William Yellowhead (original) (raw)

William Yellowhead, or "Musquakie" or "Misquuckkey" (Miskwaaki or Miskwaa-aki: Red-earth), as he was known in Ojibwe (other attested names include "Mayawassino" and "Waisowindebay" (Wezaawindibe: Yellow-head)) was the "head chief" of the and leader of the Deer clan of that people from 1817 until his death in 1864. He led his people in taking arms in defence of Upper Canada in the Upper Canada Rebellion, oversaw the sale of the bulk of their territory to the provincial government, and led them in their first attempts to adopt an agrarian way of life. Although the claims of several other persons have been advanced, it is generally believed (not necessarily correctly) that Musquakie is the origin of the name of the District Municipality of Muskoka.