Chippewas of the Thames First Nation

According to Chippewas of the Thames consultation protocol called Wiindmaagewin its traditional/ancestral lands, "Traditional Anishinaabe territory in southwestern Ontario north of the Thames River includes the 2.78 million acres marked on treaty maps concerning the Longwoods (1822) and Huron (1827) tracts. In addition, south of the Thames River, traditional territory also includes the lands addressed in the McKee Treaty (1790), the London Township Treaty (1796), and the Sombra Township Treay (1796). Deshkan Ziibiing is party with other Anishinaabe nations to several of these treaties, but is the sole Anishinaabe party to the Longwoods Treaty.[2]

As recognized in these treaties, the ancestral lands of Deshkan Ziibiing thus include all the lands and waters between Lake Huron to the north and Lake Erie to the south, and stretching eastward from the eastern banks of the St. Clair and Detroit rivers to the Mississaugas of New Credit 1792 Treaty lands, a line running northwards from Point Bruce on the Erie shore, to Point Clark on the Huron shore. In addition, Deshkan Ziibiing territory extended into what are now the American states of Michigan and Ohio. Historically, we [Anishinaabek] managed portions of our territory in common with other Anishinaabe nations, and at times in partnership with the Haudenosaunee. Neverless, the lands bordering the northern bank of the Thames River have been solely in the stewardship and possession of Deshkan Ziiibiing since before the treaty era."[2]

Chippewas of the Thames First Nation Treaties, Lands and Environment Department has a Treaty Research Unit responsible for researching Chippewas of the Thames' history. All treaties, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation is signatory to, are pre-Confederation treaties. That is to say they were negotiated and signed before Canada's Confederation in 1867. While Canada's government structure has changed significantly from the early days of British colonialism to the present, a continuous political tradition can be identified. This tradition is commonly represented through the British Monarch and their representatives, often referred to as the Crown. Land claims research indicates the Crown representatives did not always properly uphold their treaty obligations. It is therefore the job of researchers to provide the historical information required to take legal action against the Crown.

Chippewa members can train to be Archaeology Field Liaison or Archaeology Monitors. The monitors learn to identify features, remains, types of chert and the tools previously used by ancestors of Chippewas of the Thames people, as well as various methods for testing and excavating archaeology sites. This training is provided by the Ontario Archaeology Society. Archaeology assessments are mandatory for developers, municipalities and other entities wanting to develop

In 1763, Chief Seckas of the Thames River brought 170 warriors to the siege of Detroit during Pontiac's uprising. The reserve was established in 1819, as part of a treaty by which the Chippewas of the Thames agreed to share 552,000 acres (2,234 km²) of land with the British for an annuity of £600 and the establishment of two reserves, of which reserve no. 42 is the larger. In 1840 the Chippewas reached an agreement with the Munsee-Delaware Nation to the allow the Munsee to live on 1 square mile near the Thames river. The Munsee portion of the reserve became part of the new Munsee-Delaware Nation No. 1 reserve in 1967.

After the Chippewas of the Thames community filed suit against Enbridge to stop its controversial pipeline through Chippewas land, in July 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada ordered the community of 3,000 to pay Enbridge's legal costs.[3]

Chippewas of the Thames First Nation is part of the Thames River watershed. Dawson Creek, Hogg Creek and Big Monday Creek are three of many creeks running into the Thames River through the community.

Chippewas of the Thames First Nation Environment Unit conducts Benthic sampling at 17 locations within the community. Benthic sampling measures the organisms (bugs) that live in the sediment in the top layer of the riverbed (also called the Benthic Zone) as an indicator of water quality. Chippewa uses the same collection protocols used at the Upper and Lower Thames Conservation Authorities which are a 3 minute 'Kick and Sweep' method, bugs preserved in 95% ethanol and samples taken to lab for identifications. The amount and type of bugs found, indicate the water quality based on the Family Biotic Index (FBI). The FBI reflects the bugs varying tolerance to water pollution. The average Benthic Water Quality Rating for Chippewas of the Thames First Nation is 5.66, this rates Chippewa's average water quality as 'Fair'.

Chippewa of the Thames First Nation has had a recycling program in place for many years. It has grown from a drop-off location to a weekly curbside recycling pick-up program. In the May 2019 Treaties, Lands & Environment Department BiAnnual Newsletter May 2019, it was reported that 97 cubic yards of landfill space was avoided, 506,110 litres of water saved, 451 trees saved and 36,268 pounds of air pollutants avoided.

Through ongoing relationship building with the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA), free parking permits to the LTVCA public conservation areas were granted to Chippewas of the Thames First Nation band members as of April 1, 2019.

Chippewas of the Thames First Nation's Chief and Council are elected officials who serve 2 year terms of office. Elections are held in July on the odd numbered years. The current elected officials are Chief Jacqueline French Councillors Kingson Huff, Kodi Chrisjohn, Warren Huff, Rawleigh Grosbeck, Darlene Whitecalf, Michelle Burch, Leland Sturgeon, Denise Beeswax and their terms of office expire on July, 2021.

In 2015, Leslee White-Eye (née Henry) was the first elected woman chief of Chippewas of the Thames First Nation. She follows Arletta Silver (née Riley) in 1953 and Starr McGahey-Albert (20xx) who were appointed the role of chief due to the elected Chief of the day being unable to fulfill his duties i.e., illness. Leslee White-Eye is the daughter of George E. Henry and Theresa E. Henry (née Deleary) both Chippewas of the Thames First Nation members. During her term she was able to finalize the community benefit agreement amendments with the City of Toronto over the Greenlane Landfill site resulting in monies held in trust since 2009 to be released in December 2016 to the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation community for their benefit. Also during her tenure, Chief White-Eye sought nation attention in the community's Supreme Court case Chippewas of the Thames First Nation vs. Enbridge et al. She was able to garner full support from Chiefs-in-Assembly resolutions from the Anishinaabek Nation/Union of Ontario Indians, Chiefs of Ontario and Assembly of First Nations to proceed with a leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. In response, to the ongoing legal proceedings Chipppewas of the Thames approved the nation's Duty to Consult Protocol, Wiindmaagewin, in 2016 which outlines the expectations the nation has regarding proponent and government relations with the nation. In addition, Chief White-Eye led the political work behind the signing of an Agreement-in-Principle with the Province of Ontario on July 20, 2017 in tobacco self-regulation on-reserve in July 2017. The self-regulatory work situates the tobacco sector on-reserve as a legitimate economic sector worthy of legislative frameworks to make it so. This is in direct opposition to the federal government's response to on-reserve un-marked tobacco sales as 'contraband' and making it a criminal act as of 2015. On July 13, 2017, Chief White-Eye was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LLD)] at Western University as an emerging leader in the region, particularly for her work to improve municipal-nation relations with the City of London.

Chippewas of the Thames First Nation administers a K-8 elementary school called Antler River Elementary, formerly known as Wiiji Nimbawiyaang Elementary (together, we are standing). Beginning in 2017-2018, an immersion program was implemented beginning in Junior Kindergarten. Each subsequent year, another grade was added. In 2019-2020, the grade 1 students would have received three years of Anishinaabemowin immersion instruction This was an extension of the Early Years language program that first began to implement a language program for its toddler program a few years earlier.

In April 2004, the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation had a registered population of 2221, of whom 876 lived on the reserve. By January 2011, the Nation had a total registered population of 2462, of whom 911 lived on the reserve.[6]

• Chippewa of the Thames First Nation's official website
• AANDC profile