The Membertou First Nation is a

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nor ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

in the tribal district of Unama'ki, also known as

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

. As of 2012, the

population is 814 on-Reserve, and approximately 481 off-Reserve. It operates a community radio station

CJIJ-FM CJIJ-FM (branded as ''C99 FM'') was a Canadian radio station, broadcasting in FM stereo at a frequency of 99.9 MHz from Membertou, Nova Scotia, a First Nations community near Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New Sou ...

. Currently, Membertou has become the most well-off First Nation in Atlantic Canada.

History

Membertou is mostly an urban First Nation community. Named after the Grand Chief Henri Membertou (1510-1611) the Membertou First Nation belongs to the greater tribal group of the Mi'kmaq Nation. Membertou was not always situated at its present location. Many years ago, Membertou (formally known as the Kings Road Reserve) was located just off of Kings Road, along the Sydney Harbour. In 1916, the Exchequer Court of Canada ordered the relocation of the 125 Mi’kmaq; the first time an aboriginal community had been legally forced through the courts to relocate in Canadian history. In 1926, the Membertou Community was officially moved to its present-day location in the vicinity of Mira Road, Nova Scotia. Membertou First Nation has been successful in diversifying its economy, featuring a convention centre, gaming centre, gas bar, business centre, a hotel and other investments within the community. The Membertou Sports and Wellness Centre, which features a YMCA and two NHL-sized rinks opened in 2016. Currently, a business development called Seventh Exchange is being built across from the Highway 125 interchange. It will feature big box stores and light-commercial and retail development. It will be similar to Dartmouth Crossing in the

Halifax Regional Municipality Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The re ...

Notable residents

Lawrence Paul Lawrence Paul (June 29, 1925 – May 1, 2010) was a Canadian Mi'kmaq leader and First Nations activist. Paul served as the chief of the Membertou First Nation of Nova Scotia from 1967 to 1969. Paul also co-founded the Union of Nova Scotia India ...

- former chief of the Membertou First Nation * Donald Marshall, Jr. - noted Mi'kmaq activist * Terrance Paul - Current Chief and Acting CEO (2022) * Richard Paul - Chief Operating Officer (2019) *

Donald Marshall, Sr. Donald Joseph Marshall Sr. (May 28, 1925August 25, 1991) was a Grand Chief of the Mi'kmaq who lived at Membertou First Nation near Sydney, Nova Scotia. He served as Grand Chief for 27 years, from 1964 until his death in 1991. His son, Donald Mars ...

- Former Grand Chief * Glen Gould - Actor/Musician/Comedian * Daniel Christmas - senator * Noel Doucette - former Chief of the Potlotek First Nation. Although he was the Chief of the neighbouring Chapel Island reserve, he was raised in Membertou and lived there until his late teens. * Rita Joe - Mi'kmaq poet and songwriter * Charlie Herney - member of the Mi’kmaq Grand Council for over 30 years. He served as the Putu's for 18 years (Putu's is an important role in the Mi'kmaq Grand Council).

Composition

Membertou First Nation is composed of four parts as shown:

References

External links

Membertou Community Web Site

ShowCase

Cape Breton University
{{authority control First Nations governments in Atlantic Canada First Nations in Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq governments Communities in Cape Breton County