The Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation () no. 437 is a Nakoda First Nation with reserves near

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Hinton, and

Whitecourt Whitecourt is a town in Northern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Woodlands County. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton and southeast of Grande Prairie at the junction of Alberta Highway 43, Highway 43 and Alberta Highway 32, Highw ...

, in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, and headquartered at 54° N and 114°, about west of

. The Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation is a member of

Treaty 6 Treaty 6 is the sixth of the numbered treaties that were signed by the Canadian Crown and various First Nations between 1871 and 1877. It is one of a total of 11 numbered treaties signed between the Canadian Crown and First Nations. Specifi ...

Reserves

Demographics

As of March, 2019, the total registered population of Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation is 2036 persons. There are 508 registered males, and 459 females living on their own reserve. Members of Alexis First Nation are of the "Stoney" or "Nakoda" ethnic group. The Stoney are sometimes considered part of the

Assiniboine The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakoda ...

. The terms "Stoney" and "Assiniboine" stem from outsider's descriptions of how those peoples cooked by using heated stones (Assiniboine originates from the

Ojibwe language Ojibwe ( ), also known as Ojibwa ( ), Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous la ...

; ''asinii'' meaning "stoney" and ''bwaan'' meaning "cooker"). The term ''Sioux'' is also an outsider's description used by the French to describe the Dakota and Lakota Nations in the United States. The Dakota and Lakota in Canada are non-treaty First Nations. Their traditional language is Nakoda/Stoney, and their endonym is I'sga I?abi.

Government

Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation has a custom electoral system based on section 10 of the ''

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' () is a Canadian Act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still in force with amendments, it is the primary document that defines how t ...

''. Current chief and council were elected on June 14, 2022, and will hold their positions until June 17, 2026.

Events

Pow-wow/Fastpitch tournament

The Alexis Annual

Pow-wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity for Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their ...

Celebrations and Fastpitch Tournament is held on the Alexis reserve each summer in July. The Fastpitch tournament draws prizes of about $14,000 depending on the number of teams entered. The Pow-wow is generally divided into various categories, such as a drum contest and dance contests based on ages and/or styles. Competitors from many different First Nations participate.

Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage

The main townsite is located on the shores of Lac Ste. Anne, which the Nakota Sioux call ''Wakâmne'', or God's lake. Every summer there is a pilgrimage to the lake which is attended by up to 40,000 over four days, most of First Nations and Métis descent.

References

External links

Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation homepage

Stoney Language Department of the Alexis Nation. Seasons

Stoney Language Department of the Alexis Nation. Family
{{Authority control Nakoda (Stoney) First Nations governments in Alberta