Pikangikum First Nation
Encyclopedia
The Pikangikum First Nation (Ojibwe
: pointed: ᐱᑳᐣᒋᑲᒦᐣᐠ ᐯᒫᑎᓯᐚᐨ; unpointed: ᐱᑲᒋᑲᒥᑭ ᐯᒪᑎᓯᐘᒋ; Bigaanjigamiing Bemaadiziwaaj; locally: Beekahncheekahmeeng Paymahteeseewahch) is an Ojibwe First Nation located on the 1808 hectares (4,467.7 acre) Pikangikum 14 Reserve
, in Unorganized Kenora District in Northwestern
Ontario
, Canada
. The main centre is the community of Pikangikum, on Pikangikum Lake on the Berens River
, part of the Hudson Bay
drainage system
; it is approximately 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) north of the town of Red Lake
.
The community has a registered population of 2,443, of whom 2,334 live on the reserve.
survey found that the residents of Pikangikum have one of the highest rates of original language retention of any First Nation in Northern Ontario
. The language is Ojibwemowin, the major dialect of Anishinaabe
peoples (see Berens River Ojibwe language
). In 2000, the First Nation was reported to have the highest suicide rate in the world. A report by the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario was completed June 1, 2011 on 16 deaths by suicide between 2006 and 2008 on the reserve.
at the Pikangikum Airport
, although it is also served by Pikangikum Water Aerodrome
. It has winter road
access north to Poplar Hill First Nation
and south to Red Lake and Ontario Highway 125.
: pointed: ᐚᐱᒦᑿᐣ ᓅᐦᐱᒫᐦᑲᒥᐠ ᒫᒋᐦᑖᐏᐣ; unpointed: ᐘᐱᒥᑿᓂ ᓄᐱᒪᑲᒥᑭ ᒪᒋᑕᐏᓂ; Waabimiigwan Noopimaakamig Maajitaawin; locally: Wahbeemeegwan Nohpeemahkahmik Mahcheedahwin), a land-based community economic development renewal and resource stewardship initiative. Through this Initiative the First Nation is working with the Province of Ontario to manage the Whitefeather Forest, 12200 square kilometres (4,710.4 sq mi) of Crown land in the Pikangikum customary land-use area. In 2006 the First Nation completed their land use strategy named Keeping the Land, which was approved by the Province through the Ministry of Natural Resources
. The land use strategy provides guidance for the future management of proposed new land-use activities, such as commercial forestry, protected areas and eco-cultural tourism.
Keeping the Land provides a vision for the management of proposed new land uses rooted in the indigenous knowledge and customary stewardship traditions of Pikangikum people. Keeping the Land is made up of three key components (WFMC 2006):
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
: pointed: ᐱᑳᐣᒋᑲᒦᐣᐠ ᐯᒫᑎᓯᐚᐨ; unpointed: ᐱᑲᒋᑲᒥᑭ ᐯᒪᑎᓯᐘᒋ; Bigaanjigamiing Bemaadiziwaaj; locally: Beekahncheekahmeeng Paymahteeseewahch) is an Ojibwe First Nation located on the 1808 hectares (4,467.7 acre) Pikangikum 14 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...
, in Unorganized Kenora District in Northwestern
Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, 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 main centre is the community of Pikangikum, on Pikangikum Lake on the Berens River
Berens River
The Berens River is a river in the Provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, Canada. It flows west from an unnamed lake in Kenora District, Ontario and discharges its waters into Lake Winnipeg near the village and First Nation of Berens River, Manitoba...
, part of the Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
drainage system
Drainage system
Drainage system may refer to:*A drainage system , the pattern formed by the streams, rivers, and lakes in a particular drainage basin....
; it is approximately 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) north of the town of Red Lake
Red Lake, Ontario
Population trend:* Population in 2006: 4526* Population in 2001: 4233* Population total in 1996: 4778** Golden : 2248** Red Lake : 2277* Population in 1991:** Golden : 2355** Red Lake : 2268-Climate:...
.
The community has a registered population of 2,443, of whom 2,334 live on the reserve.
Society
A 2005 Wawatay Native Communications SocietyWawatay Native Communications Society
Wawatay Native Communications Society was formed in 1974 by the people of Northern Ontario's Nishnawbe Aski Nation, as a source of communications technology, namely radio, television, and print media services for the Oji-cree communities. Its mandate is to preserve the indigenous language and...
survey found that the residents of Pikangikum have one of the highest rates of original language retention of any First Nation in Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
. The language is Ojibwemowin, the major dialect of Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
peoples (see Berens River Ojibwe language
Berens River Ojibwe language
Berens River Ojibwe is a dialect of the Ojibwe language spoken along the Berens River in northern Ontario and Manitoba. Berens communities include Pikangikum and Poplar Hill, both in Ontario, well as Little Grand Rapids, in Manitoba...
). In 2000, the First Nation was reported to have the highest suicide rate in the world. A report by the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario was completed June 1, 2011 on 16 deaths by suicide between 2006 and 2008 on the reserve.
Clans
The community has the following doodem (clans):- caribou (adik)
- sturgeon (nahmeh)
- pelican (shahshageh)
Government
The Pikangikum First Nation is governed by a council elected via a custom electoral system consisting of a chief, deputy chief and nine councillors/ The current chief is Jonah Strang and deputy chief is Lyle Keeper.Transportation
The community is accessible primarily by airplaneFixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
at the Pikangikum Airport
Pikangikum Airport
Pikangikum Airport, , is located northeast of the First Nations community of Pikangikum, Ontario, Canada....
, although it is also served by Pikangikum Water Aerodrome
Pikangikum Water Aerodrome
Pikangikum Water Aerodrome, , is located on Pikangikum Lake on the Berens River adjacent to Pikangikum, Ontario, Canada....
. It has winter road
Winter road
Winter roads are temporary highways carved out of snow and ice. They facilitate transportation to and from communities without permanent roads, and are commonly seen in isolated regions in Canada's north....
access north to Poplar Hill First Nation
Poplar Hill First Nation
Poplar Hill First Nation is an Anishinaabe First Nation located in Northern Ontario, approximately 120 km north of Red Lake, Ontario near the Ontario-Manitoba border. The First Nation is accessible by air and winter road...
and south to Red Lake and Ontario Highway 125.
Whitefeather Forest Initiative
Since 1996, Pikangikum First Nation has been pursuing its Whitefeather Forest Initiative (OjibweOjibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
: pointed: ᐚᐱᒦᑿᐣ ᓅᐦᐱᒫᐦᑲᒥᐠ ᒫᒋᐦᑖᐏᐣ; unpointed: ᐘᐱᒥᑿᓂ ᓄᐱᒪᑲᒥᑭ ᒪᒋᑕᐏᓂ; Waabimiigwan Noopimaakamig Maajitaawin; locally: Wahbeemeegwan Nohpeemahkahmik Mahcheedahwin), a land-based community economic development renewal and resource stewardship initiative. Through this Initiative the First Nation is working with the Province of Ontario to manage the Whitefeather Forest, 12200 square kilometres (4,710.4 sq mi) of Crown land in the Pikangikum customary land-use area. In 2006 the First Nation completed their land use strategy named Keeping the Land, which was approved by the Province through the Ministry of Natural Resources
Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario)
The Ministry of Natural Resources is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that responsible for Ontario’s provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands and waters that make up 87 per cent of the province...
. The land use strategy provides guidance for the future management of proposed new land-use activities, such as commercial forestry, protected areas and eco-cultural tourism.
Keeping the Land provides a vision for the management of proposed new land uses rooted in the indigenous knowledge and customary stewardship traditions of Pikangikum people. Keeping the Land is made up of three key components (WFMC 2006):
- Stewardship Strategy — an obligation to respect all living beings
- Customary Activities — all those physical, mental and spiritual states of well-being that are needed for survival on the land.
- Economic Development — new livelihood practices adapted to customary stewardship approach to provide for the survival of Pikangikum people in a contemporary cultural context.