In the Mid-Eighteenth Century, the Ojibway occupied almost all of Southern Ontario. The New Credit people's ancestors themselves owned all the territory from Long Point on Lake Erie to the headwaters of the Thames, Grand, Humber and Rouge Rivers. New Credit comprises a total of 6,059 acres, the majority of this land base (4800 acres) lies within Brant County with the remaining (1200 acres) extending into the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk. This small land holding in Southern Ontario is all that remains of their once expansive property.

When the French arrived in Canada, the Ojibway were living around the shores of Lake Huron and Superior. In the Spring families joined together to fish and collect maple sugar. In the Fall they would harvest wild rice. During the Winter months the Ojibway hunted and trapped in small family units. Furs were traded with the French in exchange for European goods.

To the South lived a different group, with a different language and culture. This was the Iroquois. In the early seventeenth Century, fierce warfare raged between the two large Iroquois groups, the Hurons and the Iroquois groups, the Hurons and the Iroquois Five Nations. After routing the Hurons, the five Nations attacked the Ojibway who had sheltered many refugee Hurons. The Ojibway defeated the invaders in several battles on the Lake Superior, then on Lake Huron. By 1700, they had conquered most of Southern Ontario.

With the Ojibways defeat of the Iroquois, and the disbursement of the Hurons, the entire area was now inhabited by the Ojibway tribes. Some of the Ojibway who went South came from the Mississagi River area on the North Shore of North Channel, which is located at the head of Lake Huron. Consequently, the French and later in others termed these Indians, "Mississauga Indians". Although a majority of the Ojibways remained in the Lake Huron and Georgian Bay areas, the band from the Mississagi River began to drift towards the South East section of Upper Canada.

As the tribe traveled, they eventually came to the river where on the group continued to drift South and the other group began to follow the direction of the river flowing South East. The Mississaugas traveled along the river until they came to Lake Ontario. While they may have wandered along the shores of this lake, their favorite camping grounds were at the mouth of the river. This camp site became known as the "Indian Village".

In the 1720's the French set up a trading post at the mouth of the river, near the Indian Village. Trading with the French sometimes went on for days. If an Indian did not have enough fur to trade for whatever goods he wanted, he was allowed to take the goods on credit. The Indians traded this way and the post became known as the "Credit Trading Post". The river was the "Credit River" and the Mississauga Indians (who had been named from the Mississagi River) became known as the "Mississaugas of the River Credit Indians."

An English woman who had traveled with her husband to the Credit Trading Post published a book in which she says of the Mississauga Indians: "This might seem a hazardous arrangement, yet I have been assured by those men long engaged in the trade that for an Indian to break his debt is a thing unheard of." If, by any personal accident he should be prevented from bringing the stipulated number of beaver skins, his relatives and close friends consider their honor implicated and make up he quantity for him.

During the American Revolution, Europeans began to occupy the Mississaugas land. In the 1780's several thousand United Empire Loyalists arrived, including most of the Six Nations Confederacy (the adhesion of the Tuscaroras in 1712 made up the Six Nations).

The Mississauga embraced the Iroquois, their traditional enemies as they would brothers. In order to present a united front to the white newcomers, they elected Captain Joseph Brant, of the Six Nations as one of Chiefs. Thousands of American immigrants followed in the next two decades. Forced to sign treaties many Mississaugas retreated further north to find new hunting grounds. Hunting was becoming impossible in the South. The farmers cut the forests, wild and game declined and by 1812 farms covered the area. Towns grew up, first in the Lake front, then at the cross roads. The Mississaugas wandered over the countryside searching for fish and wild game.

By the third decade of the nineteenth century, the Mississaugas were outnumbered by more than one hundred to the one by the white settlers. They were beginning to become outcasts in their own land. Many aspects of traditional Mississauga society had changed, their religious practices, their occupations, even their dress. Yet despite this, the Mississaugas still wanted to remain Indian people.

When the white settlers began to surround the Indian Village at the River Credit, the head Chief, Joseph Sawyer called a council with his people to discuss moving to a new area.

On August 6, 1840, Chiefs Joseph Sawyer and John Jones commenced a council meeting giving priority to the decision of weather or not to move from the Indian Village. This matter was discussed for the next six years. A decision regarding their relocation was not made until the winter of 1864. By this time, John Jones had retired from council and was replaced by his nephew Reverend Peter Jones. All possible relocation sites had been investigated by Chiefs Joseph Sawyer and Peter Jones and they were found unsatisfactory. Finally they purchased lands in the Southwold for their people to relocate. In the meantime, the Six Nations Confederacy in Council remembered what the Mississaugas had done for them and decided to send a delegation to the River Credit requesting that the Mississaugas relocate to the lands in Tuscarora Township. The Confederacy offered to the Mississaugas, as a gift, 4,800 acres in Tuscarora Township.

Later on, in 1865 the Mississaugas asked for and received an additional 1,200 acres in Oneida Township. On June 15, 1903, the Mississaugas bought the 6,000 acres for the sum of $10,000.00 for the all time right of undisturbed use and occupancy of the land. The reserve as it stands today consists of lots 1 to 12 in the first and second concessions in the Township of Tuscarora in the County of Brant and Lots 1 to 6 in the first concessions of the Township of Onieda. Just recently, the band purchased an additional 59 acres bordering on Highway #6.

Approximately 266 members of the Mississaugas of the Credit Indians moved from the Indian Village in May of 1874. Some of the common names were: Sawyer, Halfday, Finger, Herkimer, King, Chechock, Sault, Laforme, and Johns. With the sale of their land at the Credit River these people were to receive money for the work they had put into the land, such as cleaning the fields, fences, houses, and any other improvements at the Indian Village, they were to begin again at the "New Credit Reserve".

The Elective System began in 1924, but there is documentation that the Mississaugas held elections for their Council as early as 1871. The Band would elect councilors and then the Councilors would elect a head Councilor or Chief from among themselves. Today, General Elections are held every two-years. A majority of eligible voters elects one Chief and seven councilors.

The Band membership is now comprised of approximately 1,375 people. Nearly two thirds of the members live off-reserve for a number of reasons including; lack of employment opportunities, an inadequate land base, and lack of available housing. Since the 1985 amendments to the Indian Act, the Band's population has increased by 25%. A vast majority of the reinstated members have stated a desire to relocate to the Reserve.

Regardless of the change over the years, the reserve has grown and prospered very well. In April of 1971 a factory was started which produced burlap insulation pads for car seats. This factory was turned into an Adult Education Resource Centre operated through Mohawk College. The local College continued to utilize classroom space on the Reserve for a number of years throughout the 1980's and 1990's.

The historic Council House was built in 1882. It presently houses the head office for the Chiefs of Ontario. The New Credit Library was also once located in the Century old building. However, the library's inventory and services escalated immensley since its humble begining in 1989 forcing a need for relocation.

In 1987-88 the Band constructed a new Administration Building to house the programs and services offered through First Nations Administration.

The New Credit United Church was built in 1852. This simple frame building was erected by local labour and was bricked in 1872. A Parsonage was built in 1851 but was torn down in November of 1977. Over the years the parsonage was used to house the circuit preachers and ordained Ministers.

There are two Elementary Schools located on the Reserve. The older school, built in 1938, houses grades one and two. It was here that the first Indian teacher, Mr. J.C. Hill taught. The newer school, which provides Kindergarden and grades three to six was completed on October 5,1965 with the grand opening being held on May 20,1966. Both schools underwent a series of renovations in the Spring of 1994.

Construction of a new 3.7 million dollar elementary school began in the Fall of 1997. The new facility will expand services to include education sevices for students from Kindergarden to grade eight. The school will also have a full size gymnasium for student and community events.

New Credit initiated steps to take over the administration of its own education in 1990, after receiving a memo from Indain and Northern Affairs Canada, stating that it would not be responsible for education administration after 1995. The July 20, 1992 signing of a Tuition Agreement between New Credit adn the Haldimand Board of Education culminated two-years investigative work by the bands Pre-Transfer Committee. The Band has now completed five full years with the Haldimand Board of Education.

The First Nation has also dramatically increased its program and services in a number of other areas. Maamwi-gnawending (Caring Together), opened its doors to community members in Febuary of 1993. The newly constructed human services building provides area residents with access to additional councilling and primary services. A Health Unit, offering increased programs and services, has also been added to the human services facility.

A new Child Care Centre was constructed and completed in late Febuary of 1994. The new facility offers expanded services and has an increase license capacity of up to 63 children from infant to preschool.

Febuary of 1994 also marketed the completion of the Band's new Industrial Building. The development is expected to provide rental income and greater employment opportunities to the First Nation and its citizens. The facility is currently being rented by the Hermoff Manufacturing Company Limited. A 20,000 square foot expansion to the Industrail Building was initiated in the summer of 1997.