The Saugeen River

Saugeen First Nation is an Ojibway First Nation band located along the Saugeen River and Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. The Ojibway are of the Algonquian languages family.

The Saugeen First Nation is home to Sauble Park located on the of South Sauble Beach and offers access to tour one of the most beautiful and scenic gardens in Western Ontario, the Amphitheatre & Gardens.

The Saugeen First Nation web site states that “the Ojibway heritage is rich in colour and expression. This is evident in dance, works of art and the hand-made craft creations. On the far shore of the Saugeen, the bones of warriors lie on the ancient battlefield known as “The Mound of Skulls”. The church is the site of the signing of an Indian treaty. The footpath running alongside the amphitheatre was used by long-ago hunters to travel from the top of the hill to the traditional river hunting grounds. Even today, there lies an ancient burial ground close to the parking lot.

The original historic people of Saugeen are Ojibway. They became known as Chippewa by English-speaking people who could not pronounce the word Ojibway. “Chippewas of Saugeen” is the legal name of the community.

In the early 1970s the Chippewas of Saugeen began referring to their community as a “First Nation.” Traditional territory also included all of the Saugeen River watershed. Thus, places such as Cape Croker, Goderich, Meaford, Orangeville, Owen Sound, and Tobermory are located in the traditional Saugeen First Nation Territory.

To learn more about the Saugeen First Nation visit – www.saugeenfirstnation.ca

The permanent settlement is located at the outlet of the Saugeen River in Southampton, Ontario, Canada. The Saugeen First Nation lent its name to the region and its people. It was called Zaageeng (in Ojibway), meaning “mouth of river.”