Joseph Snake was an

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 ...

chief belonging to the Chippewas of Lakes Huron and Simcoe from sometime before 1842 until his death in 1861. Having relinquished virtually all of their territory west of Lake Simcoe to the government of

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

in the

Lake Simcoe–Lake Huron Purchase The Lake Simcoe–Lake Huron Purchase, registered as Crown Treaty Number Sixteen, was signed November 18, 1815 between the Ojibwa and the government of Upper Canada. It purchased a large portion of the lands between Lake Simcoe and Lake Huron, inc ...

of 1815 and the Lake Simcoe–Nottawasaga Purchase of 1818, these Ojibwe converted to

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

in 1828 and were persuaded by Lieutenant Governor

John Colborne Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, (16 February 1778 – 17 April 1863) was a British Army officer and colonial governor. After taking part as a junior officer in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Hollan ...

to settle permanently in 1830 in purpose-built villages at Coldwater and Atherley Narrows between Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching. At the same time, Colborne set aside

Georgina Island Georgina Island () is the largest of the lake islands of Lake Simcoe, located in southern Ontario, Canada. The island is a Native reserve populated by the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, a band of Ojibwa people. It is also within th ...

, Snake Island, and Fox Island in

Lake Simcoe Lake Simcoe is a lake in southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly within the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century, the lake was called ''Ouentir ...

as a reservation for the Ojibwe. A change of government in 1836, with

Francis Bond Head Sir Francis Bond Head, 1st Baronet KCH PC (7 December 1793 – 20 July 1875) was Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada during the rebellion of 1837. Biography Head was an officer in the corps of Royal Engineers of the British Army from 181 ...

replacing Colborne as Lieutenant Governor, soon brought this "civilising" experiment to an end. Bond Head persuaded the Ojibwe to leave the Narrows-Coldwater corridor (which remained Crown land) in return for one-third of the proceeds of the anticipated sales of lots there to future European settlers. In 1842, their leading chiefs, Musquakie (otherwise known as William Yellowhead), head chief and leader of the Narrows settlement, and John Aisance, leader of the Coldwater settlement, wrote to Governor General

Charles Bagot Sir Charles Bagot, (23 September 1781 – 19 May 1843) was a British politician, diplomat and colonial administrator. He served as ambassador to the United States, Russia, and the Netherlands. He served as the second Governor General of Cana ...

protesting that Bond Head had not fully explained this purchase agreement, and had, in particular, not made it clear that it did not involve an upfront, lump-sum payment, nor that the Ojibwe would receive only one-third of the sale proceeds. One of the four other chiefs who subscribed to this letter was Joseph Snake, whose signature occurs immediately after that of Musquakie, and before that of Aisance in the list. As a result of the 1836 agreement, the Ojibwe were obliged to abandon their villages at the Narrows and Coldwater and make homes elsewhere. Whereas Musquakie led the Narrows band to a new settlement at nearby

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

in 1838, and Aisance led the Coldwater band to

Beausoleil Island Beausoleil Island; Île Beausoleil; is an long island in the municipality of Georgian Bay, District Municipality of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada. The island is named after Louis Beausoleil, an American born Metis settler whose 1819 home ...

Georgian Bay The Georgian Bay () is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To its northwest is t ...

in 1842, it seems that the Ojibwe who had settled after 1830 on Snake Island and the other islands of Lake Simcoe remained in place with Joseph Snake as their chief. They sustained themselves by hunting and fishing, although a certain amount of farming was also taking place. By 1858 this "Snake Island band" was regarded by the government as a distinct community from the Rama band (now the

Chippewas of Rama First Nation Chippewas of Rama First Nation, also known as Chippewas of Mnjikaning and Chippewas of Rama Mnjikaning First Nation (, also alternatively Rama Anishinaabek), is an Anishinaabe (Ojibway) First Nation located in the province of Ontario in Canada ...

) and the Beausoleil band (now the

Beausoleil First Nation Beausoleil First Nation () is an Ojibwe First Nation band government located in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. The main settlement of the Beausoleil First Nation is on Christian Island, Ontario, Canada in southern Georgian Bay. As of 2018, the t ...

), but they retained close links to Rama, whose Methodist preacher ministered to them. The band was the historical antecedent of the

Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation frame, Map of York Region showing Fox, Snake, and Georgina islands. Georgina Island, Lake Simcoe, Ontario The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation () are an Ojibwa (or Anishinaabeg) people located on Georgina Island in Lake Simcoe, Onta ...

. Chief Joseph Snake died in 1861.Murray (ed.), ''Muskoka and Haliburton'', 116 Chief Joseph Snake Road on Georgina Island was named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snake, Joseph Indigenous leaders in Canada 1861 deaths Year of birth unknown Canadian Ojibwe people