The Thames River Watershed and Traditional Territory

The Upper Thames River watershed is within the traditional territory of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, and Lunaapeewak peoples, who have longstanding relationships to the land, water and region of southwestern Ontario.

The local First Nation communities of this area include Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Oneida Nation of the Thames, Munsee Delaware Nation and Delaware Nation at Moraviantown. In the region, there are eleven First Nation communities and a growing Indigenous urban population.

We value the significant historical and contemporary contributions of local and regional First Nations and all of the Original peoples of Turtle Island (North America).

The following information is excerpted from The Thames River (Deshkan Ziibi) Shared Waters Approach to Water Quality and Quantity (Thames River Clear Water Revival, 2019). Please note that this information applies to the entire Thames River watershed.

The following is what we understand to be a very general overview of the First Nations in the Thames River watershed, but is not necessarily comprehensive or definitive. The Anishinaabek People (Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Bkejwanong Walpole Island First Nation, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, and Caldwell First Nation), the Haudensaunee (Oneida Nation of the Thames), and the Wendat (Huron) have lived in the area since before Europeans arrived. Delaware Nation at Moraviantown, which is the settlement of the Lenape (Lunaapeew) People, was founded in 1792. A survey of the Caradoc Reserve in 1830 notes that approximately 160 Munsee-Delawares, another Lenape People, were living north of the Thames River.

The Anishinaabek People refer to the Thames River as Deshkan Ziibi (which means Antler River in Ojibwe / Anishnaabemowin language). The river has also been called Askunessippi (Antlered River) by the Neutrals and La Tranchée (later La Tranche, which means the Trench) by early French explorers, settlers and fur traders. In 1793, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe named the river the Thames River after the River Thames in England.

Each First Nation is distinct in terms of culture, language, religion/ spirituality and history. A brief description / overview of the local First Nations follows below.

Thirteen First Nations lived within the borders of Ontario prior to European contact:

  • the Anishinaabek People (Mississauga, Ojibway/Chippewa, Pottawotami, Algonquin, and Odawa),
  • the Mushkegowuk People (Cree),
  • the Haudenosaunee People (Mohawk, Tuscarora, Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, and Onondaga), and
  • the Huron-Wendat People.

Following European contact, the Lenni Lenape Peoples (Delaware) moved into Ontario.

Eight First Nations have traditional territory that overlaps the Thames River watershed:

  • the Lunaapew (or Lenni Lenape) People:
    • Munsee Delaware Nation, and
    • Eelünaapéewi Lahkéewiit – Delaware Nation at Moraviantown;
  • the Haudenosaunee People:
    • Oneida Nation of the Thames; and
  • the Anishinaabek People:
    • Aamjiwnaang First Nation,
    • Bkejwanong Walpole Island First Nation,
    • Chippewas of the Thames First Nation,
    • Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, and
    • Caldwell First Nation.

The watershed is covered by the following Upper Canada Treaties:

  • 1790 McKee Treaty (Treaty 2),
  • 1792 Between the Lakes Purchase and Collins Purchase (Treaty 3),
  • 1796 Chenail Écarté Treaty and London Township Treaty Purchase (Treaty 6),
  • 1819 – 1822 Long Woods Treaties (Treaties 21 and/ or 25), and
  • 1827 Huron Tract Treaty (Treaty 29).

It is important to note that Caldwell First Nation was not present when the treaties were being signed because they already had a verbal agreement in place.

Other important treaties include:

  • 1794 Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation or Jay Treaty, between Britain and the United States, which allows Indigenous people from Canada to live and work freely in the United States; and
  • 1701 Nanfan Treaty or Fort Albany Treaty, which gave the Iroquois permanent hunting rights in southwest Ontario.

Four distinct First Nations, which include the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, the Oneida Nation of the Thames, the Eelünaapéewi Lahkéewiit (Delaware Nation at Moraviantown), and the Munsee Delaware Nation, settled permanently along the banks of the Thames between the 1780s and 1840s. They have maintained a strong Indigenous presence along the river.

First Nations are organized into many different confederacies. The Three Fires Confederacy (in Anishinaabemowin: Niswi-mishkodewin) is also known as “the Council of Three Fires” or “the People of the Three Fires.” The council is a long-standing Anishinaabeg alliance of the Ojibway (or Chippewa), Odawa, and Potawatomi. In the Thames River watershed, Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Bkejwanong Walpole Island First Nation, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, and Caldwell First Nation are members of the Three Fires Confederacy.

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, meaning People of the Long House, have been called the Iroquois Confederacy by the French, and the League of Five Nations by the English. The Oneida Nation of the Thames (also known as Onyota’ a:ka, People of the Standing Stone) is a member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Their settlement is the largest concentration of Oneida people in Canada.

Munsee Delaware Nation and Eelünaapéewi Lahkéewiit (Delaware Nation at Moraviantown) are the only Lenni Lenape People in Canada, except for a few hundred residing on Six Nations near Brantford, Ontario. The Moraviantown settlement was initiated by Moravian missionaries in 1792, making it one of the earliest communities in Southwestern Ontario and one of the few Moravian missions in Canada.