Indigenous History

This region was populated by the largest group of indigenous people known as the Algonquins before the white man arrived.

Archaeological information indicates that Algonquin people have lived in the Ottawa Valley for at least 8,000 years before the Europeans arrived in North America.

But there was also the Hurons and Iroquois in the south, the Cree in the north and the Ojibway in the west. They were a semi-nomadic tribe who lived from Lake Temiskaming into Algonquin Park and along the Mattawa and Amable Dufond rivers. They used the Mattawa River as an important transportation corridor for many centuries. They were not a very large tribe because many were scattered through this area. They came to fish, hunt, and trap. Many settled in this area after the arrival of the white man.

The Mattawa Museum exhibits many recreated artifacts like tools and weapons by local artisans depicting their way of life.

Canoe

Related Articles

Doug Mackey, 28:October 20,2000 – A Moose Hunting Adventure of Long Ago
Doug Mackey, 52:June 8, 2001 – Amable du Fond lived in area which carries his name
Doug Mackey, 142:July 4, 2003 – Notes On First Nations in Mattawa
Doug Mackey, 238:January 27, 2006 – Paddling Your Own Canoe – A Midwinter Night’s Dream


Related Websites

Algonquins of Ontario

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