Georgina Island is an island located in southern Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and the largest island on Lake Simcoe

Lake Simcoe

Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...

. The island is inhabited by Ojibwa

Ojibwa

The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...

 people which began a sequence of relocations to different lands over an 80-year period which began in the 18th century and early 19th century. Before the completion of the Trent Severn Waterway, the water level on Lake Simcoe was quite low, enabling residents to cross in wagons or walk in ankle-deep water to the mainland. However when it was completed, the water table increased by several feet.

Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 stayed on Strawberry Island for four days just before World Youth Day 2002

World Youth Day 2002

The 17th World Youth Day 2002 was a Catholic youth festival held from July 23 to July 28, 2002 in Toronto, Canada. World Youth Day is a celebration of faith begun by Pope John Paul II held on an international level every two to three years, and WYD2002 was the tenth such event. It was also Pope...

 in Toronto.

Settlement

The Ojibwas residing along the Lake Simcoe region were of two groups. Led by William Yellowhead and Joseph Snake they occupied an area in the most southern area of Simcoe County. A third group led by John Aisance occupied an area of Kempenfelt Bay, with the creation of the Coldwater and Narrows Reserve, located between Lake Couchiching

Lake Couchiching

Lake Couchiching, from the Ojibwe gojijiing meaning "inlet", is a small lake in Central Ontario separated from Lake Simcoe by a narrow channel. The Trent-Severn Waterway enters Lake Simcoe by the Talbot River and exits this lake by the Severn River which empties into Georgian Bay...

, and the Severn River

Severn River (central Ontario)

The Severn River is a river in central Ontario, Canada. Its headwaters are located at the north end of Lake Couchiching. It drains Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe...

. Yellowhead and Snake primarily settled at the Narrows, while Aisance and his people settled at Coldwater. During the War of Independence in 1776, Europeans began to strategically engage in relationship with the Native people for purposes of defense and of British North America. The role of the colonial government had a significant impact on the people, enforcing a policy to enroll the people and grow dependent on the crown. The influence of this policy resulted in repeated promises of protection, food, clothing, lodgings and general welfare of the people. The transformation from a strong and independent people to one of complete dependence for the most part resulted.The area between Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

, Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...

 and Lake Simcoe

Lake Simcoe

Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...

 represented a region of prime military vulnerability and defense for Upper Canada. This region was not only occupied by the Lake Simcoe Indians, but also the people under the leadership of Joseph Brant of the Six Nations.Six Nations is Located in the town of Ohsweken, Ontario

Ohsweken, Ontario

Ohsweken, , is a village on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Approximately 300 of the 2,700 homes on the reserve are in Ohsweken, and it is the site of the reserve governmental and administrative offices...

. With fear that the Six Nations and the Chippewas would unite and become a threat, deliberate attempts were made to sabotage any attempts of interaction between the two groups that took place.The separation prevented an alliance between the Ojibwas and the Six Nations tribe and it further promoted the dependence on the Colonial government. Government efforts to obtain the Ojibwa land was accomplished in exchange a treaty was written and resulted in the surrender of the a portion of what is now Simcoe County.