Wabaseemoong Independent Nations

Wabaseemoong Independent Nations or more fully as the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations of One Man Lake, Swan Lake and Whitedog, is a Saulteaux First Nation located 120 km northwest of Kenora, Ontario and 13 km east of the Ontario-Manitoba border of northwestern Ontario, Canada. As of January, 2008, the First Nation had a population of 1,693 registered people, of which their on-Reserve population was 823 registered members and approximately 100 non-Band members. In the 1960's and 1970's, the First Nation was severely affected by accute mercury poisoning, known as the Ontario Minamata disease.

History

Prior to hydroelectric development in the 1950's, 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.

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 "Waabasimoong", 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 twelve Councillors forming their council. Chief Eric Fisher, and Councillors began serving their two-year term on April 15, 2007. The Counillors are Rocky Bunting, Glenn Cameron, Eric Fisher, Leonard Fisher, Valerie Fisher, John Jamieson, Roanna Jourdain, Glen Kent, Phillip Kent, Marvin McDonald, Ronald McDonald and John Paishk.

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:
* 8480 ha Wabaseemoong Indian Reserve (formerly the Islington Indian Reserve 29) located 48 km northwest of Kenora and which serves as their main Indian Reserve
* 1117.3 ha One Man Lake Indian Reserve (formerly the One Man Lake Indian Reserve 29) located 65 km northwest of Kenora
* 2237 ha Swan Lake Indian Reserve (formerly the Swan Lake Indian Reserve 29) located 36 km northwest of Kenora
* 379 ha Agency Indian Reserve 30 on the Aulneau Peninsula in the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, which is shared with 12 other First Nations.

Official address

Wabaseemoong Independent Nations
General Delivery
Whitedog, ON P0X 1P0
:Phone: [phone]
:Fax: [phone]
[http://www.onemanlakeclassic.com/wabaseemoong/index.html Website]

References

* [http://pse2-esd2.ainc-inac.gc.ca/fnprofiles/FNProfiles_DETAILS.asp?BAND_NUMBER=150 INAC profile]