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Anishinini | |
|---|---|
 Distribution of Anishinaabe peoples; the Oji-Cree are depicted by the orange band. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Canada (Ontario,Manitoba) | |
| Languages | |
| Oji-Cree,English | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ojibwe,Cree |
TheAnisininew[1] orOji-Cree are aFirst Nation in theCanadian provinces ofOntario andManitoba, residing in a band extending from theMissinaibi River region inNortheastern Ontario at the east toLake Winnipeg at the west.
The Oji-Cree people are descended from historical intermarriage between theOjibwa andCree cultures, but constitute a distinct nation.[2][3] They are considered one of the component groups ofAnishinaabe, and reside primarily in a transitional zone between traditional Ojibwa lands to their south and traditional Cree lands to their north. Historically, the Oji-Cree were identified by the British and Canadian governments as "Cree." The Oji-Cree have identified with the Cree (or more specifically, theSwampy Cree) and not with the Ojibwa located to the south of them.[citation needed] Traditionally, they were calledNoopiming-ininiwag (People in the Woods) by the Ojibwe. Oji-Cree atRound Lake First Nation were known asAjijaakoons (little cranes), due to their chief's name,Ajijaak.[citation needed] Many Oji-Cree identify by theautonymAnishinaabe orAnishinini (Original Human).
In 2024, 22 different First Nations governments from both Manitoba and Ontario officially adopted the name Anisininew to replace the term "Oji-Cree." In their declaration, they likened the division of the Anisininew nation across provincial boundaries to the building of theBerlin Wall.[4]
In 2019, several Anisininew communities banded together in a Declaration of Sovereignty,[5] establishing the offices of a cross-community Grand Chief and Grand Council and formally enshrining a commitment to the traditional teachings and traditional laws of the Anisininew people. This declaration was signed by the chiefs and councils of Garden Hill First Nation, Red Sucker Lake First Nation, St. Theresa Point First Nation, and Wasagamack First Nation as well as representatives fromCrown–Indigenous Relations and the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba.
Anishininimowin (theOji-Cree language) is more closely related toOjibwa structurally, although its literary tradition more closely resembles that ofCree.[citation needed] Anishininimowin has about 15,210 speakers according to the 2021 census.[6] Ontario Member of the Provincial ParliamentSol Mamakwa, elected in 2018, has used greetings and short phrases in Anishininimowin in theLegislative Assembly of Ontario;[7] in 2024, after changes to the standing orders and interpretation services, he gave a ten-minute speech and asking the first question in Question Period in Anishininimowin, becoming the first person to officially address the legislature in an Indigenous language and in a language other than English or French.[8]
Today, Anishininimowin is used in online learning and through community radio broadcasting.[9]
