The Swan River First Nation () is a

Woodland Cree The ''Sakāwithiniwak'' or Woodland Cree, are a Cree people, calling themselves Nîhithaw in their own dialect of the language. They are the largest indigenous group in northern Alberta and are an Algonquian people. Prior to the 18th century, ...

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 ...

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 ...

northern Alberta Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the ce ...

. Located on the south-central shore of

Lesser Slave Lake Lesser Slave Lake is located in northern Alberta, Canada, northwest of Edmonton. It is the second largest lake entirely within Alberta boundaries (and the largest easily accessible by vehicle), covering and measuring over long and at its wid ...

near

Kinuso Kinuso (, ) is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within Big Lakes County, and surrounded by the Swan River First Nation reserve. It is located approximately west of Slave Lake and 71 km east of High Prairie along Highway 2, south of ...

, it controls two

Indian reserves 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." R ...

Swan River 150E Swan River 150E is a Cree First Nation reserve in Kinuso, Alberta, Canada. It is located northwest of Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the N ...

and Assineau River 150F. Swan River is one of the original signatories to

Treaty 8 Treaty 8, which concluded with the June 21, 1899, signing by representatives of the Crown and various First Nations of the Lesser Slave Lake area, is the most comprehensive of the eleven Numbered Treaties. The agreement encompassed a land m ...

in 1899.

History

Swan River First Nation was one of five

communities around

that together composed a regional band. On January 1, 1890, a majority of the Lesser Slave Lake Cree communities were in favor of

Treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

. The

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

first came to the area by 1897, and by 1899,

was signed on the shore of Lesser Slave Lake by Kinosayo (Andrew Willier) of Driftpile FN, Moostoos of Sucker Creek FN, Weecheewaysis, Charles Nesootasis, and Felix Giroux.

Chiefs

Unlike southern bands, First Nations communities around

did not have chiefs. Out of necessity for Treaty negotiations, people from all five bands selected Kinosayo as the chief of the Lesser Slave Lake Bands in 1899, and he would serve until his death in 1918 from the

spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

. Each community also had an elected headman responsible to the chief. Kinosayo was replaced by his brother Astatchikun (Felix Willer), who served as chief until his death in 1936. In 1910, for the sake of administrative convenience, the pay list of "Kinosayo’s Band" was divided into different groups, though they were still all recognized as one band. In 1929, the federal

Department of Indian Affairs Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

decided to recognize the four groups as separate bands, and in 1936, the four major bands each elected a separate chief and council to replace the overall council formerly headed by Chief Astatchikun.

Leadership

Headmen of Swan River First Nation: * Felix Giroux (Upschinese), 1899-1927 * Edward Nesootasis (Twin), 1927-1928 * August Chalifoux, 1928-1935 * August Sowan (Sound), 1935-1936 Chiefs of Swan River First Nation, in chronological order: * August Sowan (Sound) (first chief) * Gene Giroux (Davis) * August Chalifoux * Victor Twin * Paul Sound * Gordon Courtoreille * Charlie Chalifoux * Dustin "Dusty" Twin Sr. * Richard Davis * Leon Chalifoux * Ryan Davis * Gerald Giroux * Lee Twinn (current chief)

History

Chiefs

Leadership

References

Further reading