Tsuu T'ina Nation
Encyclopedia
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...
. Their territory is located on the 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...
Tsuu T'ina Nation 145
Tsuu T'ina Nation 145, Alberta
Tsuu T'ina Nation 145 is the name of an Indian reserve in southern Alberta, Canada. It is the home of the Tsuu T'ina Nation. The reserve was created by Treaty 7. Reserve lands are between Southwest Calgary, Alberta in the east and Bragg Creek, Alberta in the west. The north boundary is just...
, whose east side is adjacent to the southwest city limits of Calgary, Alberta. The land area of the reserve is 283.14 km² (109.32 sq mi), and it had a population of 1,982 in the Canada 2001 Census
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...
. The land is a former Canadian Army training camp, active from 1910-1996, when the land was turned over to the Tsuu T'ina Nation. The Tsuu T'ina people have formerly been called the Sarsi or Sarcee, words which are believed to have been derived from a Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
word meaning stubborn ones. This is in reference to territorial conflict between the Tsuu T'ina and the Blackfoot Confederacy. The term is now viewed as offensive by most of the Tsuu T'ina.
The proximity of the territory to the city of Calgary has led to disagreement over the city's plans to construct the western leg of a ring road, which, according to city planners, has to pass through Tsuu T'ina land in order to avoid environmentally sensitive areas. As of 2009 a referendum by the tribe has rejected the ring road. Though some are upset by this, stating that it has resulted in 40 years of lost planning, others view it as a triumph both environmentally and for the Nation.
Another controversy stems from plans by the Tsuu T'ina to construct a casino just outside city limits. The land was once located within the city, but was ceded back to the nation in the 1990s. This has sparked concern from Calgary residents worried about increased traffic.