Gidigaa Migizi

Gidigaa Migizi (Douglas "Doug" Williams) was an Anishinaabe Elder, professor, chief, storyteller, ceremonialist, pipe carrier and author. He is best known for his community leadership in Peterborough, Curve Lake First Nation and the wider Nishnaabeg Nation, work in the field of Indigenous studies and with Trent University, and his role in a landmark court case asserting First Nations hunting and fishing rights.

Life

Early life Doug was born in 1942 in Curve Lake First Nation. His mother was Amelia Williams and he was raised by a strong matriarchal circle, including many of his mother's sisters and her mother Adeline Taylor. He was primarily raised by his nokomis (grandmother).

Community Leadership Williams had a successful political career, serving as Chief and as a band councillor of Curve Lake First Nation for many decades.

Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg: This is our Territory In 2018, Williams penned "Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg: This is our Territory," edited by Peterborough-based singer-songwriter, novelist and activist Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. Williams wanted to write a something "born of Nishnaabeg thought, remembering, storytelling, years of transferring knowledge from generation to generation, and a long mentorship with two Elders who remembered into the 1700s". According to Williams, "Indigenous Knowledge is still not considered a valid form of knowledge in many disciplines", which has political consequences.

Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg: This is our Territory includes transcribed recordings, interviews and conversations, and previously published writing. Some chapter titles include 'Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg Creation Story', 'The Williams Treaty', 'The Construction of the Trent Severn Waterway', 'Bullfrogs', and 'Every Speck of Dust Has Been Raised By Our Feet'.

Legacy Williams died at Peterborough Regional Health Centre on July 13, 2022 at the age of 81.

In 2021, the Peterborough Historical Society honoured Williams with its Thomas H.B and Christine Symons Heritage Award for a "lifetime of preserving the oral history and traditions of the Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg, and educating students and the public, both Indigenous and settler, of this rich heritage in the greater region of Nogojiwanong – Peterborough".

Prior to his passing, Trent University awarded Williams the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award for his contributions to Trent University and to the Anishnaabeg Nation.

In November 2023, Trent University announced that their sixth College would be named Gidigaa Migizi College in his honour.