O'Chiese First Nation
Encyclopedia
The O'Chiese First Nation is a Saulteaux
First Nation in Alberta
, Canada
. The First Nation's homeland is the 14131.9 ha O'Chiese 203A Indian reserve
, located approximately 23 kilometres northwest of Rocky Mountain House
. Also reserved is the O'Chiese Cemetery 203A. As of May 2008, the First Nation had the population of 954 registed people, of which the on-reserve population was 644 people. The primary language spoken on the reserve is Saulteaux. Though the ancestors of O'Chiese First Nation made the area about Baptiste River their winter camp site where they hunted moose
and deer
, and trapped small game for the Fur trade
, they also migrated as far south as the Milk River
in Montana
in the summer.
adhesion, signed on May 13, 1950.
Saulteaux
The Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.-Ethnic classification:The Saulteaux are a branch of the Ojibwe nations. They are sometimes also called Anihšināpē . Saulteaux is a French term meaning "people of the rapids," referring to...
First Nation in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, 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 First Nation's homeland is the 14131.9 ha O'Chiese 203A Indian reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
, located approximately 23 kilometres northwest of Rocky Mountain House
Rocky Mountain House, Alberta
Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada, approximately west of the City of Red Deer. It is located at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 and Highway 11 .- History :The town has a long history dating to the...
. Also reserved is the O'Chiese Cemetery 203A. As of May 2008, the First Nation had the population of 954 registed people, of which the on-reserve population was 644 people. The primary language spoken on the reserve is Saulteaux. Though the ancestors of O'Chiese First Nation made the area about Baptiste River their winter camp site where they hunted moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
and deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, and trapped small game for the Fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
, they also migrated as far south as the Milk River
Milk River (Montana-Alberta)
The Milk River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long, in the United States state of Montana and the Canadian province of Alberta. Rising in the Rocky Mountains, the river drains a sparsely populated, semi-arid watershed of , ending just east of Fort Peck, Montana.-Geography:It is formed in...
in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
in the summer.
Governance
The O'Chiese First Nation elect their leadership through the Act Electoral System. The current council consists of Chief Darren Whitford and six Councillors: Douglas Beaverbones, Roy Bremner, Martin Ironbow, Cleon Strawberry, Cedric Whitford and Leslie Yellowface. Their two-year term began on January 6, 2007. The First Nation is affiliated with Yellowhead Tribal Council, a Regional Chiefs' Council. O'Chiese First Nation is a signatory to Treaty 6Treaty 6
Treaty 6 is an agreement between the Canadian monarch and the Plain and Wood Cree Indians and other tribes of Indians at Fort Carlton, Fort Pitt and Battle River. The area agreed upon by the Plain and Wood Cree represents most of the central area of the current provinces of Saskatchewan and...
adhesion, signed on May 13, 1950.