$275.00 CAD
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Purchase of a 100-acre parcel of Ojibwa and Ottawa Indian land In Howland Township, Manitoulin Island, part of the federal Indian Lands & Timber Branch system. Indian land patents were administered, recorded, and registered by federal officials.
CANADA
George the Fifth…Whereas the lands hereinafter described are part and parcel of those set apart for the use of the Ojibwa and Ottawa Indians of Manitoulin island AND WHEREAS We have thought fit to authorize the sale and disposal of the Lands hereinafter mentioned, in order that the proceeds be applied to the benefit, support and advantage of the said Indians in such as manner as We be please to direct from time to time: AND WHEREAS
Hugh Molynam Dignam of the city of Toronto, in the province of Ontario, in our Dominion of Canada, coal dealer hath….
…in consideration of the said sum of fifty dollars by him…to our Superintendent General of Indian Affairs…Parcel or Tract of Land, situate, lying and being in the Township of Howland, in the District of Manitoulin…
…One Hundred Acres…Composed of Lot Twenty Nine, in the first concessions, in the aforesaid township of Howland…
…Twenty Sixth day of April the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-nine, and in the Nineteenth year of our reign
___ deputy governor
----- under-Secretary of State
----- acting Deputy of the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs
----- Registrar of Indian Land Patents
Appears to be signed by...
K. K. Kerr Deputy Governor, Bank of Canada / Bank of Montreal (context‑dependent) In Ontario land transactions involving “Indian lands” in the 1920s, the Deputy Governor title almost always refers to a senior officer of the Bank of Montreal, because the Bank of Montreal acted as the Government of Canada’s fiscal agent before the Bank of Canada existed (the Bank of Canada was created in 1934).
J. A. (or J. H.) McLean Registrar, Indian Lands Patents Branch, Department of Indian Affair
O. S. Tollefson (Oscar Skelton Tollefson, Under‑Secretary of State for Canada)
Served: late 1920s–early 1930s
Nice red sale, King on throne
Printed on thick paper, folded.
17 ¼ x 21 ½ cm
Manitoulin Island—Mnidoo Mnising in Anishinaabemowin—has long been home to Anishinaabe peoples, especially:
Ojibwe (Ojibwe / Ojibwa / Anishinaabe)
One of the largest Indigenous nations in North America.
Strong presence on Manitoulin Island for centuries.
Known for rich traditions in governance, storytelling, and land stewardship.
Several First Nations on the island are primarily Ojibwe.
Odawa (Ottawa)
Closely related to the Ojibwe and Potawatomi.
Historically known as traders (“Odawa” relates to the word to trade).
Many Odawa families and communities lived on and around Manitoulin Island.
Often part of the Three Fires Confederacy: Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi.
Crown land patents are legal instruments issued when a territory in the Crown’s possession, such as a First Nations reserve, is divided and sold to a private individual or corporation. In Canada, First Nations reserves are considered to be federal Crown lands because they are owned by and are in trust to the Crown. The Library and Archives Canada holds a number of the Indian land sale patents issued since 1763, though most of these records are still held in provincial archives. Until 1845, the provincial secretaries for Upper and Lower Canada issued Indian land patents under the province’s Great Seal. Following the 1840 Act of Union between Upper and Lower Canada, the Office of the Registrar General was established for the united Province of Canada, assuming the responsibilities formerly held by the provincial secretaries. By the time of Confederation in 1867, the provinces had become responsible for most Crown land sales, with the exception of lands held in trust for First Nations reserves, which fell under the authority of the federal government. The newly created federal Office of the Registrar General became responsible for issuing Indian land patents across Canada. By 1886, this responsibility had been transferred to the Department of Indian Affairs, which retained the function until 1951. Since then, Indian land patents have been the responsibility of the Registrar General of Canada, though it should be noted that the last Indian land patent was issued in 1990.
