Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation (formerly Lac La Croix First Nation) () is a

Saulteaux The Saulteaux (pronounced , or in imitation of the French pronunciation , also written Salteaux, Saulteau and Ojibwa ethnonyms, other variants), otherwise known as the Plains Ojibwe, are a First Nations in Canada, First Nations band governm ...

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 ...

who reside in the Rainy River District of northwestern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

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 ...

, along the Ontario-

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

border. It is approximately 200 km northwest of

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

. As of January 2008, the First Nation had a registered population of 398 people, of which their on-Reserve population was 273.

Governance

The First Nation elect their officials through the Act Electoral System, consisting of a Chief and four councillors. The current Chief is Carrie Atatise-Norwegian, whose term began in January 2022. The four councillors are Curtis Atatise, Carrie Atatise-Norwegian, Blair Whitefish and Norman Jordan. Carrie Atatise-Norwegian is Lac La Croix's first female Chief. As a signatory to

Treaty 3 ''Treaty 3'' was an agreement entered into on October 3, 1873, by Chief Mikiseesis (Little Eagle) on behalf of the Ojibwe First Nations and Queen Victoria. The treaty involved a vast tract of Ojibwe territory, including large parts of what i ...

, Lac La Croix First Nation is a member of the Pwi-Di-Goo-Zing Ne-Yaa-Zhing Advisory Services, a Regional Chiefs Council, and

Grand Council of Treaty 3 Grand Council of Treaty 3 (GCT3) is a political organization representing 24 First Nation communities across ''Treaty 3'' areas of northern Ontario and southeastern Manitoba, Canada, and four additional First Nations, specifically in regard to the ...

, a Tribal Political Organization that represents many of First Nation governments in northwestern Ontario and southeastern

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 ...

History

Seven Generations Education Institute (SGEI) is an Aboriginal-owned and controlled

post-secondary Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

institution co-founded by the ten bands in the

Rainy Lake Rainy Lake ( French: '; Ojibwe: ') is a freshwater lake with a surface area of that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake. Today it is harnessed to make hydroelectricit ...

Tribal area in 1985. The ten bands are: Big Grassy, Big Island, Couchiching, Lac La Croix, Naicatchewenin, Nigigoonsiminikaaning, Ojibways of Onigaming, Rainy River,

Seine River The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres p ...

and Mitaanjigaming. Each of the ten bands appointed one member to a board of directors of Seven Generations Education Institute, which functions with the leadership of the executive director. In 2023, Lac La Croix First Nation changed its name to Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation. 'Gakijiwanong' is Ojibwe for "Where the water flows".

Reserve

The First Nation reserved for themselves the 6214.1 ha Neguagon Lake Indian Reserve 25D (formerly known as Lac La Croix Indian Reserve 25D). Originally, the First Nation also had reserved the Sturgeon Lake Indian Reserve 24C but the Ontario Provincial Park Act in 1950 took this second

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." ...

and made it part of

Quetico Provincial Park Quetico Provincial Park is a large wilderness park in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, known for its excellent canoe camping, canoeing and fishing. The park shares its southern border with Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which ...

. The Reserve also was home to the last free-roaming population of the Lac La Croix Indian Pony, now an endangered rare breed with preservation efforts supported by the First Nation and other related

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

people.

External links

Official pageAANDC profile

References

{{authority control First Nations governments in Ontario Communities in Rainy River District Saulteaux reserves in Ontario