Wahgoshig First Nation

Apitipi Anicinapek Nation, formerly known as Wahgoshig First Nation, is an Algonquin Anicinape community. It is located near Matheson in Cochrane District in northeastern Ontario, Canada. This community has a rich cultural heritage and traditions that have been passed down through generations.

In January 2008, the nation had 270 registered members. Out of these, 121 people lived on the reserve. The community works to preserve its language, culture, and traditions while also adapting to modern changes. It remains an important part of the history and identity of the Algonquin Anicinape people in Canada.

History

The first recorded mention of the Native people near Lake Abitibi was in The Jesuit Relations in 1640. They were a group of hunter-gatherers whose land covered parts of what is now northeastern Ontario and northwestern Quebec. Their hunting areas reached from east of Long Sault to lakes such as Pierre, Harris, and Montreuil in Ontario, and stretched into Quebec as far east as Amos. The farthest south their land went was just below Kirkland Lake in Ontario and Rouyn in Quebec. Cochrane, Ontario marks roughly the western edge of their territory.

The Abitibi Indian Reserve No. 70 was created when the James Bay Treaty (Treaty 9) was signed at the Hudson's Bay Company post on Lake Abitibi in Quebec on June 7, 1906. It covers 7,786 hectares (19,239 acres), or 78 km² (30 mi²). However, the treaty talks were only meant for the Anishinaabe whose land was in Ontario. The Abitibi Indians, who were part of the same group but lived in Quebec, were told that a reserve for them would be created later. But the Quebec government delayed this for a long time after the treaty was signed with the Ontario group.

Two years later, the Canadian government still couldn’t get Quebec to create a reserve for these Quebec Indians. So, they made an agreement with Quebec to include them under Treaty 9. This meant they would get payments and share in the money from Abitibi 70. The money from this reserve is divided among everyone equally. This is why Wahgoshig First Nation today faces economic challenges; because of how the government set up these payments, Wahgoshig people only get a small part of any money made from natural resources on their reserve. This has made it hard for them to develop their own resources on the reserve.

Until 1972, the government office in Quebec handled both the Abitibi-Dominion Band (in Quebec) and the Abitibi-Ontario Band (in Ontario). Starting in 1972, the office in Sudbury, Ontario, took care of the Abitibi-Ontario Band. In 1979, the Abitibi-Dominion Band changed its name to Abitibiwinni First Nation, and the Abitibi-Ontario Band became Wahgoshig First Nation.

Governance

The Wahgoshig First Nation uses a Custom Electoral system for their leaders. Leaders are chosen for 4-year terms. The current leader, called the Chief, is June Black, and there are six Councillors: Dave Morris, Chris Sackaney, Dannah Ellison, Shawna Malette, Joseph Matthews, and Paul McKenzie. The Chief started in April 2016, and the Councillors began in June 2016.

As part of Treaty 9, the Wahgoshig First Nation belongs to the Wabun Tribal Council, which is part of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. This organization helps many First Nations in Northern Ontario. Since November 2000, Wahgoshig has also been part of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council, working closely with other nearby communities.

There is a small village on the reserve, covering about 25 hectares of flat land. To the west, the land becomes hilly with wet areas that are good homes for moose. The area has lots of moose, bears, grouse, and other animals.

The reserve can be reached by Highway 101. It is about 50 kilometres east of Matheson, Ontario, close to the border with Quebec. The northern part of the reserve touches the southern shore of Lake Abitibi.

Services

The Wahgoshig First Nation offers several services for their community, including:

• band office
• health clinic
• warehouse / fire hall
• public works garage
• community hall

The community is policed by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.