We Are All Treaty People: Indigenous Treaty Territories in Northeastern Ontario

The region now known as Northeastern Ontario is a place of deep Indigenous presence, shaped - and continuing to be shaped - by the Nations who have called it home since time immemorial. Stretching from the shores of Lake Nipissing to the James Bay coast and across Manitoulin Island, the region encompasses several treaty territories, including the Robinson-Huron Treaty, Treaty 9, the Williams Treaties, and Treaties 45 & 94, as well as unceded Algonquin Anishnaabeg territory. Understanding these territories is part of understanding Northeastern Ontario itself.

We Are All Treaty People

What would a weekend up north be like without a canoe? Or maple syrup on your pancakes? Or knowing which berries you can enjoy eating? Or the names and paths of rivers and lakes, the fish in them, and all our relations who make their homes in and on this land? For these beautiful gifts - and so many more - of knowledge, culture, medicine, and tradition we, as settlers in this territory, give thanks.

Discover whose territory you are travelling on, and learn what you can do as a visitor to support that nation.

The region known as Northeastern Ontario is located over several treaty territories and unceded territories, including:

Robinson-Huron Treaty territory and the traditional territory of the Atikameksheng Anishnaabeg and Nipissing First Nation Anishinaabe. Current communities in the area include Kirkland Lake, Temagami and Nipissing First Nations, and North Bay.

Williams Treaties, which stretch from Lake Ontario to Lake Nipissing. The geography of these Treaties overlaps with several previous treaties.

Treaty 9 (James Bay Treaty) territory and the traditional territory of Cree, Moose Cree, Ojibwe, Chippewa, Oji-Cree, Mushkegowuk (Cree) and Algonquin. Current communities in the area include over 14 First Nations, Moosonee, and Kapuskasing.

The unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg. Communities in the area include Mattawa and Temiskaming.

Treaty 45 (Manitoulin Island Treaty, 1836) covers the traditional territory of the Odawa and Ojibwe of Mnidoo Mnising (Manitoulin Island). Signed in August 1836 between 16 leaders of the Odawa and Ojibwe and the British Crown, Treaty 45 converted the entirety of Manitoulin Island into land intended for Indigenous peoples. This area is adjacent to the Wiikwemikoong Unceded Territory. 

Treaty 94 (Manitoulin Island Treaty, 1862) covers the same territory of Mnidoo Mnising and was negotiated 26 years after Treaty 45. Signed on October 6, 1862, Treaty 94 opened Manitoulin Island for settlement and resource extraction, resulting in the reduction of the available Indigenous land to five much smaller, separate communities. The people residing on the eastern peninsula refused to participate in the treaty process, which is why Wiikwemikoong lands remain unceded to this day. Current First Nations in this area include M'Chigeeng and Aundeck Omni Kaning.

We recognize and deeply appreciate the historic connection of these Nations to this place. We also are thankful for the ingenuity of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous peoples in the shaping and strengthening of this region.

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