Artifact 2: Queen Victoria's Coronation Medal.

In 1854, the Imperial Declaration made in 1847, confirming Anishinabeg ownership of the Saugeen Peninsula, was violated. The British pressured the Anishinabeg to give up three quarters of their remaining land base. In addition, because Catherine married an Englishman, William Sutton, she was no longer considered an “Indian.” Having become a Methodist class leader in her youth, which developed her leadership skills, Catherine, while pregnant, set out to visit England to meet the Queen.

This medal, a commemorative item from Queen Victoria’s coronation in 1838, was likely given to Catherine when she visited the Queen. It signifies Catherine's strength and willpower for having travelled to England almost on her own. Catherine received support from Quakers, members of the Religious Society of Friends, but she was the sole figure who went to represent her people. In the end, no Indian status and no land was given back to the Anishinabeg. It can be said that the medal being in her possession marked Catherine’s never ending disputes with British settlers, as she continued to fight for First Nations rights even after her unsuccessful attempt, even challenging those who disapproved of her persistence.

Bibliography:

Smith, Donald B. 2013. Nahnebahnwequay (Upright Woman), known to her friends as “Nahnee” (1824-1865). In Mississauga Portraits: Ojibwe Voices from Nineteenth-Century Canada. University of Toronto Press. De Gruyter Association of Canadian University Presses.