The Eel Ground Band or Eel Ground First Nation is a Mi'kmaq First Nations

First Nations

First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

 community of about 800 people located on the Miramichi River

Miramichi River

The Miramichi River is a Canadian river located in the east-central part of New Brunswick. The river drains into Miramichi Bay in the Gulf of St. Lawrence...

 in northern New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The community comprises three reserves (Eel Ground #2, Big Hole Tract # 8 (south half), and Renous #12).

History

Eel Ground principally occupies lands adjoining the City of Miramichi, New Brunswick

Miramichi, New Brunswick

Miramichi is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay...

, and members of the two communities have no doubt interacted from the time of earliest European settlement. About 1648, Nicolas Denys

Nicolas Denys

.Nicolas Denys was a French aristocrat who became an explorer, colonizer, soldier and leader in New France. Today, he is perhaps best known for founding settlements at St. Pierre , Ste...

, Sieur de Fronsac, established a fort and trading post nearby, "on the North side of the Miramichi, at the forks of the river". His son, Richard Denys, was placed in charge of the fort and trading post. In 1688 Richard describes the establishment as including about a dozen French and more than 500 Indians.

The Band was officially recognised by the British in 1783, soon after the French defeat in the Seven Years War.

No doubt the First Nation population had long preceded Denys' "establishment", and present-day inhabitants of Eel Ground would largely be descended from Richard Denys' immediate neighbours. For the Mi'kmaq, the nearby junction of the Northwest and Main Southwest branches of the Miramichi River

Miramichi River

The Miramichi River is a Canadian river located in the east-central part of New Brunswick. The river drains into Miramichi Bay in the Gulf of St. Lawrence...

 had long served as a natural meeting point.

Prominent Citizens Past & Present

• Thomas Barnaby - Chief (1888-1894)
  Thomas Barnaby
  For the Midsomer Murders character see Tom BarnabyThomas Barnaby was a Micmac chief from the Eel Ground First Nation band near Newcastle, New Brunswick....