Samson 137 is an Indian 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...

 in Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, 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...

.

It is inhabited by the Samson Cree

Cree

The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...

 First Nations

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...

 and was established under the provisions of Treaty 6

Treaty 6

Treaty 6 is an agreement between the Canadian monarch and the Plain and Wood Cree Indians and other tribes of Indians at Fort Carlton, Fort Pitt and Battle River. The area agreed upon by the Plain and Wood Cree represents most of the central area of the current provinces of Saskatchewan and...

.

The reserve is located in Central Alberta

Central Alberta

Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province...

, near Hobbema

Hobbema, Alberta

Hobbema is an unincorporated community in central Alberta, Canada, a portion of which is designated a hamlet within Ponoka County. It is located near the intersection of Highway 2A and Highway 611, approximately south of the City of Edmonton....

 and south of Wetaskiwin

Wetaskiwin, Alberta

Wetaskiwin is a small city in the province of Alberta, Canada. The city is located south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word wītaskīwin-ispatinaw , meaning "the hills where peace was made"....

.

Demographics

In 2006, Samson 137 had a population of 3,295 living in 929 dwellings

House

A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...

, a 7.4% increase from 2001. The Indian reserve has a land area of 128.07 km² (49.4 sq mi) and a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 25.7 /km2. By 2009, the Alberta government estimated that the on-reserve population of the nation was 5,550, making the Samson Cree the third largest First Nation in Alberta.

Government

Under the British North America Act, legislative authority over Indian reserves is placed exclusively with the national parliament and specifically the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

The Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies relating to Aboriginal peoples...

. The reserve is governed by a tribal council led by Chief Marvin Yellowbird
.

External links

• Samson Cree Nation