National Indigenous History Month

8 Indigenous Experiences to Discover in North Bay: A Guide to Exploring Local Culture 

By Bonnie Schiedel for Northern Ontario Travel Magazine. Bonnie Schiedel is an award-winning freelance writer and editor for print and web.

The rugged lands and waters in and around North Bay, Ontario have a vibrant history as the ancestral home of First Nations peoples. Nipissing First Nation peoples are of Ojibwe and Algonquin descent and known as the N’bisiing Anishinaabeg, while the Dokis First Nation members are of Ojibwe descent. Indigenous people have lived here for upwards of 10,000 years, and for many generations, the area has been a hub of trails and canoe routes through the region’s vast boreal forest and many lakes and rivers, with opportunities for agriculture, hunting, fishing and trading. Today, there are over 8,000 urban Indigenous residents of North Bay and you can discover that Indigenous heritage through a variety of experiences in the city and neighbouring communities like Nipissing First Nation, Dokis First Nation, and Temagami First Nation.