The Teme-Augama Anishnabai (from the

Anishinaabe The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawato ...

''Dimii'aagamaa Anishinaabe'', "the deep water people") is the Indigenous

community of the

Temagami First Nation The Temagami First Nation is located on Bear Island in the heart of Lake Temagami. The island is the second largest in Lake Temagami, after Temagami Island. Its community is known as Bear Island 1. Temagami First Nation (TFN) members are status ...

. The Teme-Augama Anishnabai have trapped and hunted animals in the Temagami region of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

for over 5,000 years. Bear Island on

Lake Temagami Lake Temagami, formerly spelled as Lake Timagami, is a lake in Nipissing District in northeastern Ontario, Canada, situated approximately 80 km north of North Bay. The lake's name comes from ''dimii-agamiing'' "tih-MEE-uh-guh-MEENG", which me ...

is home to the Aboriginal community.

Land claims

In 1973, The Teme-Augama Anishnabai exercised a land caution against development on the

Crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it ...

of 10,000 square kilometres-most of the Temagami area. The attorney-general of Ontario pursued legal action against the Band for this caution. The Teme-Augama Anishnabai lost this court case in 1984 and proceeded with an appeal to the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. In 1988, the

Ontario Minister of Natural Resources The Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for Ontario's provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands ...

Vince Kerrio Vincent George Kerrio (February 5, 1924 – October 30, 2009) was a businessperson and politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1975 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the governme ...

approved the expansion of the Red Squirrel logging road, directly through Anishinaabe territory. This prompted a series of roadblocks by the Teme-Augama Anishnabai and by environmentalists in 1988-1989. In 1991, the Teme-Augama Anishnabai and the

Ontario Government The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the p ...

created the Wendaban Stewardship Authority to manage the four counties near the logging road. The committee eventually dissolved. In August 1991, the Teme-Augama Anishnabai lost the land caution appeal and in 1994 eventually the caution was lifted.

Leadership

In July 2017, the Teme-Augama Anishnabai Council consisted of the following people: Chief Randy Becker, Second Chief John Turner, Councillors: Michael Paul, Tessa Hope, Melissa Turner, Mary Laronde.

Notable people

Gary Potts Gary Potts (Dec. 1, 1944 – June 3, 2020) was a chief of the Temagami First Nation and the Teme-Augama Anishnabai in Temagami, Ontario, Canada. He was chief in August 1973 when the Temagami Land Caution began with land claims being filed with t ...

, former chief. * Ignace Tonené, former chief.

Land claims

Leadership

Notable people

References

See also