-se-sau-gee"., By the 1720s part of the Mississauga band began to move south and west, following traditional hunting, gathering and fishing practices. The Mississaugas lived lightly on the land, leaving little trace of their presence. As the band travelled they came to a river, which they came to call "Missinihe" ("Trusting Water" - the Credit River), and they established a permanent presence here. The Mississaugas became known for their ability to swiftly carry information over long distances, and were often engaged as messengers. They were also renowned for their swift bark canoes, and their traditional territory included much of what is today Southwestern Ontario., In the early eighteenth century the Mississaugas traded furs with French traders near the mouths of the Humber, and Credit rivers. They traded for everything from buttons, shirts, weapons and ammunition to pots and pans, combs, glasses and axes. After the fall of New France in 1763, the Mississaugas became allied with the English and fought as allies of the British Crown during the American Revolution and the War of 18 12., European settlement began in this area after 1806, and steadily the Mississaugas' practice of freely traversing the land became difficult. Little was done to protect their reserve lands, and the introduction of European diseases such as smallpox and measles claimed two-thirds of their population. By the early 1820s barely 200 Mississaugas remained along the western shore of Lake Ontario., Disease, along with the decrease of the game and fish populations and the loss of traditional hunting grounds, shook their society. Many warriors, unable to provide for their families, lost their self-esteem and alcohol abuse grew. To survive, the Mississaugas turned to making baskets, brooms, wooden bowls and tools. Influenced by interaction with settlers and Christianity, many adopted new ways and a settled way of life.