Ngo Dwe Waanigzid Anishinabe | |
| Formation | 1949 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Anishinabek Nation Head Office |
| Location | |
Membership | 39 First Nations |
Official language | Anishinabemowin (Ojibwe) |
Grand Council Chief | Reg Niganobe |
Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief (Northern Superior) | Mel Hardy |
Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief (Southeast) | James R. Marsden |
Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief (Southwest) | Chief Christopher Plain |
Key people | Marcia Trudeau-Bomberry, CEO |
Main organ | Grand Council Assembly |
| Website | www |
Formerly called | Union of Ontario Indians |
The Anishinabek Nation, also known as the Union of Ontario Indians, is a First Nations political organization representing 39 member Anishinabek Nation First Nations in Canada in the province of Ontario, Canada.[1] The organization's roots predate European contact in the 16th century, in the Council of Three Fires.[citation needed] The Union of Ontario Indians was incorporated in 1949 to serve as a political advocate and secretariat for the Anishinabek First Nations. The Anishinabek peoples speak Anishinaabemowin and Lunaape (in Munsee Delaware Nation) within the Anishinabek Nation territory in Ontario.[2] In 2017, the Council changed its identification using the name "Union of Ontario Indians" only for legally-binding agreements but for all other purposes referred to themselves as Anishinabek Nation.[2] The head office for the Union of Ontario Indians is located at Nipissing First Nation near North Bay, Ontario.
The Anishinabek Nation is guided by a Leadership Council, consisting of a Grand Council Chief, four (4) Regional Deputy Grand Council Chiefs, and Nation Councils representing four geographic regions: Southeast, Southwest, Lake Huron, and Northern Superior. In 2018, an organizational restructuring introduced four regional deputy grand council chiefs.[3][4] In 2007 the organization appointed an Anishinabek Women's Water Commission to advise on water issues and management of the Great Lakes.[5][6] As of May 2022, the current Grand Council Chief is Reg Niganobe.
In the early 21st century, there are about 60,000 citizens of the Anishinabek Nation member communities, accounting for about one-third of the total First Nations population in the province of Ontario.