Eabametoong First Nation
Encyclopedia
Eabametoong, also known as Fort Hope, is an Ojibway First Nation in Kenora District
, Ontario
, Canada
. Located on the shore of Eabamet Lake in the Albany River
system, the community is located approximately 300 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay and is accessible only by airplane
to Fort Hope Airport
or water, or by winter
/ice road
s, which connect the community to the Northern Ontario Resource Trail
.
Eabametoong is police
d by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service
, an Aboriginal based service.
The following information is paraphrased from the Eabametoong First Nation web site:
Eabametoong came to be during the fur trade
era when the Hudson's Bay Company set up a trading post by Eabamet lake in 1890. Canoe was used as the main source of transportation so the post had to be near water. The Fort Hope Band came into existence in 1905 when the treaty was signed by 500 people. The new community of Eabametoong started in 1982 with the official name of Eabametoong First Nation being adopted in 1985.
The name Eabametoong has a significant meaning in the Anishinaabe language; the name means, "the reversing of the waterplace." The water flow from Eabamet lake into the Albany River reverses each year, resulting from runoff water, such that water flows into Eabamet lake from the Albany River for a short period of time. The main draw for the people of Eabametoong before the fur trade was the multitudes of various fish including: sturgeon, walleye and whitefish which still inhabit the waters today.
On October 23, 2010, Chief
Lewis Nate declared a state of emergency
because of excessive community violence and crime, including the attempted arson of the reserve's only school. Since January, 2010, there had been three confirmed homicides and approximately 50 incidents of arson in the community. Speculation from the local police force suggested prescription drug abuse amongst the youth was fueling the violence.
Kenora District, Ontario
Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1907 from parts of Rainy River District. It is, geographically, the largest division in that province; at 407,192.66 km2 it comprises almost 38 percent of the province's land area...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Located on the shore of Eabamet Lake in the Albany River
Albany River
The Albany River is a river in Northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Lake St. Joseph in Northwestern Ontario and empties into James Bay. It is long to the head of the Cat River, tying it with the Severn River for the title of longest river in Ontario...
system, the community is located approximately 300 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay and is accessible only by airplane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
to Fort Hope Airport
Fort Hope Airport
Fort Hope Airport, , is located adjacent to the First Nations community of Eabametoong, also known as Fort Hope, Ontario, Canada....
or water, or by winter
Winter road
Winter roads are temporary highways carved out of snow and ice. They facilitate transportation to and from communities without permanent roads, and are commonly seen in isolated regions in Canada's north....
/ice road
Ice road
Ice roads are frozen, human-made structures on the surface of bays, rivers, lakes, or seas in the far north. They link dry land, frozen waterways, portages and winter roads, and are usually remade each winter. Ice roads allow temporary transport to areas with no permanent road access...
s, which connect the community to the Northern Ontario Resource Trail
Northern Ontario Resource Trail
The Northern Ontario Resource Trail is a mainly gravel road in the Canadian province of Ontario, which travels north from Pickle Lake to the northern shore of Windigo Lake...
.
Eabametoong is police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
d by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service
Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service
The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service is the police force for Nishnawbe-Aski Nation . Created in 1994, the force has 175 sworn officers at 35 detachments in NAN communities. The Chief of Police is vacant with Robin Jones Acting Chief of Police...
, an Aboriginal based service.
The following information is paraphrased from the Eabametoong First Nation web site:
Eabametoong came to be during the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
era when the Hudson's Bay Company set up a trading post by Eabamet lake in 1890. Canoe was used as the main source of transportation so the post had to be near water. The Fort Hope Band came into existence in 1905 when the treaty was signed by 500 people. The new community of Eabametoong started in 1982 with the official name of Eabametoong First Nation being adopted in 1985.
The name Eabametoong has a significant meaning in the Anishinaabe language; the name means, "the reversing of the waterplace." The water flow from Eabamet lake into the Albany River reverses each year, resulting from runoff water, such that water flows into Eabamet lake from the Albany River for a short period of time. The main draw for the people of Eabametoong before the fur trade was the multitudes of various fish including: sturgeon, walleye and whitefish which still inhabit the waters today.
On October 23, 2010, Chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
Lewis Nate declared a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
because of excessive community violence and crime, including the attempted arson of the reserve's only school. Since January, 2010, there had been three confirmed homicides and approximately 50 incidents of arson in the community. Speculation from the local police force suggested prescription drug abuse amongst the youth was fueling the violence.