Mississauga Portraits

"Mississauga Portraits is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Through a detailed examination of individual lives, Donald B. Smith is able to address the big questions of Aboriginal treaty and land rights, government relations, and cultural encounter. This book sheds considerable light on a complex and important period in Canadian history. Each biography is a little gem, illustrating a variety of responses by quite different individuals to the challenges of colonization and historical change." -- Kerry Abel, Department of History, Carleton University "Mississauga Portraits proves that Donald B. Smith is not only one of Canada's most respected contemporary historians but someone who has dedicated his long career to bringing the Aboriginal voice to the forefront of Canadian history. This book breaks stereotypes and shows that Aboriginal people have long been some of Canada's most eloquent speakers and complex personalities." -- Armand Garnet Ruffo, Department of English Language and Literature, Carleton University "Donald B. Smith stitches together the compelling stories of eight Mississauga individuals who dealt with loss, sacrifice, and achievement while struggling with divided loyalties of love, spirituality, politics, and community. Smith's historical analysis should be read by anyone interested in understanding contemporary land claim settlements." -- Dr. Dean M. Jacobs, Walpole Island Heritage Centre "I have been eagerly awaiting Mississauga Portraits. This timely and valuable book demonstrates longstanding resistance to injustice which is reflective of modern day issues facing First Nations people, and shines a spotlight on Anishinaabe chiefs, missionaries, women, and entrepreneurs who deserve to be known by every Anishinaabe and every Canadian." -- Alan Corbiere, Anishinaabe Historian, M'Chigeeng First Nation

Donald B. Smith’s Mississauga Portraits recreates the lives of eight Ojibwe who lived during this period – all of whom are historically important and interesting figures, and seven of whom have never before received full biographical treatment.

The word “Mississauga” is the name British Canadian settlers used for the Ojibwe on the north of Lake Ontario – now the most urbanized region in what is now Canada. The Ojibwe of this area in the early and mid-nineteenth century lived through a time of considerable threat to the survival of the First Nations, as they lost much of their autonomy, and almost all of their traditional territory.

Donald B. Smith’s Mississauga Portraits recreates the lives of eight Ojibwe who lived during this period – all of whom are historically important and interesting figures, and seven of whom have never before received full biographical treatment. Each portrait is based on research drawn from an extensive collection of writings and recorded speeches by southern Ontario Ojibwe themselves, along with secondary sources. These documents – uncovered over the 40 years that Smith has spent researching and writing about the Ojibwe – represent the richest source of personal First Nations writing in Canada from the mid-nineteenth century.

Mississauga Portraits is a sequel to Smith’s immensely popular Sacred Feathers, which provided a detailed biography of Mississauga chief and Methodist minister Peter Jones (1802–1856). The first chapter in Mississauga Portraits on Jones tightly links the two books, which together give readers a vivid composite picture of life in mid-nineteenth-century Aboriginal Canada.