Tecumseh, But From an Indigenous Perspective
A look at the Shawnee warrior through the eyes of Indigenous writer Leanne Simpson
The old name, the ancient Mississauga name of Lake Ontario is Chi’Niibish.
In “Leaning In”, Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg writer, scholar, and musician Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, writes:
“Auntie told me to paddle down the river to Chi’Niibish, to turn west and paddle along the shore until I see the mist of Niagara Falls. As soon as I can see the mist, that’s the spot to lean into the lake and cross.” — This Accident of Being Lost
A solitary figure paddling down the river to Chi’ Niibish, and then along the shore until the rarefied mist of the Niagara Falls appears on the horizon. This timeless scene could have taken place two centuries ago or more, before or shortly after the coming of the Europeans.
There’s only one element that reminds us of the changes occurred in the Mississauga community in the past two centuries, and that element is the English name employed to designate the Niagara Falls.
