Mnjikaning First Nation Cemetery, Rama Reserve Cemetery
OGS Number:
4440
Address:
Grandmother Road, Rama
Note: Entrance is off Benson Road
Directions:
Entrance is off Benson Road, about 530 m east of Rama Road, north side. Cemetery is about 200 m north of Benson Road.
Geographic Twp:
Rama Broken Front Lot 7
Condition:
Active.
Size:
Over 100 markers
Office:
Chippewas of Rama First Nation
5884 Rama Road, Suite 200
Rama, Ontario, L3V 6H6
(705) 325-3611
Publications:
Rama Reserve Cemetery
Lot 7, Front, Rama Twp, Simcoe (formerly Ontario) County
Transcribed by Gary Bagley, Lynne Webb, Donna Smith & Ted Perry, 1986
Handwritten copy available at Orillia Public Library
History:
At one time, much of the land now known as Simcoe County, was occupied by the Chippewas of Lakes Huron and Simcoe. Following the initial influx of Europeans into Upper Canada, these people agreed to settle on the Coldwater-Narrows Reserve. Around 1838-39, ongoing settlement pressures forced the band of Chief Musquakie (Yellowhead) to move from the Narrows (present day Orillia) to their present location east of Lake Couchiching. The Federal Government identified them as the Chippewas of Rama Township. In 1996, a declaration was made to use the name Mnjikaning however, following a community referendum in 2008, it was changed back to Chippewas of Rama First Nation.
At first, burials were made on Chief Island in Lake Couchiching. It is not clear when the present cemetery was established, but there is some indication it was in use by the early 20th century. Many of the earliest graves had wooden markers which have not survived.
