Joseph Snake facts for kids

Joseph Snake was an important Ojibwe chief. He led a group of the Chippewas of Lakes Huron and Simcoe from before 1842 until he passed away in 1861.

The Ojibwe people had given up most of their land west of Lake Simcoe to the government of Upper Canada in 1815 and 1818. This was part of agreements known as the Lake Simcoe–Lake Huron Purchase and the Lake Simcoe–Nottawasaga Purchase.

In 1828, many Ojibwe people became Methodists. In 1830, the Lieutenant Governor, John Colborne, convinced them to settle down. They moved into special villages built at Coldwater and Atherley Narrows. These places were located between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching. At the same time, Colborne set aside three islands in Lake Simcoe as a special reserve for the Ojibwe. These islands were Georgina Island, Snake Island, and Fox Island.

Changes in Leadership and Land Agreements

In 1836, a new Lieutenant Governor named Francis Bond Head took over from Colborne. This change soon ended the plan to settle the Ojibwe in the villages. Bond Head convinced the Ojibwe to leave the Narrows-Coldwater area. This land remained government property. In return, the Ojibwe were promised one-third of the money from future sales of land lots to European settlers.

In 1842, the main chiefs wrote a letter to the Governor General, Charles Bagot. The chiefs were Musquakie (also known as William Yellowhead), who was the head chief of the Narrows settlement, and John Aisance, who led the Coldwater settlement. Joseph Snake was one of the four other chiefs who signed this letter. His signature was right after Musquakie's and before Aisance's.

Protesting the Agreement

The chiefs protested that Bond Head had not fully explained the land agreement. They said it was not clear that they would not get a large payment right away. They also did not understand that they would only receive one-third of the money from the land sales.

New Homes for the Ojibwe Bands

Because of the 1836 agreement, the Ojibwe had to leave their villages at the Narrows and Coldwater. They needed to find new places to live.

Musquakie led his group, the Narrows band, to a new settlement in 1838. This new home was nearby at Rama. Aisance led his group, the Coldwater band, to Beausoleil Island in Georgian Bay in 1842.

Joseph Snake's Band

It seems that the Ojibwe who had settled on Snake Island and the other Lake Simcoe islands after 1830 stayed there. Joseph Snake became their chief. They lived by hunting and fishing, and they also did some farming.

By 1858, the government saw this "Snake Island band" as a separate community. They were different from the Rama band (now called the Chippewas of Rama First Nation) and the Beausoleil band (now the Beausoleil First Nation). However, Joseph Snake's band kept strong connections with the Rama band. A Methodist preacher from Rama would visit and minister to them. The Snake Island band is the historical group that led to the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation today.

Legacy of Chief Joseph Snake

Chief Joseph Snake passed away in 1861. A road on Georgina Island, called Chief Joseph Snake Road, was named in his honor.