August 16 1861 marks the date that SON was compelled to cede the 6,000 acres known as Colpoy’s Bay Reserve to the crown through Treaty 93. That land, which includes the lands now known as Oxenden, was already a tiny fraction of the original 2,000,000 acres that made up Saugeen Ojibway Nation before the crown negotiated Treaty 45 ½ in 1836 reducing SON territory to 500,000 acres in exchange for “ a commitment to forever protect you from the encroachments of the whites.

”This commitment was further eroded only 18 years later when SON was pressured into signing the 1854 - Saugeen Peninsula Treaty No. 72, Interpreted by settler governments as the surrender of the Saugeen Peninsula in exchange for reserves - certain tracts of land set aside - and proceeds from the sale of the land “…and it was “agreed that it will be highly desirable for us to make a full and complete surrender unto the Crown of that Peninsula known as the Saugeen and Owen Sound Indian Reserve, subject to certain restrictions and reservations to be hereinafter set forth.” One of these reserves was the Colpoy’s Bay Reserve.

Now, 161 years later, it is incumbent on those of us living on and enjoying the lands and waters of Saugeen Ojibway Nation to read and understand the commitments made - and broken - in these treaties in order to understand not only how we have benefitted and continue to benefit from these broken promises. We are all treaty people - we urge all non-indigenous peoples, whether they are recent or longtime occupants of these lands, to think about how we can use the privileges inherited from these treaties and broken promises to work together to repair relationships and to build together a future that honours the millenia of stewardship with and relationship to the land of the beautiful Bruce Peninsula or Saukiing Anishnabekiing

Text of Treaty No. 93 – 1861 Surrender of Colpoy’s Bay

Know all men by these presents that we, the undersigned Chiefs and principal
men of the band of Indians known as the Colpoy’s Bay Band, now residing at Colpoy’s
Bay in the County of Grey and Province of Canada, for certain good reasons us
thereunto moving, have, for ourselves as well as for every member of our said band,
ceded and by these presents do cede, relinquish, surrender and yield up to Her Most
Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria and Her successors all our right, title, interest and
claim whatsoever that we now have or may hereafter pretend to have to a certain tract
of land containing six thousand acres situate lying and being on the south-east side of
Colpoy’s Bay, in the Township of Keppel, County of Grey and Province of Canada,
which said tract of land was set apart for us and reserved to our sole use by the
Chippewa Indians of Saugeen and Owen Sound.
Now know ye that we have been moved to make the surrender above alluded to
with the view of removing from our present place of residence to join our brethren, the
Chippewas of Lakes Huron and Simcoe on Christian Island.
We do therefore with the advice and consent of our said band in council
assembled hereby surrender in trust to be sold for our benefit the aforementioned six
thousand acres of land upon the following conditions, that is to say: -
1st. The land to be sold by auction without conditions of settlement, the terms of
sale to be one-fourth of the purchase money down and the remainder in six equal
annual instalments, bearing interest at six per cent, but no timber to be cut except by
actual settlers, on the condition on which timber on Crown lands may now be cut, until
purchase money is paid up in full, and the proceeds, after deducting cost of survey, sale
and other incidental expenses, to be funded for the benefit of the Colpoy’s Bay Band of
Indians.
2nd. The value of the individual and public improvements to be required of the
purchaser at the time of sale, in order that the amount may be paid over to the Indians.
In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals with our totems at
Colpoy’s Bay this sixteenth day of August, in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.

Signed, sealed and delivered in our presence, being first read, interpreted, and
explained: -
W. R. Bartlett, S.I.A,
F.T. Wilkes, Judge, County Court, County of Grey
Joseph Jones, Chief, [L.S.]
John Smith (totem), Chief, [L.S.]
Walker Smith (totem), Councillor, [L.S.]
Warriors:
Thos. Jones (totem),
Isaac Wahbegenees (totem),
William Sahgewebe (totem),
James Barrel
Chas. Megis (totem),
Luke Snake (totem).

source: Oxenden Neighbours

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