Ohsweken, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Ohsweken, is a village on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve
near Brantford
, Ontario
, Canada
. Approximately 300 of the 2,700 homes on the reserve are in Ohsweken, and it is the site of the reserve governmental and administrative offices.
soldiers who were killed during World War II
. The soldiers fought in Dieppe, France
, Hong Kong
, and were a part of the Normandy Invasion.
radio station.
pageant, a powwow, horse races, and a derby.
to commemorate Queen Victoria's gifts of bread and cheese to the people of the Six Nations. Every year, hundreds of people stand in line to enter the Gaylord Powless
Arena for large squares of bread and cheese, now provided by Six Nations Band Council. The celebrations also include carnival rides and games, a parade from Chiefswood Park to the arena, and a street dance held by CKRZ-FM
.
on June 21. June 21 is also the day of the Tom Longboat run. There are also festivities at Gage Park in Hamilton
.
, since 1979, hosts over 400 dancers and drummers from across North America and is held on the last weekend of July at Cheifswood Park. It features traditional Native dancing, food and crafts.
and the Tekawennake
. Both newspapers feature mostly local news but also include stories related to broader First Nations and Canadian issues. CKRZ-FM
, a community radio
station, broadcasts a variety of programming including local news, music, language lessons and radio bingo.
Politicians and volunteers
Civil servants
Poets
Athletes
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...
near Brantford
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
, 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...
. Approximately 300 of the 2,700 homes on the reserve are in Ohsweken, and it is the site of the reserve governmental and administrative offices.
History
From approximately 1840 to 1865, the Six Nations Confederacy council met in a log building near Middleport, Ontario. In 1856, against protests from the Onondaga chiefs, a strong-willed superintendent from the Indian Department, Jasper T. Gilkison, established a council building in what is present day Ohsweken, about 6 km south-west of Middleport. Gilkison later retired in 1891 under pressure from the prime minister for incompetence. Though the Onondaga chiefs argued that they should establish their own center of government, the village of Ohsweken quickly developed in the surrounding area.Veterans’ Park
This park is at the corner of Fourth Line Road and Chiefswood Road. It features The Six Nations-Mississauga War Memorial which commemorates the 200 First NationsFirst 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...
soldiers who were killed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The soldiers fought in Dieppe, France
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and were a part of the Normandy Invasion.
Gaylord Powless Arena
The Gaylord Powless Arena seats 648 with room for 200 standing. Originally constructed in 1972, it was renovated in 2005 and is regularly used for lacrosse, hockey and figure skating. On Bread and Cheese Day, the arena serves for distribution of large chunks of bread and cheese.Iroquois Village Plaza
The Iroquois Village Plaza is a rented commercial property located in central Ohsweken on Cheifswood Road. It contains an bank, restaurants, the CKRZ-FMCKRZ-FM
CKRZ-FM is a radio station in Ohsweken, Ontario. Owned by the Southern Onkwehon:we Nishinabec Indigenous Communications Society , the station airs a community radio format for the region's Six Nations and Mississauga First Nations.-History:...
radio station.
Six Nations Fall Fair
Six Nations Annual Fall Fair takes place often the first week of September and is one of the oldest Agricultural Fairs in Ontario. Celebrations include the Miss Six NationsMiss Six Nations
Miss Six Nations is an annual cultural ambassador competition associated with the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation. The pageant has been part of the Six Nations Fall Fair since the 1940s. It is held on the first Thursday after Labour Day...
pageant, a powwow, horse races, and a derby.
Bread and Cheese
The Bread and Cheese celebration takes place on Victoria DayVictoria Day
Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday before May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday. The date is also, simultaneously, that on which the current reigning Canadian sovereign's official birthday is recognized...
to commemorate Queen Victoria's gifts of bread and cheese to the people of the Six Nations. Every year, hundreds of people stand in line to enter the Gaylord Powless
Gaylord Powless
Gaylord Powless was a Mohawk lacrosse player from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario. His father Ross was also a highly regarded player....
Arena for large squares of bread and cheese, now provided by Six Nations Band Council. The celebrations also include carnival rides and games, a parade from Chiefswood Park to the arena, and a street dance held by CKRZ-FM
CKRZ-FM
CKRZ-FM is a radio station in Ohsweken, Ontario. Owned by the Southern Onkwehon:we Nishinabec Indigenous Communications Society , the station airs a community radio format for the region's Six Nations and Mississauga First Nations.-History:...
.
National Aboriginal Day
The events take place at Chiefswood Park, celebrating National Aboriginal day and the summer solsticeSolstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
on June 21. June 21 is also the day of the Tom Longboat run. There are also festivities at Gage Park in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
.
Grand River Champion of Champions Pow Wow
This annual Pow-wowPow-wow
A pow-wow is a gathering of North America's Native people. The word derives from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning "spiritual leader". A modern pow-wow is a specific type of event where both Native American and non-Native American people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor American...
, since 1979, hosts over 400 dancers and drummers from across North America and is held on the last weekend of July at Cheifswood Park. It features traditional Native dancing, food and crafts.
Elder Network
The Elder Network is a network of people who serve the Elders of the Six Nations, and host various special meals such as a Wild Game Dinner in November, a Strawberry Social in June and a Fish Fry in August. Most of the staff for these meals are volunteers.Media
The town is serviced by two community newspapers, Turtle Island NewsTurtle Island News
Turtle Island News is a weekly community newspaper, published in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. It is North America's leading native weekly newspaper, the recipient of numerous awards from the international Native American Journalists Association for being number one in its field. The Turtle Island...
and the Tekawennake
Tekawennake
Tekawennake is a weekly community newspaper, published in Ohsweken, Ontario to serve the region's Six Nations and Mississauga First Nations....
. Both newspapers feature mostly local news but also include stories related to broader First Nations and Canadian issues. CKRZ-FM
CKRZ-FM
CKRZ-FM is a radio station in Ohsweken, Ontario. Owned by the Southern Onkwehon:we Nishinabec Indigenous Communications Society , the station airs a community radio format for the region's Six Nations and Mississauga First Nations.-History:...
, a community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station, broadcasts a variety of programming including local news, music, language lessons and radio bingo.
People
Actors- Jay SilverheelsJay SilverheelsJay Silverheels was a Canadian Mohawk First Nations actor. He was well known for his role as Tonto, the faithful American Indian companion of the Lone Ranger in a long-running American television series. -Early life:...
- Gary FarmerGary Farmer- History :Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario into the Cayuga nation and Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy. Farmer attended Syracuse University and Ryerson Polytechnic University, where he studied photography and film production....
- Graham GreeneGraham Greene (actor)Graham Greene is a Canadian actor who has worked on stage, and in film and TV productions in Canada, England and the United States.-Early life:...
Politicians and volunteers
- Beverley JacobsBeverley JacobsBeverley K. Jacobs, LL.B., LL.M., is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. She is the immediate past president of the Native Women's Association of Canada .-Video Links:*-External links:*...
- Dakota BrantDakota BrantDakota Brant was born August 11, 1987 at Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Her citizenship belongs with the Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan....
Civil servants
- Roberta JamiesonRoberta JamiesonRoberta L. Jamieson, C.M. is a Canadian lawyer and First Nations activist. She was the first Aboriginal woman ever to earn a law degree in Canada, the first non-Parliamentarian to be appointed an ex officio member of a House of Commons committee, and the first woman appointed as Ontario...
Poets
- Daniel David MosesDaniel David MosesDaniel David Moses is a First Nations poet and playwright from Canada.Moses, of Delaware descent, was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, and raised on a farm on the Six Nations of the Grand River. He has an Honours BA from York University and an MFA from the University of British Columbia. Moses was the...
- Pauline JohnsonPauline JohnsonEmily Pauline Johnson , commonly known as E. Pauline Johnson or just Pauline Johnson, was a Canadian writer and performer popular in the late 19th century...
Athletes
- Tom LongboatTom LongboatCogwagee was an Onondaga distance runner from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario, and for much of his career the dominant long distance runner of the time...
(Cogwagee) - Stan JonathanStan JonathanStanley Carl "Bulldog" Jonathan is a retired native ice hockey left winger.Jonathan started his National Hockey League career with the Boston Bruins with one game in the 1975-76 season. He continued to play for the Bruins from 1976-1983...
- Maynard 'Hook' Martin (Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame)
- Craig PointCraig PointCraig Point , is an Iroquois lacrosse player who currently plays for the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League...
- Gaylord PowlessGaylord PowlessGaylord Powless was a Mohawk lacrosse player from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario. His father Ross was also a highly regarded player....