Description
Nipissing First Nation (Ojibwe: Niipsing, meaning place of the elms) 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 Nipissing controlled trade routes that became increasingly desirable during the early French colonial period, as the French proved a large, lucrative market for the inland pelts, exporting many to Europe. The Iroquois, based south of Lake Ontario, conducted military campaigns against the competing Huron and Nipissing in the competition for furs.
Language
Anishinaabemwin is our official language, and English is a secondary language.
Culture
The Nipissing nation is structured around families and clans and each clan is subdivided along family lines. They govern independently but at the same time cooperatively, as part of Nipissing Nation as a whole. They respect a person's right to decide individual paths. The Nbisiing have conducted ceremonies for the preparation of these medicines, such as by the Midewiwin. These ceremonies may have led early French missionaries and Huron-Wendat people to erroneously describe the Nbisiing as sorcerers in their accounts. The Nbisiing had a strong influence as traders. Known as the Nipissing Passageway, regional trade routes formed a junction in Nbisiing territory at Lake Nipissing.