Apitipi Anicinapek Vision
Preamble
We, the Apitipi Anicinapek Nation, are a prosperous and self-sufficient People, the original stewards of this land. We live in harmony with the land, water, and sky, guided by the wisdom of our Ancestors and strengthened by our unity. We combine modern practices with our traditional way of life to ensure that our Nation continues to grow, thrive, and sustain itself for generations to come.
We are passionate about working together for the good of all. Through strong collaboration and shared purpose, we have built community services and infrastructure that support healthy, productive lives for our members. From the earliest years, our children receive the teachings and education they need to grow into capable, valued members of society. We encourage entrepreneurship and maintain a diverse, sustainable economy that supports our social and economic development. In all that we do, our traditional ways and beliefs remain our foundation.
The Apitipi Anicinapek Nation holistically achieves sovereignty. We provide safety, security, and well-being for our People through self-sustaining practices that honour both our independence and our shared responsibility within the greater Algonquin Anicinapek Nation. We do this with the next seven generations in mind.
As part of the Algonquin Anicinapek, we hold the inherent right to govern ourselves, to shape our traditional, political, cultural, social, justice, and economic futures as we see fit. As responsible stewards, we govern our community lands and traditional territories with respect, care, and balance.
We govern according to our own customs, values, laws, and Anicinape legal orders, guided by the Spirit and Intent of Mino Pimatisi8in ~ the good life ~ the heart of our governing system.
Our way of governance promotes responsible and sustainable development, ensuring that our businesses and economic pursuits thrive while we protect the lands, waters, and life that sustain us.
Our Nation was created and continues to be guided by our Anicinape knowledge systems, our traditional laws, governance structures, language, health, economy, and culture as proud Apitipi Anicinapek People. We govern by our design, from our Algonquin worldview, and we do so with the memory of our Ancestors and the responsibility of our future generations always in our hearts.
We are guided by the Spirit and Intent of the Anicinape Mino Pimatisi8in, and by our Anicinape values and principles. We understand the sacred duty we hold to protect and care for our Nation, our people, our lands, our waters, and the air we breathe. We safeguard our sacred laws, traditional and cultural ways, social well-being, education, knowledge, and economic strength for the next seven generations.
As caretakers of this sacred duty, we welcome all Nations that live among us to join in our efforts to build an inclusive and respectful community. We stand for human rights, equality, and the elimination of social injustices rooted in colonialism, including those based on race, gender, religion, or language.
As the Apitipi Anicinapek Nation, we also recognize our responsibilities to the world. We honour the principles of the United Nations Charter and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), standing proudly among the Nations of the Earth as caretakers, protectors, and builders of peace.
History
Who We Are as Apitipi Anicinapek
The Apitipi Anicinapek Nation (AAN) is an Anicinapek Nation whose members have lived since time immemorial on their traditional territory with a documented archaeological presence of 8,000 years on their traditional territory (Côté et al, 2002).
AAN people were a nomadic group of hunters-gatherers and have been hunting and fishing in Northern Ontario since time immemorial. Since the earliest days of colonization their rights to occupy and use their ancient lands have been recognized (Regina v Baptises, 1978).
The AAN territory comprises the lands and waters identified by AAN where we and our Ancestors traditionally occupy and use our lands that straddle a large segment of what is now Northeastern Ontario and Northwest Quebec. The community of Apitipi Anicinapek Nation (Apitipi Anicinape Aki), a smaller component of the AAN Traditional Territory was created in 1906 through Treaty No.9, one of the historical treaties in Ontario, is situated in the District of Cochrane approximately 50 kilometers east of Matheson, Ontario and is accessible from Highway 101. The north end of the reserve land meets the south shore of Abitibi Lake. The units in the community have been built in 70 hectares of flat land adjacent to Blueberry Lake. It encompasses 19,239 acres. The north end of the reserve meets the south shore of the Abitibi Lake. AAN members speak Anicinabemo8in (Algonquin/Anicinape), cakanacimo8in (English) and/or 8emitikocimo8in (French),
Cree and Ojibway.
Anicinape
Anicinape or in plural Anicinapek is the term used to refer to itself by members of the Algonquin/Anicinape people who lives on either side of the Ottawa River and further north, around Lake Abitibi (Also known as Apitipi Lake) and the Harricana River. The members of the Ojibway people also refer to themselves as such but write it Anishinabeg. The plural of Anicinape is “Anicinapek.” Some Anicinape and Ojibway communities use Anishnaabe or Anishnaabeg or Anishinabeg (Kistabish, 2021; Inksetter, 2017; Bousquet, 2016; Saint-Arnaud, 2009; Davidson, 1926). This group is also known as the Abitibi ánicenàbi (Davidson, 1926). The Apitipi Anicinapek Nation, however, because of its historical proximity to Pikogan uses the term Anicinape/Anicinapek and it is this identifier that will be used in this document.
They also use Anishinaabeg, Anishnabe to refer to the Odjibway
Apitipi Anicinapek
Refers to the original band members belonging to Apitipi. The term Anicinapek is used to mark the plural. These were eventually separated in 1906 and were known as the Abitibi Ontario Band for the Ontario group and Abitibi Dominion Band for the Quebec group. They changed their names for Wahgoshig First Nation for the first group ( 1979)6 and the Abitibiwinni First Nation on August 16, 1979, for the latter group7 On March 27, 2022, Wahgoshig First Nation changed the community name to Apitipi Anicinapek Nation.
Apitipi Language
AAN members speak Anicinapemo8in (Algonquin Anicinape), English (cakanacimo8in) and/or French (8emitikocimo8in). Historically, the AAN people were a nomadic group of hunter-gatherers.
Band
The band which is composed of various constituent families is an organized group whose cohesion being more traditional, habitual, and social is also of political in nature. The political activities of a band concerned its relations with other bands in the country and by the resistance to the numerous invasions of certain other nations on their territory (Davidson,1926).
Family Hunting Territories
A family hunting territory is the stem ‘’anoki’’ in anicinapemo8in may correspond to ‘’wabanaki ‘’alo’ke’’ [work] hence [the working land ] (Davidson, 1926). Each family had its own family hunting territory (Cooper, 1939; Jenkins, 1939). When a man died, his land was passed on to his widow or eldest son (Davidson, 1926)
Traditional Territory
A Traditional Territory is the geographic area identified by a First Nation (modern day of saying a group of bands, a Nation) as the land they and/or their ancestors traditionally occupied and used (Wilson, 2018). The traditional Territory is comprised of several family hunting territories regrouped together that belongs to a band.
Portrait of Apitipi Anicinapek Nation
Apitipi Anicinapek Nation is part of the Anicinape Nation. It is politically affiliated with the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council in Quebec (AANTC, 2021) and the Political Territorial Organization, the Nishnawbe Aski Nation in Ontario NAN. The Band is composed of a population of 234. Lake Abitibi was the site of an important Hudson Bay Company Trading Post in the 18th Century since its closure in the mid 20th Century. The Abitibi Anicinapek historically one band, are now composed of two communities. Apitipi Anicinapek Nation (Ontario) and Pikogan (Quebec). The Hudson Bay Post mentioned above was located at a Point called Abitibi Matcite8eiak located on the Quebec side of the lake.
Origin of the Algonkians, Algonquins and Anicinapek
For several decades, the origin of the Algonquin was the subject of various interpretations, based on oral tradition, which testified to an occupation on the edge of the sea. (Frenette, 1988; Speck, 1929). Some authors have spoken of the Atlantic Ocean (Frenette, 1988; Couture, 1983; Quebec, 1984) and according to information obtained by (Day and Trigger, 1978) their occupation would be located further east in the St. Lawrence Valley before contact with Europeans.
In addition, ancient legends tell that the ancestors of the Algonkian Nations first occupied the territories located in the northwest of the continent. About 90% of them later migrated east from 1397 and occupied the territories we know today. (Frenette, 1988:33; Wake, 1894) Other research indicates that for 500 A.D. (about 1,500 years ago) the valley was occupied by a cultural complexity identified by archaeologists as Algonkian. The occupation of this generalized cultural group of Algonquians extended from Quebec to northern Saskatchewan; their material culture, and their socio-political culture, was distinct from that of the Iroquois people, Athapascan of the Plains and the Neighboring Mi’kmaq/Maliseet (Holmes, 1993, Vol. 1A: 2). The peoples identified as descendants of this Algonkian culture are the Chippewas, the Mississauga’s, the Cree’s, the Ojibway, the Algonquins Anicinapek proper, as well as the Innu (Montagnais) (Ibid, 1993, Vol. 1A: 2).
According to (Frenette, 1988) archaeological excavations conducted before 1988 show that the Anicinapek are descendants of the Indigenous groups of the Archaic Shield. A little later, during the initial Silvicultural period, new populations from the south would have come to join them to give birth to the Laurellian culture, from which comes the ceramics recently found by archaeologists (Ibid, 1988).
The Anicinapek later centered part of their occupation on the Ottawa Valley and beyond the St. Lawrence Valley. However, it is unclear when exactly this migration took place. However, when Champlain arrived in 1613, he met the Anicinapek in and around the Ottawa Valley. The Algonquin Anicinapek had already occupied and controlled these territories for over one thousand years. (Frenette, 1988; Hessel, 1987)
The Anicinapek are known through time in diverse ways from various sources. The main synonyms of the Algonquins are:
- In 1603, at Tadoussac, Champlain is said to have heard Algonquins, Montagnais and Maliseet celebrate among themselves a victory against the Iroquois. The Maliseet nicknamed the Algonquins by the term “Elagomogwik” which means they are our relatives or our allies, of whom Champlain would have transcribed “Algoumequin”. (Frenette, 1988; Day and al, 1978)
- In 1613: Algoumequin “they are our relatives or our allies” by Champlain.
- In 1632: Algonquain “they are our parents or our allies” by the Jesuits.
- In 1632: Aquannaque “nation of unknown language” by the Hurons.
: Atirotaks “tree eaters” by the Mohawks.
: Wesogonak “? ” by the Abenaki.
: Omamiwininiwak” the people of the bottom of the river” by the Nipissings
: Anicenabe “the real men” by the Algonquins
(Frenette, 1988)
Other terms were identified a little later. This time, it is at the level of the specific bands located on the upper basin of the Ottawa River.
- In 1613, at the time of the French: Kitchesipirini (Allumette/Morrison’s Island) by Champlain: Weskarini (Petite Nation, Lièvre, Rouge) by Champlain
- Kinounchepirini (Keeinoouche on the Ottawa river, downstream of the Allumette) by Champlain
- Matouweskarini (Madawaska River) by Champlain: Ottagoutowuemin (Ottawa, upstream of the Allumette) by Champlain
- In 1763 : Arundacs (Algonquins and Nipissings)_by S William Johnson (Holmes, 1993: Vol.1A)
- In 1659, known as the Outabitibek (the Abitibis) by the Jesuites
- In 1613, the Omàmiwinini (Algonquins of Ontario: Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation and al) by Champlain
(Hanewick, 2009)
Around 1760: Omamiwininiwak (The people of the downstream, that is to say of the lower Outaouais basin) in reference to the Algonquins of Lac des Deux-Montagnes by the Nipissingues (Savoie et al, 2013)
In 1872: Wana8aians “the Indians of Lake Wanawaya (Longue-Pointe) by the missionaries In 1896: Matajan “? (Longue-Pointe) ” by a missionary (Savoie et al, 2013)
