Elsipogtog First Nation (), formerly called the Big Cove Band, is a

Miꞌkmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

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 ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Canada. The First Nation's territory comprises Richibucto Reserve #15, lying southwest of Five Rivers, New Brunswick on the

Richibucto River The Richibucto River is a river in eastern New Brunswick, Canada which empties into the Northumberland Strait north of Richibucto. It is 80 kilometres long.Route 116. It also comprises Soegao Reserve #35, lying west of

Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because ...

. , the registered Elsipogtog population is 3,574, with 2,736 living on reservations and 798 living off reservations.

History

"Elsipogtog" or "L'sipuktuk" means "River of Fire". The area was also called the stronghold of Sikniktuk. The traditional district was assigned to the Mi'kmaq clan of Alguimou, or L'kimu. Misel Alguimou was baptised Michael Augustine in the 18th century. Chief Michael Augustine signed the Peace and Friendship Treaty with the British in 1761, on behalf of the Richibucto Tribe of Mi'kmaq. The Richibucto Reserve was established in 1802 and later reduced in size. Richibucto Reserve # 16 is also known as the Big Cove Reserve. It was also called Big Cove, Mesigig Oalnei, and currently known as Elsipogtog (Pacifique spelling), or L'sipuktuk (Francis-Smith variation) and Elsipogtog First Nation located in

Weldford Parish, New Brunswick Weldford is a geographic parish in Kent County, New Brunswick, Canada. For governance purposes it is divided between the villages of Five Rivers and Nouvelle-Arcadie, which are both members of the Kent Regional Service Commission, and the R ...

Suicide rate

In 1992, there were seven suicides involving youth and over 75 suicide attempts in the community. An inquest was held and one of the recommendations was the creation of a position at the school to help support the youth in the community. The Elsipogtog Crisis Centre was also established in 1992 to help combat the large number of suicides in the community.

Youth justice system

In 1995, the community held a Justice Awareness Day that led to the creation of a justice alternative for youth. This was due to the high youth suicide rate in Elsipogtog and the large percentage of their youth in the court system. The Elsipogtog Restorative Justice Program includes pre- and post-charge diversion system, mediation, group conferencing programs, and sentencing circles. The program allows the community to "decide what sbest for itself in terms of resolving wrongdoing...by striving to resolve the effects of an offender's behaviour.

Shale gas project

In May 2013, members of Elsipogtog First Nation demonstrated their concern over a proposed

shale gas Shale gas is an unconventional natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations. Since the 1990s, a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has made large volumes of shale gas more economical to produce, and ...

project and 2D seismic imaging done near their reserve by SWN Resources Canada, a subsidiary of Southwestern Energy. Workers were on site to conduct seismic exploration using sound wave technology to create images of underground shale beds that might contain

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

. Many residents used social media to voice their concerns about the planned

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure inje ...

. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2013, protesters prevented SWN workers from accessing their seismic equipment, blocking Routes 11, 116, and 134. On July 24, a video was recorded of a First Nations protester strapping herself to bundles of

geophone A geophone is a device that converts ground movement (velocity) into voltage, which may be recorded at a recording station. The Standard deviation, deviation of this measured voltage from the base line is called the seismic response and is analy ...

s and other equipment used by SWN for seismic testing at the site. She slowed down the workers' access to the equipment until the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

(RCMP) removed her later that day. On September 29, SWN's trucks were blocked by a mystery van and protesters gathered in support. Shortly afterward, a sacred fire was lit and maintained by a 12-year-old boy who watched over the prayers of the people. On October 1, a video was recorded of Elsipogtog First Nation Chief Arren James Sock delivering an eviction notice to SWN while dozens of protesters continued to block Route 134 in Rexton to prevent the company from moving their exploration equipment. On October 7, a video was recorded of Sock and New Brunswick premier David Alward addressing the media regarding the blockage of the shale gas research and the injunction regarding the blockade. On October 17, the RCMP moved in to enforce a court

injunction An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a special court order compelling a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. It was developed by the English courts of equity but its origins go back to Roman law and the equitable rem ...

against the road blockade. The situation "exploded in violence, sending dozens of people to jail and reducing five police cars to smouldering ruins". The incident was made famous in a now-iconic photograph of activist

Amanda Polchies Amanda Polchies is a Lakota Sioux and Mikmaq woman who lives in Elsipogtog First Nation. She became known for an iconic photograph of her, holding aloft an eagle feather while facing down a line of police, as she participated in an anti- frackin ...

kneeling before the police and holding an eagle feather. The RCMP said that "more than 40 protesters were arrested for various offences including firearms offences, uttering threats, intimidation, mischief and for refusing to abide by a court injunction". The First Nation's lawyer, T.J. Burke, confirmed that Sock was among those arrested, though he and others were released within hours following their arrests. On October 18, SWN applied for an indefinite injunction against a list of people including John and Jane Doe. Judge Rideout denied this injunction. On November 29, another shale-gas protest resulted in the arrest of five men. Another report on the same day stated that fifteen protesters were jailed for throwing rocks at vehicles. Numerous arrests continued to occur into 2014.

Present day

The community has one school, Elsipogtog School, which has students from kindergarten to grade 8. Elsipogtog has a gas station, and a

detachment which is open throughout the week. There is a 7 day/week supermarket and a Pharmasave-brand pharmacy, both of which are 100-percent band-owned and operated. There is also a holistic-approach health and wellness centre which has clinical and physician services available, as well as home and community care services, mental health, and addiction services. There are community justice services available.

Kraft Hockeyville

After a fire in September 2020 caused by two youths destroyed the community's arena, the Chief Young Eagle, Elsipogtog entered

Kraft Hockeyville ''Kraft Hockeyville'' is an annual competition sponsored by Kraft Heinz, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association in which communities compete to demonstrate their commitment to the sport of ice hockey. The winning community ...

, a Canada-wide competition held by Kraft Heinz Canada in collaboration with the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) and the

National Hockey League Players' Association The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA, ) is the trade union, labour union for the group of professional List of NHL players, hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 32 member clubs in the National Hockey ...

(NHLPA). The competition, which started in 2006, gives small communities in Canada a chance to win $250,000 in arena upgrades, $10,000 worth of youth hockey equipment, and the opportunity to host an NHL preseason game. Runners-up receive $25,000 in arena upgrades and $10,000 for youth hockey equipment. On March 20, 2021, the NHL and NHLPA named four communities as finalists in the competition for 2021: Elsipogtog; Lumsden, Saskatchewan; Saint Adolphe, Manitoba; and Bobcaygeon, Ontario. Following two days of online voting, on April 10, 2021, NHL Commissioner

Gary Bettman Gary Bruce Bettman (born June 2, 1952) is an American sports executive who serves as the NHL commissioner, commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice preside ...

announced Elsipogtog as the winner of the competition live on ''

Hockey Night in Canada ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...

''. The win came a week after the tragic loss of two community members in a fishing accident, community leader Craig 'Jumbo' Sock and Seth Monahan. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, no NHL preseason was held in 2021, so Elsipogtog's celebrations were delayed until October 2022 after restrictions had been lifted. Three days of activities were held. On the first day, an alumni game was held featuring former NHL players, including Elsipogtog native Everett Sanipass, as well as three female indigenous hockey players who have played for the Canadian and US national teams. Activities on the second day included autograph signings from various players, including

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

legend

Bryan Trottier Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956) is a Canadian and American former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won four Stanley Cups with ...

, and a visit from the

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 ...

. Mascots for the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

and

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

were also in attendance. Finally, on the third day, the preseason game between the Senators and Canadiens was held at the J.K. Irving Centre in Bouctouche. Goaltender Jake Allen, a native of

Fredericton, New Brunswick Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

, was in the lineup for the Canadiens. The Senators defeated the Canadiens 3–2 in overtime.

Composition

Elsipogtog First Nation is composed of two parts as shown:

Demographics

Richibucto 15

Population trendStatistics Canada:

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

census Religious make-up (2001) Income (2015) Mother tongue (2016) Education (2006)

Notable people

*Albert Levi — former chief and Order of Canada recipient * Mildred Milliea — language instructor and

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

recipient * Everett Sanipass — former

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

player

References

External links

Elsipogtog First Nation
{{First Nations in New Brunswick Communities in Kent County, New Brunswick