Mississauga Portraits: Ojibwe Voices from Nineteenth-Century Canada

‘Anyone with an interest in First Nations history will find this book enlightening. Smith has done a fine job of distilling material gleaned from forty years of research into primary documents recovered from various sources… As a bonus this book is well illustrated with historical photographs sprinkled throughout.’ Nelle Oosterom, Canada's History Magazine, June-July 2014

‘Mississauga Portraits is an important contribution and should be considered essential reading.’ Christopher Wright, Ontario History vol 106:01:2014

‘Mississauga Portraits is a rich history of Ojibwe peoples north of Lake Ontario…. Smith’s work demands that ethno historians grapple with the ambiguities of Anishinabek voices, and his biographical sketches set a high standard for scholars of indigenous pasts.’ Michelle Cassidy, Ethnohistory Summer 2014

‘Smith offers an engaging, nuanced mosaic of the larger Ojibwe story… He returns Ojibwe voices from the margins to the centre of their own story, without losing sight of the larger context.’

Zach Isenhower, Journal of Early Republic vol 35:01:201

‘Smith’s coverage is rich and vivid, and demonstrates the dynamism and intellectual vigour of the wider Mississauga population.’

David Stirrup, British Journal of Canadian Studies, vol 28:01:2015

‘Smith offers both academic and general readers a vivid sense of another time and its possibilities. Mississauga Portraits is a remarkable feat of scholarship by the foremost historian of the Mississaugas and an impressive testament to Indigenous agency in all of its variety.’

Victoria Freeman, Canadian Historical Review vol 96:03:2015

‘Mississauga Portraits is a remarkable feat of scholarship by the foremost historian of the Mississaugas and an impressive testament to indigenous agency in all its variety.’

Victoria Freeman, Canadian Historical Review vol 96:03:2015

“Mississauga Portraits is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Through a detailed examination of individual lives, Donald B. Smith is able to address the big questions of Aboriginal treaty and land rights, government relations, and cultural encounter.  This book sheds considerable light on a complex and important period in Canadian history.  Each biography is a little gem, illustrating a variety of responses by quite different individuals to the challenges of colonization and historical change.”

Kerry Abel, Department of History, Carleton University

“Mississauga Portraits proves that Donald B. Smith is not only one of Canada’s most respected contemporary historians but someone who has dedicated his long career to bringing the Aboriginal voice to the forefront of Canadian history. This book breaks stereotypes and shows that Aboriginal people have long been some of Canada’s most eloquent speakers and complex personalities.”

Armand Garnet Ruffo, Department of English Language and Literature, Carleton University

“Donald B. Smith stitches together the compelling stories of eight Mississauga individuals who dealt with loss, sacrifice, and achievement while struggling with divided loyalties of love, spirituality, politics, and community. Smith’s historical analysis should be read by anyone interested in understanding contemporary land claim settlements.”

Dr. Dean M. Jacobs, Walpole Island Heritage Centre

“I have been eagerly awaiting Mississauga Portraits. This timely and valuable book demonstrates longstanding resistance to injustice which is reflective of modern day issues facing First Nations people, and shines a spotlight on Anishinaabe chiefs, missionaries, women, and entrepreneurs who deserve to be known by every Anishinaabe and every Canadian.” 

Alan Corbiere, Anishinaabe Historian, M’Chigeeng First Nation