Mennonites and Indians

Phil Martin
Feb 15, 2009

Mennonite settlers to Waterloo Township did not come to a land that was empty. This region was home to the Mississaugas, Ojibwa people who had lived here since midway through the 17th century.

The Mississaugas lived in large extended families that moved throughout the region in a yearly cycle of activities. The area along the Grand River near Breslau may well have served as a temporary summer village, set up for fishing and planting of corn, beans and potatoes. After fall festivals of harvest, families would have dispersed to hunting and trapping grounds deeper in the forest. Spring sap season was followed by a large gathering on the Credit River for the salmon run, pow-wows, games and celebrations. Following this, extended families moved back to their summer planting villages.

How did the Mennonite settlers interact with these aboriginal inhabitants? History is usually written by the victor. Chronicles of European settlement often speak about the taming of the wilderness by brave, hard-working farmers. This interpretative framework fails to recognize the many ways that Mennonites and other settlers benefitted from and took advantage of their aboriginal hosts.

The following is taken from an article by E. Reginald Good:

"Mennonite settlement patterns in Waterloo Township followed Indian settlement patterns. The land that Mennonites found most desirable was not necessarily the most productive. Rather, it was the easiest to cultivate because it had already been cleared by Indian inhabitants and it was the most accessible because it lay on the route of Indian roads. In the early years of European settlement Mennonites and Indians appeared to benefit mutually from contact. However, in the long term, their interests came into conflict and eventually Indians were forced to leave the vicinity of European settlements and concentrate on reserves set apart by the Indian Department for their exclusive use."

At the heart of the conflict between Indians and European settlers in this region is a divergent understanding of land use and ownership. Mennonite settlers paid for the title to their land and lived on it in a way that was right and true for them.

The Mississaugas may have thought of land more in the way that we consider air: You move through it and benefit from it, but you certainly do not own it. Their traditional way of life was disrupted by encroachments of European civilization and conceptions of exclusive land ownership.

Questions to Ponder

How did the early Mennonite settlers relate to the Indians?

Did the Mennonite farmers see the Mississaugas as friends, neighbours, competitors, enemies?

Did they trade between each other?

Did they share a meal together?

Did the Mennonite settlers realize that their culture and the culture of other European settlers threatened the way of life of the Mississaugas? Did they understand that they were part of the dominant culture, rather than being a counter - culture, as is the normal Mennonite self-understanding?

Can we understand today the perception the natives and settlers had for each back then?

Is there a way the Mennonites and other European settlers of the 19th century could have lived in this area without disrupting the way of life of local native people?

Do Mennonites bear any legal or moral responsibility for the diminishment of the Mississaugas and other first nations people of this area?

What are our perceptions of native peoples in our communities today?