Pimicikamak
Encyclopedia
Pimicikamak is the name of one of the Cree
-speaking aboriginal peoples of Canada. Pimicikamak is "a people of rivers and lakes. The traditional territory of Pimicikamak is around Sipiwesk Lake in the heart of the boreal forest, five hundred kilometres north of Winnipeg
, Manitoba
. Flowing through their land is Kichi Sipi
, the Great River." Pimicikamak's traditional territory also is known as Pimicikamak.
Pimicikamak is related to but appears to be culturally and linguistically distinct from neighboring Swampy Cree and Rock or Rocky Cree peoples of the boreal forest. There is less than complete consensus about these and other such anthropological definitions that may have been confused by changing fashions in colonial
naming. The existence of distinct peoples in Canada, though constitutionally entrenched, is controversial by reason of perceived implications for Quebec separatism. The identities and roles of aboriginal peoples in Canada continue to be clarified.
"flowing across". This is widely presumed to be the origin of the name of Cross Lake
in Pimicikamak territory. "Pimicikamak" is the collective singular name for the whole people and also the collective name for its traditional territory. Grouped as part of the closely related Rocky Cree
, Pimicikamak refer to themselves as Nahathaway (nīhithawī) (those who speak our language) or ithiniwi (real people); they called themselves "Cree" only when speaking English or French. Canada
's history of suppressing indigenous
languages, including aboriginal peoples' use of their own names such as "Pimicikamak", was controversial until 2008, when Canada's Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
publicly acknowledged and apologized for this policy. The name "Pimicikamak" appears to have entered into English-language usage by Cree-speakers in the 1990s. "The Pimicikamak Cree Nation" is a polyglot and imprecise description of Pimicikamak, not a name. It is also known in English as "the Cross Lake Band", a description that may be confused with the Cross lake Band of Indians (now known as the "Cross Lake First Nation").
and do not correspond to those of Western
cartography
.
Pimicikamak's traditional territory is reported to have been the watershed
of the upper Nelson River
. It is located within the boreal forest or taiga
of Canada. Like other indigenous peoples, Pimicikamak sees its spiritual
relationship with the land as fundamental to its identity
. Displacing indigenous spirituality
through Christian missions was said to be "one of the most effective tools of assimilation
" leading to "conformity within newly prescribed territorial limits." Canadian law continues to recognize relationships of aboriginal peoples with their traditional (c.f., treaty
) territories.
passed down by Pimicikamak elders says that Pimicikamak existed since time immemorial
. Anthropological and archaeological evidence places aboriginal occupation of Pimicikamak after the last ice age
"sometime before 4000 B.C.E." European documentary records date back at least to 1768, when a map showed Pemichicomo Lake in the area known as Rupert's Land
. In 1770, Thomas Hutchins
included the Pemmichi-ke-mè-u people on a list of tribes trading into Hudson Bay
. Famed explorer and geographer David Thompson
overwintered on Sipiwesk Lake in 1792. Peter Fidler
charted the upper Nelson River
through Pimicikamak in 1809. Pimicikamak made treaty (Treaty 5
) with the Crown
in 1875. In 1977 it was party to an amendment to address effects of the Nelson River Hydroelectric Project
operations on its Treaty 5 rights.
recorded by elders in the 1990s says that in traditional Pimicikamak government
the people were warmed by four fires. These were Kiseyak Otabiwinik (where the Elders sit), Iskweyanak (the women), Opimbatawuk (the runners, or youth) and Okaniskoteyawuk (the hunters & warriors; lit., the keepers of the gate). The first two of these continued through the 20th century. The Council of Elders may have been based on Midewiwin
society practices introduced hundreds of years ago from neighbouring Ojibwa
(known to themselves as the Anishinaabeg). Oral history from the Elders provided the continuing source of Pimicikamak temporal or customary law. The Women's Council governed family and community life during winter dispersal and summer gatherings.
(the name for North America in many indigenous languages), Pimicikamak was constituted under spiritual law. These were passed down orally through stories and reflected in ceremonies and tradition
s of the Pimicikamak people. They formed part of the culture that enabled it to survive as a people in a harsh environment. Treaty 5
, signed by the British Crown and by Tepastenam
and two others on Pimicikamak's behalf in 1875, clearly were intended to and did amend this customary constitution
. Pimicikamak is a body politic or corporate
. In 1996, Pimicikamak enacted its First Written Law which began the adaptation of its constitution to modern circumstances. Since the 1990s Pimicikamak has made other written laws with constitutional effect in the English language, including a citizenship
law and an election law
. These are based on consensus. The government of Canada
has doubted the validity of the First Written Law and written laws made pursuant to it but accepted the validity of one such law on other grounds.
. In September 1875, with Privy Council authority, Treaty Commissioners Alexander Morris
and James McKay embarked on the Hudson's Bay Company
steamer to several destinations on Lake Winnipeg to make a treaty whose terms, boundaries and signatories were essentially predetermined. The York boat
trade via the Hayes River
and York Factory on Hudson Bay
having collapsed in competition with trade via the Mississippi River
, Indians living at Norway House "whose occupation was gone, owing to supplies being brought in by way of the Red River of the North
, desired to migrate to the western shore of Lake Winnipeg ...". Morris tells that upon arriving at Norway House, "We found that there were two distinct bands of Indians, the Christian Indians of Norway House, and the Wood or Pagan Indians of Cross Lake." The latter were represented by Tepastenam
. Pimicikamak evidently persuaded the Commissioners to include it in Treaty 5
, signed on 24 September 1875. Treaty rights are collective, not individual. Under Canadian law, aboriginal peoples may have treaty rights, bands do not.
".
is, like that of Switzerland
, inseparable from the people, with strong elements of direct democracy
. Its First Written Law provides for modern customary laws in writing to be accepted by consensus of a general assembly of the Pimicikamak public. National policy
is established by consensus of the Four Councils. The Executive Council is responsible for giving effect to national policy.
including control of elections and a veto over written laws.
took on constitutional responsibilities in the 1990s. It appears to be regarded as a traditional council.
, now connected to the western part of its traditional territory by the Kichi Sipi Bridge
. Thicket Portage, Pikwitonei and Wabowden are also largely Pimicikamak communities in the west and north of Pimicikamak traditional territory. Non-Pimicikamak Canadian residents have rights under Treaty 5
.
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
-speaking aboriginal peoples of Canada. Pimicikamak is "a people of rivers and lakes. The traditional territory of Pimicikamak is around Sipiwesk Lake in the heart of the boreal forest, five hundred kilometres north of Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. Flowing through their land is Kichi Sipi
Kichi Sipi Bridge
The Kichi Sipi Bridge spans a deep channel of the Nelson River south of Cross Lake, providing the only all-weather road link between eastern Manitoba and the rest of Canada and North America. Its origins are unusual and its technology innovative...
, the Great River." Pimicikamak's traditional territory also is known as Pimicikamak.
Pimicikamak is related to but appears to be culturally and linguistically distinct from neighboring Swampy Cree and Rock or Rocky Cree peoples of the boreal forest. There is less than complete consensus about these and other such anthropological definitions that may have been confused by changing fashions in colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
naming. The existence of distinct peoples in Canada, though constitutionally entrenched, is controversial by reason of perceived implications for Quebec separatism. The identities and roles of aboriginal peoples in Canada continue to be clarified.
Names
Etymologically, pimicikamāk and related terms were understood as connotingConnotation
A connotation is a commonly understood subjective cultural or emotional association that some word or phrase carries, in addition to the word's or phrase's explicit or literal meaning, which is its denotation....
"flowing across". This is widely presumed to be the origin of the name of Cross Lake
Cross Lake
Cross Lake lies on the border of Cayuga and Onondaga Counties in New York. Cross Lake lies within the boundaries of the traditional Onondaga Indian Nation. The lake is reputed in local tradition to be the boyhood home of Hiawatha, the great peace maker...
in Pimicikamak territory. "Pimicikamak" is the collective singular name for the whole people and also the collective name for its traditional territory. Grouped as part of the closely related Rocky Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
, Pimicikamak refer to themselves as Nahathaway (nīhithawī) (those who speak our language) or ithiniwi (real people); they called themselves "Cree" only when speaking English or French. 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...
's history of suppressing indigenous
Indigenous language
An indigenous language or autochthonous language is a language that is native to a region and spoken by indigenous peoples but has been reduced to the status of a minority language. This language would be from a linguistically distinct community that has been settled in the area for many generations...
languages, including aboriginal peoples' use of their own names such as "Pimicikamak", was controversial until 2008, when Canada's Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
publicly acknowledged and apologized for this policy. The name "Pimicikamak" appears to have entered into English-language usage by Cree-speakers in the 1990s. "The Pimicikamak Cree Nation" is a polyglot and imprecise description of Pimicikamak, not a name. It is also known in English as "the Cross Lake Band", a description that may be confused with the Cross lake Band of Indians (now known as the "Cross Lake First Nation").
Traditional territory
Aboriginal concepts of territory are sui generisSui generis
Sui generis is a Latin expression, literally meaning of its own kind/genus or unique in its characteristics. The expression is often used in analytic philosophy to indicate an idea, an entity, or a reality which cannot be included in a wider concept....
and do not correspond to those of Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
.
Pimicikamak's traditional territory is reported to have been the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the upper Nelson River
Nelson River
The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its full length is , it has mean discharge of , and has a drainage basin of , of which is in the United States...
. It is located within the boreal forest or taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
of Canada. Like other indigenous peoples, Pimicikamak sees its spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
relationship with the land as fundamental to its identity
Cultural identity
Cultural identity is the identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as one is influenced by one's belonging to a group or culture. Cultural identity is similar to and has overlaps with, but is not synonymous with, identity politics....
. Displacing indigenous spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
through Christian missions was said to be "one of the most effective tools of assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
" leading to "conformity within newly prescribed territorial limits." Canadian law continues to recognize relationships of aboriginal peoples with their traditional (c.f., treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
) territories.
History
Oral historyOral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
passed down by Pimicikamak elders says that Pimicikamak existed since time immemorial
Time immemorial
Time immemorial is a phrase meaning time extending beyond the reach of memory, record, or tradition, indefinitely ancient, "ancient beyond memory or record"...
. Anthropological and archaeological evidence places aboriginal occupation of Pimicikamak after the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
"sometime before 4000 B.C.E." European documentary records date back at least to 1768, when a map showed Pemichicomo Lake in the area known as Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
. In 1770, Thomas Hutchins
Thomas Hutchins
Thomas Hutchins was an American military engineer, cartographer, geographer and surveyor.He joined the militia during the French and Indian War and later took a regular commission with British forces...
included the Pemmichi-ke-mè-u people on a list of tribes trading into 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,...
. Famed explorer and geographer David Thompson
David Thompson (explorer)
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
overwintered on Sipiwesk Lake in 1792. Peter Fidler
Peter Fidler (explorer)
Peter Fidler was a British surveyor, map-maker, chief fur trader and explorer who had a long career in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company in what later became Canada. He was born in Bolsover, Derbyshire, England and died at Fort Dauphin in present day Manitoba...
charted the upper Nelson River
Nelson River
The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its full length is , it has mean discharge of , and has a drainage basin of , of which is in the United States...
through Pimicikamak in 1809. Pimicikamak made treaty (Treaty 5
Treaty 5
Treaty 5 is a treaty that was first established in September, 1875, between Queen Victoria and Saulteaux and Swampy Cree non-treaty tribes and peoples around Lake Winnipeg in the District of Keewatin. Much of what is today central and northern Manitoba was covered by the treaty, as were a few small...
) with the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
in 1875. In 1977 it was party to an amendment to address effects of the Nelson River Hydroelectric Project
Nelson River Hydroelectric Project
The Nelson River Hydroelectric Project refers to the construction of a series of dams and hydroelectric power plants on the Nelson River in Northern Manitoba, Canada...
operations on its Treaty 5 rights.
Traditional government
Oral historyOral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
recorded by elders in the 1990s says that in traditional Pimicikamak government
Pimicikamak government
Pimicikamak is an indigenous people in Canada. Pimicikamak is related to, but constitutionally, legally, historically and administratively distinct from, the Cross Lake First Nation which is a statutory creation that provides services on behalf of the Canadian Government...
the people were warmed by four fires. These were Kiseyak Otabiwinik (where the Elders sit), Iskweyanak (the women), Opimbatawuk (the runners, or youth) and Okaniskoteyawuk (the hunters & warriors; lit., the keepers of the gate). The first two of these continued through the 20th century. The Council of Elders may have been based on Midewiwin
Midewiwin
The Midewiwin or the Grand Medicine Society is a secretive religion of the aboriginal groups of the Maritimes, New England and Great Lakes regions in North America. Its practitioners are called Midew and the practices of Midewiwin referred to as Mide...
society practices introduced hundreds of years ago from neighbouring Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
(known to themselves as the Anishinaabeg). Oral history from the Elders provided the continuing source of Pimicikamak temporal or customary law. The Women's Council governed family and community life during winter dispersal and summer gatherings.
Constitution
Like other indigenous peoples in Turtle IslandTurtle Island (North America)
Turtle Island is a term used by several Northeastern Woodland Native American tribes, especially the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy, for the continent of North America.-Iroquois:...
(the name for North America in many indigenous languages), Pimicikamak was constituted under spiritual law. These were passed down orally through stories and reflected in ceremonies and tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
s of the Pimicikamak people. They formed part of the culture that enabled it to survive as a people in a harsh environment. Treaty 5
Treaty 5
Treaty 5 is a treaty that was first established in September, 1875, between Queen Victoria and Saulteaux and Swampy Cree non-treaty tribes and peoples around Lake Winnipeg in the District of Keewatin. Much of what is today central and northern Manitoba was covered by the treaty, as were a few small...
, signed by the British Crown and by Tepastenam
Tepastenam
Tepastenam was a respected leader of the Pimicikamak indigenous people in the 19th century. He was born about 1805. From oral history accounts he may have been a Midewiwin leader or Kiseman...
and two others on Pimicikamak's behalf in 1875, clearly were intended to and did amend this customary constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
. Pimicikamak is a body politic or corporate
Body politic
A polity is a state or one of its subordinate civil authorities, such as a province, prefecture, county, municipality, city, or district. It is generally understood to mean a geographic area with a corresponding government. Thomas Hobbes considered bodies politic in this sense in Leviathan...
. In 1996, Pimicikamak enacted its First Written Law which began the adaptation of its constitution to modern circumstances. Since the 1990s Pimicikamak has made other written laws with constitutional effect in the English language, including a citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
law and an election law
Election law
Election law is a discipline falling at the juncture of constitutional law and political science. It researches "the politics of law and the law of politics"...
. These are based on consensus. The government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
has doubted the validity of the First Written Law and written laws made pursuant to it but accepted the validity of one such law on other grounds.
The Winnipeg Treaty
In 1875, the Ministry of the Interior determined to extend the Crown's treaty relations to the peoples east and west but not north of Lake WinnipegLake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...
. In September 1875, with Privy Council authority, Treaty Commissioners Alexander Morris
Alexander Morris
Alexander Morris, PC was a Canadian politician. He served in the cabinet of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald , and was the second Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba...
and James McKay embarked on the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
steamer to several destinations on Lake Winnipeg to make a treaty whose terms, boundaries and signatories were essentially predetermined. The York boat
York boat
The York boat was an inland boat used by the Hudson's Bay Company to carry furs and trade goods along inland waterways in Rupert's Land and the Columbia District. It was named after York Factory, the headquarters of the HBC, and modeled after Orkney Islands fishing boats...
trade via the Hayes River
Hayes River
The Hayes River is a river in Northern Region, Manitoba, Canada that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was an historically important river in the development of Canada, and is today a Canadian Heritage River and the longest naturally flowing river in Manitoba.-Course:The...
and York Factory on 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,...
having collapsed in competition with trade via the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, Indians living at Norway House "whose occupation was gone, owing to supplies being brought in by way of the Red River of the North
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
, desired to migrate to the western shore of Lake Winnipeg ...". Morris tells that upon arriving at Norway House, "We found that there were two distinct bands of Indians, the Christian Indians of Norway House, and the Wood or Pagan Indians of Cross Lake." The latter were represented by Tepastenam
Tepastenam
Tepastenam was a respected leader of the Pimicikamak indigenous people in the 19th century. He was born about 1805. From oral history accounts he may have been a Midewiwin leader or Kiseman...
. Pimicikamak evidently persuaded the Commissioners to include it in Treaty 5
Treaty 5
Treaty 5 is a treaty that was first established in September, 1875, between Queen Victoria and Saulteaux and Swampy Cree non-treaty tribes and peoples around Lake Winnipeg in the District of Keewatin. Much of what is today central and northern Manitoba was covered by the treaty, as were a few small...
, signed on 24 September 1875. Treaty rights are collective, not individual. Under Canadian law, aboriginal peoples may have treaty rights, bands do not.
Other Treaties with the Crown
Pimicikamak and the government of Manitoba both regard a 16 December 1977 agreement with Canada and Manitoba Hydro as a modern-day treaty. Pimicikamak regards an 8 May 1998 document signed by representatives of Canada, Manitoba and Manitoba Hydro as a treaty. From the colonial perspective, some treaties with aboriginal peoples have been termed "a different method of expropriationConfiscation
Confiscation, from the Latin confiscatio 'joining to the fiscus, i.e. transfer to the treasury' is a legal seizure without compensation by a government or other public authority...
".
Flag
Pimicikamak also has a national flag.Laws
Like other indigenous peoples that have existed for a long time, Pimicikamak has a body of oral customary law. Since 1995, Pimicikamak has made several customary written laws.Government
Although Pimicikamak has four councils, Pimicikamak governmentPimicikamak government
Pimicikamak is an indigenous people in Canada. Pimicikamak is related to, but constitutionally, legally, historically and administratively distinct from, the Cross Lake First Nation which is a statutory creation that provides services on behalf of the Canadian Government...
is, like that of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, inseparable from the people, with strong elements of direct democracy
Direct democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
. Its First Written Law provides for modern customary laws in writing to be accepted by consensus of a general assembly of the Pimicikamak public. National policy
Policy
A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...
is established by consensus of the Four Councils. The Executive Council is responsible for giving effect to national policy.
Women's Council
Historically, women appear to have had higher status in Cree societies than that accorded by contemporaneous European and some other aboriginal civilizations. "Cree women enjoyed a degree of autonomy that confounded European men who married Aboriginal women." "Crees viewed with contempt what they conceived as harsh treatment of women by Chipewyan males." In the Pimicikamak world view, women are symbolically associated with water, life, the direction west, and the color red. The Women's Council is viewed by some as first in precedence of the Pimicikamak councils. The reason given is that all members of the Councils received the gift of life from women, beginning the circle of life. Consistent with their historical status, the Women's Council has key roles in Pimicikamak governmentPimicikamak government
Pimicikamak is an indigenous people in Canada. Pimicikamak is related to, but constitutionally, legally, historically and administratively distinct from, the Cross Lake First Nation which is a statutory creation that provides services on behalf of the Canadian Government...
including control of elections and a veto over written laws.
Council of Elders
Traditionally, elders were viewed as the lawyers or law-givers of Pimicikamak. They were the repository of the wisdom that enabled the Pimicikamak people to survive. Consistent with the traditional role, the Council of Elders must approve written laws by consensus. In recent times the fallout of the residential school system may have imposed difficulty on this role.Youth Council
The Youth CouncilYouth council
Youth councils are a form of youth voice engaged in community decision-making. Youth councils exist on local, state, provincial, regional, national, and international levels among governments, NGOs, schools, and other entities.-About:...
took on constitutional responsibilities in the 1990s. It appears to be regarded as a traditional council.
Communities
The largest community in Pimicikamak is Cross LakeCross Lake, Manitoba
Cross Lake is the name of two closely related, adjoining but independent communities in the Canadian Province of Manitoba. One of the Cross Lakes is the Cross Lake Indian Reserve where the main urban area is called Cross Lake...
, now connected to the western part of its traditional territory by the Kichi Sipi Bridge
Kichi Sipi Bridge
The Kichi Sipi Bridge spans a deep channel of the Nelson River south of Cross Lake, providing the only all-weather road link between eastern Manitoba and the rest of Canada and North America. Its origins are unusual and its technology innovative...
. Thicket Portage, Pikwitonei and Wabowden are also largely Pimicikamak communities in the west and north of Pimicikamak traditional territory. Non-Pimicikamak Canadian residents have rights under Treaty 5
Treaty 5
Treaty 5 is a treaty that was first established in September, 1875, between Queen Victoria and Saulteaux and Swampy Cree non-treaty tribes and peoples around Lake Winnipeg in the District of Keewatin. Much of what is today central and northern Manitoba was covered by the treaty, as were a few small...
.