Nipissing Country
Nipissing (emphasis on the first syllable) is the only constituent of the Upper Country to come from a tribal territory, which is centered on the tribe's eponymous lake. In most of the Upper Country, clear boundaries between tribes ceased to exist after the wars of the 1640s, when most of the nations were scattered and people relocated to mixt settlements.
The Nipissing people, a small Anishinaabe tribe mostly living on or near the lakeshore, were victims of this same displacement: Iroquois raids during the Beaver Wars led them to abandon their villages and flee to the west. But so strong was the connection between people and place that the Nipissing soon returned to the same sites and occupied the land around the lake once again. In subsequent years, some Catholic converts moved to a settlement in Oka, Canada, but the bulk of the nation stayed in place.
That place was highly strategic. During the days of the canoe trade, the chief route between the Upper Country and Canada was not through the lower Great Lakes. Instead, traders paddled from Lake Huron up the French River, crossed Lake Nipissing, portaged to the Mattawa, and headed down the Ottawa River to Montreal. The portage, the lake, and much of the French River lay in Nipissing territory, giving them a great deal of power in the fur trade that sustained New France. The French early on partnered with them, and they remained firm members of the French alliance ever after. The relationship benefited both parties.
But commanding such a desirable spot could be a curse as well as a blessing. Nipissing Country was subject to raids not just from the Iroquois, but from other peoples from even further away; even the Cherokee are known to have attacked at least once. The founding of Fort Detroit in the 18th century helped the Nipissing people by providing a source of arms and military aid. In the early 19th century, the English invaded and occupied much of the country as part of their campaign in Lakes Huron and Michigan. After the war it returned to the French Alliance in the Upper Country. In the French Empire period its borders were extended to the mouth of the French River, and the small indigenous communities along it were united with the tribe.
The peace that followed the wars launched a new era of rising population, canals, sail, and steam in the Great Lakes. It took a long time for the canoe trade to completely die off, but by around 1875 the trade route that had driven the economy of the Nipissing Country had fallen into disuse. Logging came next. The dynamics of the timber industry, the influx of newcomers, and especially the coming of the railroad finally pushed Nipissing to adopt a modern bureaucratic government and be integrated into the Upper Country state.
Until that point, Nipissing Country had been considered a dependent area rather than a full constituent. Even after the turn of the 20th century, it kept a special status, being allowed to keep some autonomy and some of the traditions of tribal government at a time when the Upper Country's government was becoming much more centralized. European crops also allowed agriculture to expand here, and the hunting and fishing lifestyle of the Anishinaabe people gave way to farming, though of course the traditional activities remained culturally very important.
Today, Nipissing Country is known for its distinct culture and identity despite being something of a backwater. A dialect of Anishinaabe is still its main language. The capital town, also called Nipissing, is on the northern shore of the lake. The economy rests on a small but diverse base of agriculture, mining, logging, and tourism. Since all of the Upper Country's constituents have been given more autonomy in recent years, Nipissing's government does not stand out quite as much anymore, but its tribal customs, including its hereditary chiefship, do set it apart.
The country flag is shown here. The deer is the symbol of the Nipissing tribe, while red represents the sacred fire.
The Nipissing people, a small Anishinaabe tribe mostly living on or near the lakeshore, were victims of this same displacement: Iroquois raids during the Beaver Wars led them to abandon their villages and flee to the west. But so strong was the connection between people and place that the Nipissing soon returned to the same sites and occupied the land around the lake once again. In subsequent years, some Catholic converts moved to a settlement in Oka, Canada, but the bulk of the nation stayed in place.
That place was highly strategic. During the days of the canoe trade, the chief route between the Upper Country and Canada was not through the lower Great Lakes. Instead, traders paddled from Lake Huron up the French River, crossed Lake Nipissing, portaged to the Mattawa, and headed down the Ottawa River to Montreal. The portage, the lake, and much of the French River lay in Nipissing territory, giving them a great deal of power in the fur trade that sustained New France. The French early on partnered with them, and they remained firm members of the French alliance ever after. The relationship benefited both parties.
But commanding such a desirable spot could be a curse as well as a blessing. Nipissing Country was subject to raids not just from the Iroquois, but from other peoples from even further away; even the Cherokee are known to have attacked at least once. The founding of Fort Detroit in the 18th century helped the Nipissing people by providing a source of arms and military aid. In the early 19th century, the English invaded and occupied much of the country as part of their campaign in Lakes Huron and Michigan. After the war it returned to the French Alliance in the Upper Country. In the French Empire period its borders were extended to the mouth of the French River, and the small indigenous communities along it were united with the tribe.
The peace that followed the wars launched a new era of rising population, canals, sail, and steam in the Great Lakes. It took a long time for the canoe trade to completely die off, but by around 1875 the trade route that had driven the economy of the Nipissing Country had fallen into disuse. Logging came next. The dynamics of the timber industry, the influx of newcomers, and especially the coming of the railroad finally pushed Nipissing to adopt a modern bureaucratic government and be integrated into the Upper Country state.
Until that point, Nipissing Country had been considered a dependent area rather than a full constituent. Even after the turn of the 20th century, it kept a special status, being allowed to keep some autonomy and some of the traditions of tribal government at a time when the Upper Country's government was becoming much more centralized. European crops also allowed agriculture to expand here, and the hunting and fishing lifestyle of the Anishinaabe people gave way to farming, though of course the traditional activities remained culturally very important.
Today, Nipissing Country is known for its distinct culture and identity despite being something of a backwater. A dialect of Anishinaabe is still its main language. The capital town, also called Nipissing, is on the northern shore of the lake. The economy rests on a small but diverse base of agriculture, mining, logging, and tourism. Since all of the Upper Country's constituents have been given more autonomy in recent years, Nipissing's government does not stand out quite as much anymore, but its tribal customs, including its hereditary chiefship, do set it apart.
The country flag is shown here. The deer is the symbol of the Nipissing tribe, while red represents the sacred fire.