Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg ("Garden River People") is an Algonquin First Nation in

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, ...

, Canada. It is based in the

Outaouais Outaouais (, ; also commonly called The Outaouais) is a region of western Quebec, Canada. It includes the city of Gatineau, the municipality of Val-des-Monts, the municipality of Cantley, Quebec, Cantley and the Papineau Regional County Municipal ...

region and owns one

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined 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." ...

named Kitigan Zibi, located on the shores of the

Gatineau River The Gatineau River (, ) is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec. The river is long and drains an area of . Toponomy Ac ...

near Maniwaki. In 2018, it has a total registered population of 3,286 members.

Politics

The Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg are governed by a Chief and Council whom are elected according to an election system based on Section 11 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 ...

. For 2020-2024 tenure, the chief of the community was Dylan Whiteduck. Kitigan Zibi FN 2

Languages

According to

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

's 2011 Census, on a total population of 1,395, 36.2% knew an indigenous language. More precisely, 25.4% had an indigenous language still spoken and understood as

first language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...

and 21.1% spoke an indigenous language at home. Regarding Canada's two

official language An official language is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as, "the language or one of the languages that is accepted by a country's government, is taught in schools, used in the courts of law, etc." Depending on the decree, establishmen ...

s, 43% knew both English and French, 54.8% knew only English and 2.1% knew only French. Concerned about the disinterest of its youth in their own language, the community has decided to reintroduce the teaching of the Algonquin language in school. As of the 2016 census of those living on the Kitigan Zibi reserve: * 20.7% learned their indigenous language as their first language. * 17.4% spoke an indigenous language at home. * 31% had knowledge of an indigenous language. * 59.5% spoke only English out of the official languages. * 2.4% spoke only French out of the official languages. * 37.6% spoke both English and French.

List of chiefs

The chiefs have been: * Chief Antoine Pakinawatik - 1854-1874 * Chief Peter Tenasco - 1874–1884, 1890–1896 * Chief Simon Odjick - 1884-1890 * Chief Louizon Commanda - 1896-1899 * Chief John Tenasco - 1899-1911 * Chief Michael Commanda - 1911-1917 * Chief John Cayer - 1917-1920 * Chief John B. Chabot - 1920–1924, 1939–1951 * Chief Vincent Odjick - 1927-1933 * Chief Patrick Brascoupe - 1933-1936 * Chief Abraham McDougall - 1936-1939 * Chief William Commanda - 1951-1970 * Chief Ernest McGregor - 1970-1976 * Chief Jean Guy Whiteduck - 1976-2006 * Chief Stephen McGregor - 2006-2008 * Chief Gilbert Whiteduck - 2008-2015 * Chief Jean-Guy Whiteduck - 2015–2020 * Chief Dylan Whiteduck - 2020–2024

Culture and tourism

The Kitigan Zibi

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 ...

is held annually on the first weekend of June. The Kitigan Zibi Cultural Centre has a number of exhibits, cultural artifacts, paintings, and photographs relating to the Algonquin culture and history. A living museum, Mawandoseg Kitigan Zibi, is dedicated to the Anishinaabeg way of life.

Notable members

* Patrick Brazeau, member of the Canadian Senate * John Chabot, ice hockey player * Claudette Commanda, university professor and 15th Chancellor of the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

. * Nadia Myre, interdisciplinary artist * Gino Odjick, ice hockey player * George Armstrong, ice hockey player *

Joshua Odjick Joshua Odjick is a Canadians, Canadian actor from Kitigan Zibi, Quebec. He is most noted for his performance as Pasmay in the 2021 film ''Wildhood'', for which he won the Canadian Screen Award for Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor, ...

, actor

References

External links

* - Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg website
Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg community home page

First Nation Detail by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
{{Authority control Algonquin Anishinaabe groups First Nations governments in Quebec