The frustration of the Indians at Wikwemikong [eastern Manitoulin Island] only increased their resolve to operate their own ban government independent of any interference on the part of the colonial government. By the spring of 1866, however, the Canadian government was no longer willing to accommodate such independence. A proclamation was issued declaring that the laws of the province of Canada applied to all of Manitoulin island. And the government enforced its jurisdiction in Wikwemikong. By the eve of Confederation [Canadian Confederation happened on July 1, 1867], as a result of the concerted efforts of Indian Department officials, the autonomy of Indian communities in Upper Canada had been dramatically undermined and Native people had been cajoled and coerced to acquiesce in the authority of the local legislative assembly. --Old Ontario: Essays in Honour of JMS Careless, pp. 167-168
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 17:39:28 +0000
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