1906 Census.
Michel, Head, age 39.
Mrs. Michel, wife, age 28.
Joseph Michel, son, age 13.
Ellen Michel, daughter, age 6.
Clare Michel, son, age 4.
1911 Census.
Michael Nahwahkeekapow, No.2, Male, Head, Married, born Aug 1866, age 48.
Bella Nahwahkeekapow, Female, Wife, Married, born May 1879, age 32.
Joseph Nahwahkeekapow, Son, born Oct 1896, age 15.
Ellen Nahwahkeekapow, Daughter, born My 1901, age 10.
Elaise Nahwahkeekapow, Daughter, born Dec 1904, age 7.
Maria Nahwahkeekapow, Daughter, born May 1909, age 2.
NOTE: Family is really Nenakowekapow. Census taker made error.
1916 Census.
Michael Nakawakekapow, Head, age 53.
Bella Nakawakekapow, wife, age 35.
Marie Nakawakekapow, daughter, age 9.
Medeline Nakawakekapow, daughter, age 5.
1921 Census.
Nenakawikkapow, Head, age 58.
Bella Nenakawikkapow, Wife, age 38.
Marie Nenakawikkapow, daughter, age 18.
Madeline Nenakawikkapow, daughter, age 12.
1926 Census.
Micheal Nenakawekapow, Head, Male, Married, age 70.
Bella Nenakawekapow, Wife, Female, Married, age 42.
Mary Madeleine Nenakawekapow, Daughter, Female, Single, age 16.
Michel Nenakawekapow, died on Nov 24, 1932 at Waterhen, at the age of 70. He was born September 1862. Info from Manitoba Vital Statistics.
There would also be various documents of him, general correspondence from his band Waterhen, and then when he switched bands to Pine Creek where the Residential School was, and of which he switched back when they were grown up.
*********
A quote that I used, in reference to Indigenous women was by Gina Starblanket, in her book, "Making Space for Indigenous Feminism," she say, "The Process of "regenerating" or "revitalizing" past ways of being and relating begins with the act of remembering. It involves centring that which has been marginalized, reconstructing that which has been fragmented and communicating that which has been silenced."
I chose this quote as it speaks to me about the need for women's stories to be examined, researched, told and shared, more importantly, in this case, Indigenous women's stories. When it is told it is within us, and becomes a part of us, and it lives on. We remember. It becomes a booming voice, or a quiet voice, or a normal voice, but nonetheless it becomes a voice!
I hope some day soon to be able to go to Crane River and talk to the Moar relations and ask if they ever knew of Nahwahgeeshik or her siblings, and ask if they knew of Michel and his wife. Many reserves are interconnected, and Waterhen (Skownan) and Crane River (Ochichakosipi) are no exception. When we realize that Headman/Chief Ahyahpeetahpetung/Moar and Gabriel Nenakowekapow had children they wanted to marry each other, in the traditional old way. And the clash of the old traditional way and the new non-Indigenous way of marriage. And the roles each child had to play.
*********
Robin Jarvis Brownlie from "A Fatherly Eye: Indian Agents, Government Power, and Aboriginal Resistance in Ontario, 1918-1939," said, "Agents were required to submit a monthly diary detailing their daily activities, as well as a bewildering variety of monthly, quarterly, and annual reports." He continues on saying, "Indian Agents had two primary functions: to implement DIA (Department of Indian Affairs) policies and to keep its officials informed of conditions and developments on the reserves."
We get an idea of how much power the Indian Agent had. Any problems or issues were brought to him, and he dealt with it, by writing to Winnipeg, to his Superior, or to Ottawa, of which there is quite a bit of correspondence from the Library and Archives Canada. Also, as some of great power, there would be a lot of documentation on him, via census records, Church Registers, City Newspaper articles on him, and because he was in charge of the Manitowapah Indian Agency and its Annual Reports, there would be documents with his name attached to it.
Conclusion: It was an interesting project to find out about Nahwahgeeshik aka Mrs. Michel. I feel bad that there is not much more information on her, but she is one of our ancestors, and as we know, there does not exist a lot of documentation on female Indigenous women, unless they served a European husband, and then we might get an anglicized name with her tribe name as a surname (eg. Assiniboine, Chippewa, Iroquois, Ojibwe, Mohawk etc), as opposed to the majority of male Indigenous whose names are given, and sometimes in Fur Trading Journals of the 1600-1800's where they might list his father's name, or his brother's names and that way you have an idea of his kinship, whereas Indigenous women are non existent and you have them just as, for example, Michel's wife or Nenakowekapow's wife.
Bibliography
1. 1880 Crane River Treaty Pay Lists, T.A.R.R. (Treaty and Aboriginal Rights Research).
2. Library and Canada Archives, www.collectionscanada.gc.ca
3. 1881 Census, www.collectionscanada.gc.ca
4.1906 Census, www.automatedgenealogy.com
5. 1911 Census, www.automated genealogy.com
6. 1916 Census, www.bac-lac.gc.ca
7. 1921 Census, www.bac-lac.gc.ca
8. 1926 Census, www.bac-lac.gc.ca
9. Michel Nenakowegabow Baptism, St.Boniface Historical Society.
10. Michel Nenakowekapow Death Record, Manitoba Vital Statistic, www.vitalstats.gov.mb.ca
11. Gina Starblanket, 2017, Being Indigenous Feminists:Resurgences against Contemporary Patriarchy, Winnipeg, Mb, Fernwood Publishing.
12. Robin Jarvis Brownlie, 2003, A Fatherly Eye: Indian Agents, Government Power, and Aboriginal Resistance in Ontario, 1918-1939, Don Mills, Ontario, Oxford University Press, p. 31-32.
