Native name: Ojibwe: ᒪᓂᑝᐙᓕᓐᒃ, Manidoowaaling | |
|---|---|
 Satellite image of Manitoulin Island | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Lake Huron |
| Coordinates | 45°46′N 82°12′W / 45.767°N 82.200°W |
| Area | 2,766 km2 (1,068 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 352 m (1155 ft) |
| Highest point | The Cup and Saucer |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Province | Ontario |
| District | Manitoulin District |
| Largest settlement | Little Current |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 13,255 [1] (2016) |
| Pop. density | 4.56/km2 (11.81/sq mi) |
Manitoulin Island (/ˌmænəˈtuːlɪn/ MAN-ə-TOO-lin) is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Canadian province of Ontario, in the bioregion known as Laurentia. With an area of 2,766 km2 (1,068 sq mi), it is the largest lake island in the world, large enough that it has over 100 lakes itself. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archaeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and Archaic cultures dating from 10,000 BC to 2,000 BC.[2]
The current name of the island is the English version, via French, of the Ottawa or Ojibwe name Manidoowaaling (ᒪᓂᑝᐙᓕᓐᒃ),[3] which means "cave of the spirit". It was named for an underwater cave where a powerful spirit is said to live.[4] By the 19th century, the Odawa "l" was pronounced as "n". The same word with a newer pronunciation is used for the town Manitowaning (19th-century Odawa "Manidoowaaning"), which is located on Manitoulin Island near the underwater cave where legend has it that the spirit dwells. The modern Odawa name for Manitoulin Island is Mnidoo Mnis, meaning "Spirit Island".[5]
Manitoulin Island contains a number of lakes of its own. In order of size, its three most prominent lakes are Lake Manitou, Lake Kagawong and Lake Mindemoya. These three lakes in turn have islands within them, the largest of these being Lake Mindemoya's 33-hectare (82-acre) Treasure Island, located in the centre of Mindemoya.
The island is the site of the administrative office of the band government of the Sheshegwaning First Nation.[6][failed verification]
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Manitoulin, District [Census division], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". 8 February 2017.
- ^ Lee, Thomas E. (1954). "The First Sheguiandah Expedition, Manitoulin Island, Ontario", American Antiquity 20:2, p. 101, accessed 13 Apr 2010
- ^ Pentland, David (1978). Cowan, W. (ed.). Papers of the Ninth Algonquian Conference. Ottawa: Carleton University.
- ^ Smith, Theresa (1995). The Island of the Anishnaabeg: Thunderers and Water Monsters in the Traditional Ojibwe Life-World. University of Idaho Press. pp. 135, 185 inter alia. ISBN 9780893011710.
- ^ Valentine, Randolph (2001). A Nishnaabemwin Reference Grammar. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9780802083890.
- ^ "Sheshegwaning First Nation". sheshegwaning.org.