All it takes is a 3 hour drive from the 401 Hwy in Toronto or 3 hour drive from Ottawa, but enter the Near North region and you will feel like you are a million miles away.  From the magic of the northern lights at night to the sunny skies that smile back at you, you will see that the land hasn't changed but you will be changed forever. 

Legends

The Ontario's Near North abounds in legends, handed down over the centuries by the First Nations.

History and Names

In 1615 Samuel de Champlain found a group of Ojibwa Indians settled near a large lake. They were called "Nipissings" meaning 'at the lake' or 'little water'. The Lake was Lake Nipissing and most of the natives lived on the north shore of the lake, later to be called North Bay.

Magic Sorcerers and Omens

The Nipissings    name in the Iroquois language means 'sorcerers'. They were said to have special powers, to talk to spirits, interpret dreams and cast magical spells. They also believed in omens. To see a raven do a somersault in the air was a good omen for hunting. To predict a successful hunt was to place the kneecap of a bear on a hot rock and watch the way it 'jumped'. It was also considered good luck to find the nest of a blue jay, but very bad to take the eggs.

Perhaps the best magic the Nipissings had was their answer to the common cold among children: they filled a little ring of willows with netting and placed it on the child's breast or on the cradle bow.

Curse of the Manitous

Legend has it that a beautiful Indian Maiden called Snow Bird ran away with an Iroquois brave because her tribe forbade them to marry. The couple were pursued, caught and dragged back to the Manitous. The young brave was burned at the stake and Snow Bird was forced to watch. Some say you can still hear the cries of the dying maiden as she leaped into the flames to join her lover.

Deserted and Haunted?

Whether the islands are in fact haunted remains to be seen but efforts to mine uranium in the 1950's and attempts to develop cottages on the sand beaches of the Great Manitous were all unsuccessful. As long as no one lives there, they say the curse of the Manitous will live on, one of the legends of Nipissing.

"When the days grow their longest, the elders reveal to the small ones the way to the fire eating" 

Magic Stay

You will want to learn more about this magical place.  Ontario's Near North Resorts Guide can help you plan your stay whether it be long or short.