Wabaseemoong Independent Nations

Wabaseemoong Independent Nations or more fully as the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations of One Man Lake, Swan Lake and Whitedog, is an Ojibway First Nation band government who reside 120 km northwest of Kenora, Ontario and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) east of the Ontario-Manitoba border of northwestern Ontario, Canada. As of February, 2009, the First Nation had a population of 1,732 registered people, of which their on-Reserve population was 837 registered members and approximately 100 non-Band members.

History

Prior to hydroelectric development in the 1950s, the First Nation was composed of three separate communities of One Man Lake, Swan Lake and Whitedog. The three communities were then amalgamated into a unified Band called the Islington Band of Saulteaux when the hydroelectric development flooding debased all their membership and significant portions of their Islington Traditional Land Use Area were made inaccessible.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the First Nation was severely affected by acute mercury poisoning, known as the Ontario Minamata disease due to mercury contamination affecting the English River.

In 1983, the Islington Agreement was signed between the Province of Ontario and the Islington Band. The agreement established opportunities for the Islington Band in relation to forestry and resource development on the Traditional Land Use Area. The Agreement came as a result of the fluctuating water levels on the English River caused by Manitoba Hydro. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in 1991, introducing the concept of co-management of the Islington Traditional Land Use Area between the Province and the Band, but Ontario have not implemented their responsibilities under the MOU.

Islington Band changed their name to the Wabaseemoong Band of Saulteaux on November 13, 1991. Band again changed their name to Wabaseemoong Independent Nations on March 20, 1992, to better reflect their composition. The largest of the communities is "Wabaseemoong" or Waabasimong, which means "Whitedog" in the Anishinaabe language, so the First Nation is also commonly known as Whitedog First Nation.

Governance

The First Nation have an Act Electoral System of government, consisting of a Chief and four Councillors forming their council. Chief John Paishk, and Councillors began serving their two-year term on April 15, 2009. The Councillors are Glenn Cameron, Leonard Fisher, Roanna Jourdain and Glen Kent.

The First Nation is a member of the Bimose Tribal Council, a regional Chiefs Council, which in turn is a member of the Grand Council of Treaty 3, a Tribal Political Organization serving many of the First Nations in northwest Ontario and southeast Manitoba.

Reserve

The First Nation have reserved themselves four Indian Reserves:

• 8,480 hectares (21,000 acres) Wabaseemoong Indian Reserve (formerly the Islington Indian Reserve 29) located 48 kilometres (30 mi) northwest of Kenora and which serves as their main Indian Reserve
• 1,117.3 hectares (2,761 acres) One Man Lake 29 Indian Reserve located 65 kilometres (40 mi) northwest of Kenora
• 2,237 hectares (5,530 acres) Swan Lake 29 Indian Reserve located 36 kilometres (22 mi) northwest of Kenora
• 379 hectares (940 acres) Agency Indian Reserve 30 on the Aulneau Peninsula in the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, which is shared with 12 other First Nations.

References

• INAC profile

The Numbered Treaties: Treaty Three
Numbered Treaties	Treaty 1 Treaty 2 Treaty 3 Treaty 4 Treaty 5 Treaty 6 Treaty 7 Treaty 8 Treaty 9 Treaty 10 Treaty 11
Anishinabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council	Animakee Wa Zhing 37 (Northwest Angle 37) Big Grassy Naongashiing (Big Island) Northwest Angle 33 Onigaming Wauzhushk Onigum
Bimose Tribal Council	Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows) Eagle Lake Iskatewizaagegan (Shoal Lake) 39 Lac des Mille Lacs Naotkamegwanning (Whitefish Bay) Obashkaandagaang Bay Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining Shoal Lake 40 Wabaseemoong (Whitedog) Wabauskang Wabigoon Lake
Pwi-Di-Goo-Zing Ne-Yaa-Zhing Advisory Services	Couchiching Lac La Croix Mitaanjigamiing Naicatchewenin Nigigoonsiminikaaning Rainy River Seine River
Other Treaty 3 Nations	Buffalo Point Lac Seul Saugeen

Kenora District, Ontario
Cities	Dryden Kenora
Towns	Red Lake Sioux Lookout
Townships	Ear Falls Ignace Machin Pickle Lake Sioux Narrows–Nestor Falls
First Nations	Animakee Wa Zhing 37 Asubpeeschoseewagong Attawapiskat Bearskin Lake Big Grassy Buffalo Point Cat Lake Deer Lake Eabametoong Eagle Lake Fort Albany Fort Severn Iskatewizaagegan 39 Kasabonika Lake Kashechewan Keewaywin Kingfisher Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Lac Seul Marten Falls Mishkeegogamang Muskrat Dam Lake Naongashiing Naotkamegwanning Neskantaga North Caribou Lake North Spirit Lake Northwest Angle 33 Obashkaandagaang Bay Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining Onigaming Pikangikum Poplar Hill Sachigo Lake Sandy Lake Shoal Lake 40 Slate Falls Wabaseemoong Wabauskang Wabigoon Lake Wapekeka Wauzhushk Onigum Wawakapewin Webequie Weenusk Wunnumin Lake
Indian reserves	Agency 30 Attawapiskat 91 Attawapiskat 91A Bearskin Lake Cat Lake 63C The Dalles 38C Deer Lake Eagle Lake 27 English River 21 Fort Albany 67 (part) Fort Hope 64 Fort Severn 89 Kasabonika Lake Kee-Way-Win Kenora 38B Kingfisher 2A Kingfisher 3A Kingfisher Lake 1 Kitchenuhmaykoosib Aaki 84 Lac Seul 28 Lake of the Woods 31B Lake of the Woods 31C Lake of the Woods 31G Lake of the Woods 35J Lake of the Woods 37 Lake of the Woods 37B Marten Falls 65 Muskrat Dam Lake Naongashing 35A Neskantaga North Spirit Lake Northwest Angle 33B Northwest Angle 34C & 37B Obabikong 35B One Man Lake 29 Osnaburgh 63B Pikangikum 14 Poplar Hill Rat Portage 38A Sabaskong Bay 35C (part) Sabaskong Bay 35D Sabaskong Bay 35F (part) Sachigo Lake 1 Sachigo Lake 2 Sachigo Lake 3 Sandy Lake 88 Shoal Lake 31J Shoal Lake 34B1 Shoal Lake 34B2 Shoal Lake 37A (part) Shoal Lake 39 (part) Shoal Lake 39A (part) Shoal Lake 40 (part) Swan Lake 29 Wabaseemoong Wabauskang 21 Wabigoon Lake 27 Wapekeka 1 Wapekeka 2 Wawakapewin Weagamow Lake 87 Webequie Winisk 90 Whitefish Bay 32A Whitefish Bay 33A Whitefish Bay 34A Wunnumin 1 Wunnumin 2 Yellow Girl Bay 32B
Indian settlements	Kashechewan Kee Way Win Lansdowne House McDowell Lake Peawanuck Slate Falls Summer Beaver
Unorganized areas	Unorganized Kenora
Local services boards	Greater Oxdrift KeeMan Melgund Minaki Pellatt, Pelican, Umbach, Gidley Redditt Round Lake Wabigoon
See also Communities in Kenora District Census divisions of Ontario

Coordinates: 51°09′32″N 94°56′31″W / 51.15889°N 94.94194°W / 51.15889; -94.94194