View of Christian Island from Cedar Point.Ferry terminal in Cedar Point (Christian Island 30A IR) to Christian Island, with Beckwith Island on the right and Hope Island in the distance on the left.
To the east of Christian Island is Giants Tomb Island, part of Awenda Provincial Park, and Beausoleil Island, part of UNESCO's Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve (GBBR) and part of the Georgian Bay Islands National Park, consisting of 63 small islands in Georgian Bay, near Port Severn. UNESCO's Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 347,000 hectares (860,000 acres) that stretches 200 kilometres (120 miles) along Georgian Bay's eastern coast from Port Severn to the French River, and is the world's largest freshwater archipelago – known as The Thirty Thousand Islands.
Together with other First Nations in the area, the Beausoleil have filed a land claim for lands situated between Matchedash Bay at Coldwater and the narrows at Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching.[citation needed] While the Chippewa Island reserve is shared among Beausoleil and two other First Nations, the two Christian Island reserves are not.
Background
Christian Island is primarily forest. The bedrock is limestone, and the soil is mainly sand, remnants of Glacial Lake Algonquin. A prehistoric species of grass, known as Forked three-awned grass or unofficially as "Ice Age Grass," has been found on the Island. This is linked to its glacial beginnings. Forked three-awned grass is designated as a species at risk.
Originally, Christian Island was known by its Huron name Gahoendoe. The three islands were, in the 19th century, collectively known as the Christian Islands: Beckwith Island was called Faith Island, while Christian Island, which is the largest of the three, was known as Charity Island.
In 1649, thousands of Huron refugees and a few Jesuit missionaries from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons took refuge during the winter on the island during the Huron-Iroquois wars. The Jesuits called the island St. Joseph Island. With insufficient food, many of the First Nations people starved during the winter. The island's occupation by Huron Catholics and Jesuits was the basis for its name of "Christian" Island. Specifically, it was named in honour of the Canadian Martyrs.
During their brief stay, the Jesuits constructed a small fort including a stone wall, a church, living quarters, a well and a stable. The Huron camp, consisting of over 100 cabins, was also fortified in the case of a potential siege. This collection of structures was termed Sainte-Maire II by archaeologists.[1]
However, despite their attempts to clear the forest and plant crops, famine struck the group as winter descended, which historical evidence suggests, caused an outbreak of cannibalism.[2] This was followed by an attack by the Iroquois in March of 1650.[3] Facing increasingly hostile conditions, the Jesuits and most of the Huron refugees left the island and travelled to Quebec in the summer of 1650. The remaining Huron, along with the surviving remnants of the Petun, an Iroquoian group living at the base of the Niagara Escarpment near present-day Collingwood, left the island in 1651. The Petun had suffered serious losses in Iroquois raids in late 1649 and 1650. Their descendants eventually settled in the Detroit-Windsor area. Some were later forcibly resettled by U.S. authorities in Oklahoma.
Christian Island is inhabited by the Beausoleil First Nation. Their ancestors were nomadic, travelling from northern Georgian Bay and the United States around Lakes Huron and Michigan. The early Canadian government tried to assimilate First Nations peoples into the larger society. They encouraged the Beausoleil to give up their nomadic ways and settle at Coldwater in 1834-1842 as part of the Coldwater Narrows Reserve. Later the Natives were displaced to Beausoleil Island in 1842, and still later, were displaced to Christian Island in 1856, where they have remained.
The First Nation has tried various ways to generate income on the small reserve, including stocking the island with pheasants for hunting, a cattle operation, a charcoal operation, and a commercial fishery. A portion of lands are designated for cottage leasing. Today, many of the residents work on the mainland, and a growing community has sprung up on an annex of property at the Cedar Point landing. Hope and Beckwith islands are uninhabited, but are popular anchorage sites for boaters, who pay a small anchorage fee to the First Nation community.
The First Nation operates an elementary school, a health centre, and a community centre. 24-hour EMS service and a volunteer fire department operate year-round.
Lighthouse Point, featuring the oldest lighthouse (b. 1859) in Georgian Bay
A ferry service connects the mainland at Cedar Point to Christian Island. A car ferry, the Sandy Graham, travels the strait between the Point and the Island on a regular schedule. Another ferry, the Indian Maiden, carries passengers only. It is capable of breaking ice up to 6" thick. A hovercraft serves the island in case of emergency. At times of severe cold, the people build an ice road between the island and the mainland. As a result of the above average ice cover in February 2014 the ice road was opened.
Christian Island has a lighthouse that marks the southern tip of the island. It was used in the past for ships travelling from Collingwood to Penetanguishene, Midland, and Parry Sound. First lit in 1859, it is among the oldest lighthouses in Georgian Bay and one of the six Imperial Towers.[4]
Notable individuals
Rodney Monague (1942–2013), a survivor of the Canadian Indian residential school system, was the island's first chief after the departure of Indian agents in the 1960s. He served as chief for more than two decades, from the late 1960s until around 1990.[5][6]
Canadian folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot penned a song about Christian Island in 1972 (Christian Island (Georgian Bay) which includes the lyric "In the Lee of Christian Island"), alluding to the popularity of the island as a sailing area.
Shipwrecks
Christian Island is a favorite destination for scuba divers given the close proximity of a number of old shipwrecks (most going back a century or more) near Christian Island, and near the adjacent, uninhabited Hope Island. These include: Mapledawn (North West of Christian Island), steel freighter built in 1890 and sank 1924; Saucy Jim (East of Christian Island), sank 1910; gain vessel Michigan (North West of Hope Island), sank 1843; schooner Lottie Wolf (North East of Hope Island), sank 1879; and Marquette (East of Hope Island), sank 1867.
Lake Huron (in which Georgian Bay is located) is the final resting place to hundreds of other sunken vessels, many of them of great historic value. These shipwrecks are generally well preserved, owing to the cold, fresh water habitat.
Ferry controversy
On February 13, 2016, Canadian newspapers featured a story about the island's 65-year-old ferry, the M.V. Sandy Graham, which was purchased by the government in 1998. First Nations residents believe the aging ferry, the islands' lifeline, must be replaced in the very near future. "Our people have to cross day-to-day to get access to all the goods and services, as well as hospitals, medical appointments. I, in good conscience, can't continue to sail this ferry knowing that tragedy could happen out on that water," Christian Island Chief Roly Monague said, according to the Canadian Press.[7] The band council had put off regular maintenance of the ferry in an effort to ensure its replacement.
The ferry broke down again mid-summer, 2016, and after a lengthy repair period was brought back into operation in November 2016. It broke down again a few weeks later, leaving residents' cars stranded on the island or mainland. The Island's official website (on November 25, 2016) states that: "Due to a significant engine repair that is required, the M.V. Sandy Graham will be out of service for an indefinite period of time as of today. Updates will be posted as they arise but due to the damage to the engine, it will be a lengthy repair."
"The current vessel over 60 years old – it's on its last legs. It's going to break down and it's going to be gone for good. We are going to be at a standstill pretty soon if we don't come up with a solution pretty fast," Chief Mary McCue-King said at the meeting.
The new 26-30 car ferry, which will be able to break through the ice, will cost 23 million dollars plus 10 million dollars in upgrades to the dock.
"The community is prepared to partner in order to have a new ferry, and we are obviously prepared to step up and do our part. And we know the province wants to do something as well. So we are going to make this happen," Minister Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, commented after the meeting.
The Beausoleil First Nation has committed to contributing 10 million dollars to the project.[8]
Governance
In accordance with Indian Act election regulations, Beausoleil First Nation holds their general elections every two years. The June 23, 2018 election resulted in the following:
Chief: Guy Monague Chief Councillor: Joanne Sandy Councillor: Kristin Monague Councillor: Lauraine Judith Jamieson Councillor: Hank Monague Councillor: Angela Beedie Councillor: C. Susan Copegog
Guy Monague won the general election, defeating former chief Roland Monague by 33 votes. He succeeded Mary McCue-King, who was elected in 2016 but did not seek reelection. McCue-King presently serves as the executive director of the Ogemawahj Tribal Council. The newly elected Chief and Council were sworn in on July 6, 2018.
Since November 2016, Terra Sandy Roy has served as Youth Chief, with Lance Copegog as Deputy Youth Chief.
The Wyandot people are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of North America, and speakers of an Iroquoian language, Wyandot.
Manitoulin Island is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Canadian province of Ontario, in the bioregion known as Laurentia. With an area of 2,766 km2 (1,068 sq mi), it is the largest lake island in the world, large enough that it has over 100 lakes itself. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archaeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and Archaic cultures dating from 10,000 BC to 2,000 BC.
The Canadian Martyrs, also known as the North American Martyrs, were eight Jesuit missionaries from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. They were ritually tortured and killed on various dates in the mid-17th century in Canada, in what is now southern Ontario, and in upstate New York, during the warfare between the Iroquioan tribes the Mohawk and the Huron. They have subsequently been canonized and venerated as martyrs by the Catholic Church.
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To its northwest is the North Channel.
The Mississaugas are a group of First Nations peoples located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are a sub-group of the Ojibwe Nation.
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Huronia/Wendat region of Central Ontario.
Sainte-Marie among the Hurons was a French Jesuit settlement in Huronia or Wendake, the land of the Wendat, near modern Midland, Ontario, from 1639 to 1649. It was the first European settlement in what is now the province of Ontario. Eight missionaries from Sainte-Marie were martyred, and were canonized by the Catholic Church in 1930. Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1920. A reconstruction of the mission now operates as a living museum.
The Huron-Wendat Nation is an Iroquoian-speaking nation that was established in the 17th century. In the French language, used by most members of the First Nation, they are known as the Nation Huronne-Wendat. The French gave the nickname “Huron” to the Wendat, meaning “boar's head” because of the hairstyle of Huron men. Wendat (Quendat) was their confederacy name, meaning “people of the island” or "dwellers on a peninsula."
The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation are an Ojibwa people located on Georgina Island in Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. In 2008, of the First Nation's registered population of 666 people, 181 lived on, and 485 lived outside, their reserve. As of 2020, the band has a total population of 923 members. They are one of a handful of First Nations in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area.
Hope Island is the northern of three islands in south eastern Georgian Bay, of Lake Huron, in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has an elevation of 187 meters above sea level and is currently uninhabited and not presently slated for development. It was named by Henry Bayfield after he surveyed it in the 19th century. Like its neighbours, Beckwith Island and Christian Island, the uninhabited island is part of the Beausoleil First Nation.
Chippewas of Rama First Nation, also known as Chippewas of Mnjikaning and Chippewas of Rama Mnjikaning First Nation, is an Anishinaabe (Ojibway) First Nation located in the province of Ontario in Canada. The name Mnjikaning, or fully vocalized as Minjikaning, refers to the fishing weirs at Atherley Narrows between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching and it means "in/on/at or near the fence".
Beausoleil Island; Île Beausoleil; is an 8-kilometre (5.0 mi) long island in the municipality of Georgian Bay, District Municipality of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada. The island is named after Louis Beausoleil, a Métis settler whose 1819 homestead stood at the island's southern tip. The name of the island in the Huron-Wendat language is Skiondechiara which means "The land to appear floating afar". The name of the island in the Anishinaabemowin language is variously Pamedenagog, Baamidoonegog or Epenmindaagoog meaning “rocky place floating about the mouth of a river”. Located in the Thirty Thousand Islands in Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, it is the largest island in Georgian Bay Islands National Park and is the only place in the park where camping is allowed. Beausoleil Island is also part of the Georgian Bay Littoral UNESCO Biosphere reserve.
The Petun, also known as the Tobacco people or Tionontati ,(Dionnontate, Etionontate, Etionnontateronnon, Tuinontatek, Dionondadie,or Khionotaterrhonon), were an indigenous Iroquoian people of the woodlands of eastern North America. Their last known traditional homeland was south of Lake Huron's Georgian Bay, in what is today's Canadian province of Ontario
Georgina Island is the largest of the lake islands of Lake Simcoe, located in southern Ontario, Canada. The island is a Native reserve populated by the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, a band of Ojibwa people. It is also within the Town of Georgina and in the Regional Municipality of York.
Beausoleil First Nation is an Ojibwe First Nation band government located in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. The main settlement of the Beausoleil First Nation is on Christian Island, Ontario, Canada in southern Georgian Bay. As of 2018, the total number of status Native Americans registered with the First Nation is 2,587. The on-reserve population is 614.
Beckwith Island is the eastern of three islands in southeastern Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada. Beckwith Island and the attached "Little Beckwith" are part of the Beausoleil First Nation.
Nipissing First Nation is a long-standing community of Nishnaabeg peoples located along the shorelines of Lake Nipissing in northern Ontario. They are referred to by many names in European historical records, since the colonists often adopted names given to them by other nations.
The Thirty Thousand Islands are the world's largest freshwater archipelago, and are located mainly along the east side of Georgian Bay, part of the Great Lakes, in Ontario, Canada.
John Aisance was a chief among the Chippewas of Lakes Huron and Simcoe and leader of the Otter clan of that people from at least 1815 until his death in 1847. He participated in the Lake Simcoe–Lake Huron Purchase in 1815, served the provincial government during the Upper Canada Rebellion, and was the first and founding chief of the Beausoleil First Nation.
Joseph Snake was an Ojibwe chief belonging to the Chippewas of Lakes Huron and Simcoe from sometime before 1842 until his death in 1861.
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