Beaverhouse First Nation

Beaverhouse First Nation is an Indigenous first nation located on the banks Kirkland Lake in the Misema River system.

After initially being excluded from the Treaty 9 agreement between Indigenous nations and Canada, the government of Canada officially recognized Beaverhouse First Nation in April 2022.

Nomenclature[edit]

The name comes from the Algonquin name of the Misema River Maaseema Qweesh whereby Queesh means the home of a beaver.[1]

Location[edit]

Beaverhouse First Nation is located on a peninsula the banks Kirkland Lake in the Misema River system and lacks easy road access.[1] Access is usually done by boat in the summer season and by snowmobile in the winter.[1][2]

History[edit]

Beaverhouse First Nation was excluded from the Treaty 9 agreement between other Indigenous nations and Canada, resulting in it being designated a "non-status" first nation,[1] until 2022[3] Historically, much of the land around where Beaverhouse First Nation people live was claimed by Timiskaming First Nation.[4]

Beaverhouse First Nation is a member of the Wabun Tribal Council.[3]

In May 2016, Chief Brown Martel criticized government minister David Zimmer for what she described as a failure of the Canadian government to provide land to the nation.[5]

In 2018, Beaverhouse First Nation Community submitted a claim to the Government of Ontario, asserting that it is a distinct First Nation and did not sign Treaty 9, or any other treaty.[6] The claim was supported by the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation regional association and the Wabun Tribal Council.[3] In April 2019, the government advised the nation that it will complete an assessment of the claim submission.[6] The Government of Canada officially recognized Beaverhouse as a First Nation as defined by Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 in April 2022.[7]

Leadership[edit]

Roy Meaniss was the chief in the 1980s, followed by Gloria McKenzie.[3]

Marcia Brown Martel (later known as Sally Susan Mathias-Martel[3]) became the chief in 2011[2] until at least 2018[8] and from 2021 the chief has been Wayne Wabie.[9]

Demographics[edit]

The population was about 285 in 2017.[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Hedican, E. J. (2017). The First Nations of Ontario: Social and Historical Transitions. Canada: Canadian Scholars. p161
  2. ^ a b c Ha, Tu Thanh (2017-02-17). "How a Sixties Scoop survivor fought for justice and found her family again". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  3. ^ a b c d e Kataquapit, Xavier (25 May 2022). "Historic recognition for Beaverhouse First Nation". timminspress. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  4. ^ Angus, C. (2013). Unlikely Radicals: The Story of the Adams Mine Dump War. Canada: Between the Lines.
  5. ^ Giorno, Frank (24 May 2016). "110 years later, Beaverhouse First Nation still has no land chief tells minister". TimminsToday.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  6. ^ a b "Current land claims". ontario.ca. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  7. ^ "Beaverhouse First Nation achieves historic recognition". The Toronto Star. 2022-05-24. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  8. ^ Courchene, T. J. (2018). Indigenous Nationals, Canadian Citizens: From First Contact to Canada 150 and Beyond. United Kingdom: McGill-Queen's University Press. p63
  9. ^ "Urban Indigenous population receiving their vaccines". timminspress. Retrieved 2022-05-05.

External links[edit]

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