Peguis (ca. 1774 – 28 September 1864) was a
Saulteaux
The Saulteaux (pronounced , or in imitation of the French pronunciation , also written Salteaux, Saulteau and Ojibwa ethnonyms, other variants), otherwise known as the Plains Ojibwe, are a First Nations in Canada, First Nations band governm ...
chief, who moved from the
Great Lakes area
The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canada, Canadian–United States, American region centered on the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York (state), New York, Ohio, ...
(near
Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie may refer to:
People
* Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, a Native American tribe in Michigan
Places
* Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
** Sault Ste. Marie (federal electoral district), a Canadian federal electora ...
, Ontario) to
Red Lake (now in
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
), then arriving in what is now southern
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
in the 1790s.
[Donna G. Sutherland, ''Peguis: A Noble Friend'', Chief Peguis Heritage Park Inc., 2003, ]
In 1817, he signed the first treaty (
Selkirk Treaty) with
Lord Selkirk, granting land along the
Red River to the
Selkirk settlers. In 1840, he was one of the early western
First Nations
First nations are indigenous settlers or bands.
First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to:
Indigenous groups
*List of Indigenous peoples
*First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
converts to Christianity and was given the baptized name William King; his children adopted the surname "Prince". He and his people had helped both the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
and the Selkirk settlers; indeed, without Peguis' help, the Selkirk settlers might well have starved.
[Lucille H. Campey, ''The Silver Chief: Lord Selkirk and the Scottish pioneers of Belfast, Baldoon and Red River'', Dundurn Press Ltd., 2003 , p.105] However, by the 1850s, he had become concerned at illegal settlement by European migrants on traditional lands. He was sometimes called Cut Nose since his nose had been injured in a fight in 1802.
His name is commemorated in the name of
Peguis First Nation
Peguis First Nation (formerly St. Peter's Band, meaning ''new reserve'') is the largest First Nations community in Manitoba, Canada, with a population of approximately 11,438 people (3,607 on reserve and 7,831 off reserve). The members of Peguis ...
,
Chief Peguis Trail (Winnipeg Route 17), and many organizations, place names, and institutions of Manitoba.
See also
*
Henry Prince, his son, signatory of
Treaty No. 1
*
Tommy Prince
Thomas George Prince, MM (October 25, 1915 – November 25, 1977) was an Indigenous Canadian war hero and the most decorated soldier in the First Special Service Force or Devil's Brigade, an elite American-Canadian commando unit, during World War ...
, his great-grandson, Canadian hero of World War II
*
William Prince, his descendant, 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriter
References
External links
''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'', retrieved August 27, 2010
{{Authority control
1770s births
1864 deaths
19th-century First Nations people
Pre-Confederation Manitoba people
Saulteaux people