Mississaugas

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The Mississaugas are a subtribe of the Ojibwa First Nations people located in Southern Ontario, Canada.

The Mississaugas was a tribe of Ojibwa people that moved from their traditional lands on the shores of Lake Superior and northern Lake Huron to the area around Mississagi River in the 1700s. From this location a smaller contingent moved southeast to an area along the Credit River, just west of modern day Toronto, Ontario before the arrival of the French in 1720. The name Mississaugas was given to them by the French. Historically, there are five First Nations that make up the Mississauga Nations. One of the largest is the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nations. Today, the Mississaugas are the following:

Mississauga First Nation - Mississagi River 8 Reserve
Mississaugas of Alnwick (historical)
- Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation - Alderville First Nation Reserve, Sugar Island 37A Reserve
Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation - New Credit 40A Reserve
Mississaugas of Rice Lake, Mud Lake and Scugog Lake (historical)
- Curve Lake First Nation (formerly: Mississaugas of Mud Lake) - Curve Lake First Nation 35 Reserve, Curve Lake 35A Reserve and Islands in the Trent Waters Indian Reserve 36A
- Mississaugas of Hiawatha First Nation - Hiawatha First Nation, Islands in the Trent Waters Indian Reserve 36A
- Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation - Mississaugas of Scugog Island Reserve, Islands in the Trent Waters Indian Reserve 36A

Starting in 1781, they made a series of land surrenders with the British Crown encompassing much of present-day southern Ontario.

The city of Mississauga is named after them. An alternate spelling of the name is Missisauga. The Mississaugas are related to the larger Ojibwa nation (also known as the Chippewa), and were called Mississauga by European settlers because they traded along the Mississagi River (at the head of Lake Huron).

As of 2005, the Mississaugas of New Credit have a population of 1,375 which makes up a small part of the Ojibwa nation of 200,000 people.