Francis Assikinack (c. 18241863) was a 19th-century

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

historian. Assikinack was born on

Manitoulin Island Manitoulin Island ( ) is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, in the bioregion known as Laurentia (bioregion), Laurentia. With an area of , it is the Lake ...

. He was raised learning only

and did not learn English until after enrolling at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an independent day and boarding school for boys in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as Canada's most prestigious preparatory school, and ha ...

in 1840. His father

Jean-Baptiste Assiginack Jean-Baptiste Assiginack (c. 1768 - 3 November 1866) was an Odawa leader in the early 19th century. He was also known as "Blackbird," a literal translation of his name in the Ojibwe language, Anishinaabe language. Early life and War of 1812 As ...

was a prominent leader of the Ojibwe. Assikinack had tried to get approval to study medicine but the government did not support him in this course. Assikinack worked for the Canadian Indian department. For a time he taught school at Wikwemikong. He wrote three essays on the customs and culture of the Ojibwe.

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Assikinack, Francis 1820s births 1863 deaths Province of Canada people Canadian historians Canadian Ojibwe people 19th-century First Nations writers Ojibwe male writers 19th-century Canadian male writers 19th-century Canadian non-fiction writers