Gesgapegiag is one of two

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 ...

reserves on the south shore of the Gaspésie, most of whom are of

Mi'kmaq 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 ...

ancestry. Most of the members reside on the federal native reserve that was set aside by the legislature of

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

in 1853, for the exclusive use of the majority of Mi'kmaq in this region. The remaining Mi'kmaq live off-reserve in the eastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and across

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, but stay connected to the community through modern communications and travel. All community members, regardless of residence, participate in democratic elections held every two years to elect one chief and eight councillors in accordance with Canada's

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 ...

Election Regulations. The community is also allied to other Mi'kmaq communities in the Gaspé region of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

and in northern

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 ...

. Together, their elected chiefs advance ancestral claims to self-government and to the traditional territory called ''Gespe'gewa'gi'' (Kespékewáki''), the last land. Gespe'gewa'gi is the Mi'kmaq Nation District that extends from the Miramichi River to the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, a land area that straddles the modern day

–

border. The First Nation is a strong advocate of

Aboriginal peoples in Canada Indigenous peoples in Canada (also known as Aboriginals) are the Indigenous peoples within the boundaries of Canada. They comprise the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, representing roughly 5.0% of the total Canadian population. There are over ...

and of aboriginal and treaty rights. Its main resource is the

Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...

and water and forest resources, including modern harvest of timber. Political representatives of the Mi'kmaq of Gesgapegiag and the greater district of Gespe'gewa'gi continue talks with the

Government of Quebec The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. Minister of the Crown, mini ...

over access to traditional lands. The name ''Gesgapegiag'', is the origin for the name of the

Cascapédia River The Cascapédia River is a river in the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec, Canada, which has its source at Lake Cascapedia, fed by streams of the Chic-Choc Mountains, and empties into Cascapedia Bay (''Baie de la Cascapédia''), a small bay of Chaleur B ...

, as well as other nearby places carrying the name Cascapedia. Image:Gesgapegiag1.jpg, Band office Image:Gesgapegiag2.jpg, Galgoasiet Image:Gesgapegiag3.jpg, Gas station Image:Gesgapegiag4.jpg, Old village Image:Gesgapegiag5.JPG, Old village

Notes

External links

* http://www.mikmaqonline.org/ {{Coord, 48, 12, 4.9, N, 65, 55, 33.7, W, display=title Gaspé Peninsula Micmacs of Gesgapegiag