Aamjiwnaang First Nation
The Aamjiwnaang First Nation (formerly Chippewas of Sarnia First Nation; Ojibwe: Aamjiwnaang Anishinaabek, lit. 'at the spawning stream') is an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) First Nations Band located on reserve land by the St. Clair River in Ontario, Canada, three miles south of the southern tip of Lake Huron. The reserve is located across from the United States border from Port Huron, Michigan, and is a result of treaties that were negotiated with the Crown in the 1820s. There are approximately 2,600 band members with about 900 living on the reserve. Their heritage language is Ojibwe.
The word Aamjiwnaang (am-JIN-nun) means "meeting place by the rapid water", which describes the surrounding communities.
Environmental issues
The Aamjiwnaang community has expressed concern regarding its proximity to petrochemical, polymer, and chemical plants in the area, as birth rates of their people have been documented by the American journal Environmental Health Perspectives as deviating from the normal ratio of close to 50% boys, 50% girls. The ratio as found between 1999 and 2003 by the journal was roughly 33% boys, and 67% girls, the lowest live male birth rate in Canada.
On April 25, 2024 Aamjiwnaang announced a state of emergency after preliminary data from an air pollutant monitor in the community showed elevated levels of benzene. Seven days earlier, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks issued a provincial order to nearby INEOS Styrolution, and the facility shutdown operations temporarily.
Demographics
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 648 (+1.4% from 2016) | 639 (-0.2% from 2011) | 640 (-9.3% from 2006) |
| Land area | 12.58 km2 (4.86 sq mi) | 12.57 km2 (4.85 sq mi) | 12.57 km2 (4.85 sq mi) |
| Population density | 51.5/km2 (133/sq mi) | 50.8/km2 (132/sq mi) | 50.9/km2 (132/sq mi) |
| Median age | 38.8 (M: 38.4, F: 39.2) | 38.0 (M: 36.7, F: 39.3) | 32.8 (M: 30.9, F: 36.1) |
| Private dwellings | 265 (total) | 255 (total) | 254 (total) |
| Median household income |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 494 | — |
| 1996 | 621 | +25.7% |
| 2001 | 695 | +11.9% |
| 2006 | 706 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 640 | −9.3% |
| 2016 | 639 | −0.2% |
| 2021 | 648 | +1.4% |
Notable members
- Lisa Jackson (filmmaker)
- Christopher Plain - Previous Chief
- June Simon - Band Manager
- Carolyn Nahmabin - Membership
- Fred Plain - Former President of the Union of Ontario Indians
- David D. Plain - Author of The Plains of Aamjiwnaang:Our History
See also
- Chippewas of Sarnia Band v. Canada (Attorney General)
- Environmental impact of the chemical industry in Sarnia
- Cancer Alley
- Uranium mining and the Navajo people