Kitigan Zibi, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Kitigan Zibi is a First Nations
Reserve
of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabe
g First Nation, an Algonquin band. It is situated at the confluence of the Désert and Gatineau River
s, and borders south-west on the Town of Maniwaki
in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. Having an area of 175 square kilometres (67.6 sq mi), it is the largest Algonquin Nation in Canada, in both area and population.
Present in the reserve are grocery and hardware supermarkets, gas station, elementary and secondary schools with a library accessible to the whole community, gift shops, a community radio station, a day-care, a community hall, a health centre, a police department, a youth centre, a wildlife centre, and an educational and cultural centre.
for the establishment of its post, dependencies, and the adjoining garden.
, while forest still covers much of the reserve.
It is also home to 13 fresh water lakes with areas in excess of 250000 square metres (2,690,977.6 sq ft) and approximately 29 smaller lakes and streams located throughout the territory.
Fish species found within these waters are walleye, pike, bass, trout, carp, catfish, and fresh water sturgeon. Mammals found within the reserve include beaver, muskrat, fisher, martin, mink, otter, bobcat, lynx, cougar, deer, black bear, wolf, and moose.
In the first half of the nineteenth century, Algonquins of the mission at Lake of Two Mountains, under the leadership of Chief Pakinawatik, came to the area of the Désert River. Shortly after in 1832, the Hudson's Bay Company
followed them and installed a trading post at the mouth of this river (now within the municipal boundaries of Maniwaki). A decade later, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
established the mission of Notre-Dame-du-Desert and, from 1849, they demanded of the authorities the demarcation of a township in order to establish a reserve for the Algonquins. Chief Pakinawatik, along with other leaders, journeyed by canoe on three separate occasions to Upper Canada (Toronto) and negotiated the terms for the setting aside of the reserve land. The township limits were drawn in 1850 and given the name of Maniwaki by the Oblates at this time. In Algonquin language
, the place was identified as Kitigànsìpì or Kitigàn Zìbì, meaning "Garden River."
Legally established in 1851, the reserve was demarcated in 1853. In the decree implementing it, the reserve was called "Manawaki" and also "River Desert". The name "Kitigan Zibi" came to replace the other two on September 24, 1994, when the band council gave this title to the reserve.
Because of land claim settlements in the late 1990s, small portions of land of the Town of Maniwaki were added to Kitigan Zibi.
Concerned about the disinterest of its youth in their own language, the community has decided to reintroduce the teaching of the Algonquin language in school.
Total private dwellings (excluding seasonal cottages): 458
Languages:
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
Reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified 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." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
g First Nation, an Algonquin band. It is situated at the confluence of the Désert and Gatineau River
Gatineau River
The Gatineau River is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec...
s, and borders south-west on the Town of Maniwaki
Maniwaki, Quebec
Maniwaki is a town north of Gatineau and located north-west of Montreal, in the province of Quebec, Canada. The town is situated on the Gatineau River, at the crossroads of Route 105 and Route 107, not far south of Route 117...
in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. Having an area of 175 square kilometres (67.6 sq mi), it is the largest Algonquin Nation in Canada, in both area and population.
Present in the reserve are grocery and hardware supermarkets, gas station, elementary and secondary schools with a library accessible to the whole community, gift shops, a community radio station, a day-care, a community hall, a health centre, a police department, a youth centre, a wildlife centre, and an educational and cultural centre.
Toponymy
Kitigàn means "garden" or "cultivated land." Since Algonquins were historically not farmers, it may be that, in this case, this name originated as a reference to a clearing made by the Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
for the establishment of its post, dependencies, and the adjoining garden.
Geography
The reserve is bounded by the Eagle River along its west side, by the Desert River on the north side, and the Gatineau River on the east side. Most of its development is along or near Highway 105Quebec route 105
Route 105 is a north-south highway in Quebec, Canada. It runs from Hull , where it is known as Boulevard Saint-Joseph , to Grand-Remous where it ends at Route 117....
, while forest still covers much of the reserve.
It is also home to 13 fresh water lakes with areas in excess of 250000 square metres (2,690,977.6 sq ft) and approximately 29 smaller lakes and streams located throughout the territory.
Fish species found within these waters are walleye, pike, bass, trout, carp, catfish, and fresh water sturgeon. Mammals found within the reserve include beaver, muskrat, fisher, martin, mink, otter, bobcat, lynx, cougar, deer, black bear, wolf, and moose.
History
The history of the reserve is closely linked to that of the Town of Maniwaki, which developed concurrently.In the first half of the nineteenth century, Algonquins of the mission at Lake of Two Mountains, under the leadership of Chief Pakinawatik, came to the area of the Désert River. Shortly after in 1832, the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
followed them and installed a trading post at the mouth of this river (now within the municipal boundaries of Maniwaki). A decade later, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782. The congregation was given recognition by Pope...
established the mission of Notre-Dame-du-Desert and, from 1849, they demanded of the authorities the demarcation of a township in order to establish a reserve for the Algonquins. Chief Pakinawatik, along with other leaders, journeyed by canoe on three separate occasions to Upper Canada (Toronto) and negotiated the terms for the setting aside of the reserve land. The township limits were drawn in 1850 and given the name of Maniwaki by the Oblates at this time. In Algonquin language
Algonquin language
Algonquin is either a distinct Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario...
, the place was identified as Kitigànsìpì or Kitigàn Zìbì, meaning "Garden River."
Legally established in 1851, the reserve was demarcated in 1853. In the decree implementing it, the reserve was called "Manawaki" and also "River Desert". The name "Kitigan Zibi" came to replace the other two on September 24, 1994, when the band council gave this title to the reserve.
Because of land claim settlements in the late 1990s, small portions of land of the Town of Maniwaki were added to Kitigan Zibi.
Concerned about the disinterest of its youth in their own language, the community has decided to reintroduce the teaching of the Algonquin language in school.
List of chiefs
- Chief Antoine Pakinawatik - 1854-1874
- Chief Peter Tenasco - 1874-1884, 1890–1896
- Chief Simon Odjick - 1884-1890
- Chief Louizon Commanda - 1896-1899
- Chief John Tenasco - 1899-1911
- Chief Michael Commanda - 1911-1917
- Chief John Cayer - 1917-1920
- Chief John B. Chabot - 1920-1924, 1939–1951
- Chief Vincent Odjick - 1927-1933
- Chief Patrick Brascoupe - 1933-1936
- Chief Abraham McDougall - 1936-1939
- Chief William CommandaWilliam Commanda (Kitigàn-zìbì)William Commanda, OC was an Algonquin elder, spiritual leader, and promoter of environmental stewardship. Commanda served as Band Chief of the Kitigàn-zìbì Anishinàbeg First Nation near Maniwaki, Quebec, from 1951 to 1970...
- 1951-1970 - Chief Ernest McGregor - 1970-1976
- Chief Jean Guy Whiteduck - 1976-2006
- Chief Stephen McGregor - 2006-2008
- Chief Gilbert Whiteduck - 2008–present day
Demographics
Population:- Population in 2006: 1165
- Population in 2001: 1081
- 2001 to 2006 population change: 7.8 %
- Population in 1996: 969 (adjusted for boundary change)
- Population in 1991: 563
Total private dwellings (excluding seasonal cottages): 458
Languages:
- English as first language: 66 %
- French as first language: 13 %
- Other as first language: 21 %