The Naicatchewenin First Nation, also known as the Anishinaabeg of Nagaajiwanaang and formerly known as Northwest Bay First Nation, inhabited a region in

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 ...

that was cited in the Northwest Angle Treaty of 1873, also known as

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 ...

. Nagaajiwanaang is located approximately northwest of

Fort Frances Fort Frances is a town in, and the seat of, Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census was 7,466 Fort Frances is a popular fishing destination. It hosts the annual Fort Frances C ...

, with the community of Devlin to the south on Highway 11. The city 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 ...

lies to the east and

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

is to the northwest.

Name

In the

Ojibwe language Ojibwe ( ), also known as Ojibwa ( ), Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous la ...

, ''Nagaajiwanaang'' mean "At the place where the current is obstructed."

Demographics

As of February 2009, the First Nation had a registered population of 375 people, of whom 257 people live within their own Reserve.

Reserves

The Reserves of Nagaajiwanaang include: * Rainy Lake Indian Reserve No. 17A, surveyed in 1878, serves as their main land base, containing the Naicatchewenin Community. * Rainy Lake Indian Reserve No. 17B * Agency Indian Reserve No. 1, which is shared with three other First Nations.

Governance

The First Nation elect their leaders for their council under the Indian Act Electoral System, consisting of a chief and four councillors. The current council consists of Chief Wayne Smith and Councillors Rhonda Smith, Dean Councillor, Adrian Snowball and Sean Councillor. Their four-year term that began in January 2022. The First Nation is a member of the Pwi-Di-Goo-Zing Ne-Yaa-Zhing Advisory Services, a regional Chiefs Council, as well as being a member of the

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 serving many of the First Nations in northwest Ontario and southeast

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 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.

Government Programs

* Band Administration * Education * Health Services * Brighter Futures * Building Healthy Communities * Aboriginal Healing and Wellness * Social Services * Family Services * Housing * Economic Development * Post Secondary Education * Operations and Maintenance * Naicatchewenin Development Corporation * Community Services ** Fire Protection ** Emergency First Response Team ** Emergency Preparedness – Community Emergency Control Group ** Roads and Bridges ** Central Water Supply ** Central Sewage System ** School Bussing ** Forestry ** Recreation Services ** Carpentry

External links

Naicatchewenin First Nation Website

INAC Profile
{{authority control First Nations in Ontario Ojibwe reserves in Ontario