Berens River First Nation () is a

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band (), First Nation band () or simply band, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subject to the ''Indian Act'' (i.e. status Indians or First Nations). Bands are typically small groups of people: the largest in ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada. The First Nation has two reserves: Berens River 13 and Pigeon River 13A, located in the

boreal forest Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by pinophyta, coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. I ...

east of

Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg () is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its southern end is about north of the city of Winnipeg. Lake Winnipeg is Canada's sixth-largest freshwater lake and the third- ...

. The First Nation is governed by a chief and five councillors. Berens River is a member of the

Southeast Resource Development Council The Southeast Resource Development Council (SERDC) is a tribal council in eastern Manitoba, Canada, representing 8 First Nation communities located to the south and east of Lake Winnipeg. Seven of the eight band governments of SERDC are signat ...

with offices in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. This Tribal Council has 9 member First Nations. The settlement of Berens River, Manitoba, with a population of 111 people in 2011 borders the main settlement of Berens River 13 with a population of 1,028 in 2011. The two communities create a

population centre In demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to different geogr ...

, also called ''Berens River'', at the mouth of the

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 community and First Nation of Berens River, Manit ...

. Both are served by the Berens River Airport.

History

The river Berens River was originally called Pigeon River and the name Pigeon River was given to the next river to the south.

Demographics

As of February 2015, the registered membership of the Berens River First Nation was 3,246 with 2,110 members living on-reserve and 1,136 members off-reserve. The settlement of Berens River 13 had a population of 1,028 in 2011.

Territory

Berens River First Nation has two reserves. *Berens River 13 is at the mouth of

on the eastern shore of

and along the Berens River. *Pigeon River 13A is along the Pigeon River located south of the Berens River.

Notable people

* Jacob Berens ah-wee-kee-sick-quah-yash(1832 – 1916) * William Berens abasigizikweas(1866–1947) * Jamie Leach, ice hockey player who played for the 1992

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

champions *

Reggie Leach Reginald Joseph Leach (born April 23, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, California Golden Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Detroit Red ...

, Canadian ice hockey player,

winner,

NHL All-Star The National Hockey League All-Star Game () is an exhibition ice hockey tournament that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many of the League's star players playing against each other. The ga ...

and

1976 Canada Cup The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2 to 15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec City in Canada as well as in Philadelphia, in the United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup ...

champion for team Canada.

References

External links

Berens River First Nation

Map of Berens River 13 at Statcan
{{coord, 52, 20, 57, N, 96, 59, 20, W, type:city_region:CA_scale:100000, display=title Southeast Resource Development Council First Nations in Eastman Region, Manitoba First Nations in Northern Region, Manitoba