User:Thenewjay/sandbox/Biigtigong Nishnaabeg

Biigtigong Nishnaabeg
Indian reserve
Pic River Indian Reserve No. 50
Biigtigong Nishnaabeg
Coordinates: 48°38′N 86°16′W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Thunder Bay
First Nation	Biigtigong Nishnaabeg
Area
• Land	3.65 km2 (1.41 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	395
• Density	108.3/km2 (280/sq mi)
Website	www.picriver.com

Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, formerly known as the Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation, is an Ojibway (Anishinaabe) nation, who live within a First Nation reserve on the northern shore of Lake Superior at the mouth of the Pic River. Biigtigong Nishnaabeg is not a signatory to the Robinson Superior treaty; however, they did petition, starting in 1879, for a reserve and the request was subsequently granted. The community is located on the 316.6-hectare (782-acre) Pic River 50 Indian reserve. In November 2007, their total registered population was 964 people, of which their on-reserve population was 480.

History

The mouth of the Pic River, known by the Biigtigong Nishnaabeg as biigtig, has been a center of native trade and settlement for thousands of years. It was a strategic location in the region's water transportation network because it offered access to northern lands and a canoe route to James Bay. The halfway point for canoers travelling the north shore of Lake Superior, "the Pic" first appeared on European maps in the mid-seventeenth century.

Local First Nations peoples traded furs with the French as early as the 1770s. A French fur trader set up a permanent post around 1792. The Hudson's Bay Company set up a permanent post in 1821 until encroaching settlement let to its relocation in 1888. In 1914, their Pic River 50 became a treaty-established reserve.

Reserve

Pic River 50 is an Indian reserve on the north shore of Lake Superior at the mouth of the Pic River, near Marathon, Ontario, Canada. The reserve is 316.6 ha within its exterior boundaries. The reserve contains the community of Heron Bay, Ontario and serves as the land-base for Biigtigong Nishnaabeg. In November, 2007, the First Nation reported their total registered population was 964 people, of which their on-reserve population was 480.

Pic River 50 is known for the role it has played in developing "run of the river" hydroelectric projects in Northern Ontario. It is partner to three projects: the 13.5 MW Black River generating station (GS), the 5.0 MW Twin Falls GS and the 23.0 MW Umbata Falls GS. In all, these projects produce enough electricity to meet the needs of some 30,000 homes in Ontario.

Biigtigong Nishnaabeg are currently creating a self-sustainable reserve with employment, education and resources being developed and used within the reserve itself. Thus far, Biigtigong Nishnaabeg has a thriving forestry company, a cable television company and a high speed internet company.

The Pic River 50 reserve is home to many wild Northern Ontario species such as the beaver, moose, woodland caribou, wolf, black bear, white tailed and red tailed hawk, bald eagle, northern flicker, and many arctic alpine plants. The shores of Pic River 50 are dominated by the mass sandy dunes on the Little Pic river."

Traditional Name Reclamation

As part of genealogy, social anthtropology, and cultural anthropology research being done for an ongoing title claim project, evidence began to accumulate that the name biitigong was once used much more widely to refer to the traditional territory of the Biigtigong Nishnaabeg. This was supported by interviews with the community elders, many of whom refer to the land as biigtigong. Outside of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, elders from other communities in the region, including Long Lake, Pic Mobert, Ginoogaming, Whitesand, and Gull Bay also refer to the territory as biigtigong.

Based on this research, the council decided to officially reclaim their traditional name. On September 8th, 2015, a ceremony was conducted to acknowledge and celebrate this change, and for the band council to sign an official resolution. On September 14th, an official document was released, explaining the rationale for the change and the nature of the research conducted, including the linguistic roots of the name biigtigong.

• biig - refers to concepts of tearing, breaking, ripping, crumbling, eroding, cutting-up, wearing down and churning.

• tig - refers to a characteristic of a river, an attribute of a river, a state of a river.

• ong - a locative suffix, which indicates location. It is used to express the following concepts: at, place of, in, on.

Thus, one possible translation of biigtigong into English is "the place of the river which erodes". This is in reference to the erosion that occurs along the shores and particularly the bay of the Pic River where it feeds into Lake Superior, creating its muddy colour and the accumulation of sand dunes at the bay.

Culture

Pic River hosts an annual pow wow in mid July. It is held among the sand dunes the Pic River forms at the mouth of the bay into Lake Superior. The First Nation is active in economic and workforce development, with interests in run-of-the-river hydroelectric generating plants on the Kagiano River and Black River (Wawatay Generating Station).

Biigtigong Language Project

Biigtigong Nishnaabeg are engaged in several projects to protect and pass down their traditional language, nishnaabemwin. Nishnaabemwin is primarily spoken by the elders in the community.

Biigtigong Dictionary

Combining resources from the Ojibwe People's Dictionary and data collected from community members, a dictionary of nishnaabemwin, specifically in Biigtigong's own dialect, was produced.

Aadsookaanan Project

Aadsookaanan are the sacred folktales of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg. Not merely fairy tales, they form the foundation of the nation's worldviews, origins, and philosophies. They are part of the nation's history and come from its oral tradition.

Governance

Council

The current electoral leadership of the council consists of Chief Duncan Michano and 11 councillors: David Courchene, Topy Hanson, Louis Nabigon, Josh LeClair, Leah Michano, Elizabeth Michano, Sarah Jane Kellner, Bonnie Goodchild, Simone Desmoulin, Sharon Ostberg, and Daniel Michano. Their two-year term began on October 5, 2017. For the first time, the swearing in ceremony occurred on their traditional territory. Traditional gifts and teachings were given to the council from community elders.

Gchi-Naaknigewin

In 2015, the nation established its constitution. It was officially ratified by the council on September 26, 2015. It is referred to as the gchi-naaknigewin, roughly translated as the "great law".

In its current form, the document affirms the nation's sovereignty over their traditional territories. It is actively in development.

Notable people

• Rod Michano, a prominent HIV/AIDS awareness activist among First Nations in Canada.

External links

• Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation's webpage
• AANDC profile
• Ontario Plaques - The Pic Fur Trading Post (Thunder Bay No. 41)
• Ontario Highway 11 Homepage - Pic River First Nation (off of Highway 17)
• FirstNation.ca profile