Everything about Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation totally explained
The Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (formerly the Nelson House First Nation) is a
Cree-speaking community of about 4,200
Cree centered in Nelson House,
Manitoba,
Canada. Nelson House is located about 80 km west of
Thompson and is accessible via the mixed paved and gravel
Provincial Road 391. Nisichawayasihk means
where three rivers meet in Cree and describes Nelson House which is located the convergence of the Burntwood, Footprint and Rat Rivers. About 2,500 members of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) live in Nelson House and the remaining 1,700 off the reserve lands.
NCN is governed by an elected Chief and Council. Elections are held pursuant to NCN's own democratic Election Code. The last election was held in 2006.
Until 2005, the community of South Indian Lake on the shores of Southern Indian Lake was also part of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation. In December 2005, this community of about 1,100 persons separated from the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation to form the
O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation.
History
The people of Nisichawayasihk are largely ancestral descendants of indigenous
Cree peoples who have populated the
Canadian Shield region of northern and central Canada since the retreat of the Glaciers about 10,000 years ago.
Largely left alone by the
Government of Canada during initial
colonization and settlement of Western Canada, by the late
19th century a move was made by the government to isolate and relocate members of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation to a single, pre-defined location which no European Settlers had expressed an interest in. This area was defined by the government in the agreement known as
Treaty 5, a document which established that Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation members and their descendants were guaranteed certain rights and benefits.
Hydroelectric Development and Impacts
During the
1960s and
1970s, the Government of Manitoba and Manitoba Hydro began the
Nelson River Hydroelectric Project centered on the
Churchill and
Nelson rivers. The project included the Churchill River Diversion, which directly affected Nisichawayasihk members living at Nelson House and at South Indian Lake. Consequently, large areas of traditional
hunting,
fishing and
trapping lands were flooded. The people of South Indian Lake were
forcibly relocated to their current location.
The Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) is a signatory to the
Northern Flood Agreement(NFA) between Canada (the federal government),
Manitoba Hydro, the Province of Manitoba and several
First Nations Communities. In 1996, NCN signed an NFA Implementation Agreement. Using settlement proceeds paid pursuant to this implementation agreement, NCN purchased the Mystery Lake Motor Hotel in the nearby city of Thompson, Manitoba. In 2006, the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation signed a Project Development Agreement with Manitoba Hydro regarding the Wuskwatim hydroelectric project on the Burntwood River, about 30 km from Nelson House. When it's completed in about 2012, Wuskwatim will generate about 200 MW of electricity. The Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation is involved in the construction of the project and, if it chooses to be a partner in the project, will receive a share of the future revenues. This arrangement is the first of its kind in Manitoba.
In 2006, the Atoskiwin Training and Employment Centre (ATEC) opened its doors in Nelson House. ATEC is also a Manitoba first. It will train NCN members and other aboriginals for northern hydro projects and other job opportunities.
Community
With a population of approximately 4,200, the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation is a large and widespread community. Many of its residents are still living in
third-world conditions. The local infrastructure doesn't support full
water and
sewage services to all residents. Nelson House consists of 8 areas, which are known to the residents as Hillside, Dogpoint, R.C. Point, Little R.C. Point, New Area, Hart's Point, Michelle Point, Bay Road/Bronx.
Urban Reserve
In early February, 2004, the nearby City of
Thompson, Manitoba announced its approval to the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation to convert a parcel of NCN-owned property within Thompson to
Treaty Land. This was possible due to shortages in land area controlled by Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation under the
Treaty Land Entitlement agreement in the mid-1990s. This event will mark one of the few transitions from privately owned land, purchased by a
First Nations community, to being declared an
Urban Reserve.
This plan has been quietly discussed between city and band administration since the narrowly-lost plebiscite held in Thompson on
September 18,
2001. With a 45% voter turnout for the plebiscite, and amid allegations of inappropriate voter disqualifications, the "no" side won by a margin of 250 votes. During the three years following the plebiscite, the majority of Thompson City Councillors have publicly stated that the results of the vote were not binding upon city council, as the council has been elected to act in the best interests of the citizens of Thompson.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://nisichawayasihk_cree_nation.totallyexplained.com">Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
