The Elsipogtog First Nation , formerly called the Big Cove Band, is a

Miꞌkmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nort ...

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Canada. The First Nation's territory comprises Richibucto Reserve #15, lying southwest of

Rexton, New Brunswick Rexton is a formerly incorporated village in Kent County, New Brunswick, Kent County, New Brunswick, Canada. On 1 January 2023, Rexton annexed parts of five Local service district, local service districts to form the new village of Five Rivers, ...

on the

Richibucto River The Richibucto River is a river in eastern New Brunswick, Canada which empties into the Northumberland Strait north of Richibucto. It is 80 kilometres long.Route 116. It also comprises Soegao Reserve #35, lying west of

Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because of ...

. , the registered Elsipogtog population is 3,313, with 2,587 living on reservations and 726 living off reservations.

History

"Elsipogtog" or "L'sipuktuk" means "River of Fire". The area was also called the stronghold of Sikniktuk. The traditional district was assigned to the Mi'kmaq clan of Alguimou, or L'kimu. Misel Alguimou was baptised Michael Augustine in the 18th century. Chief Michael Augustine signed the Peace and Friendship Treaty with the British in 1761, on behalf of the Richibucto Tribe of Mi'kmaq. The Richibucto Reserve was established in 1802 and later reduced in size. Richibucto Reserve # 16 is also known as the Big Cove Reserve. It was also called Big Cove, Mesigig Oalnei, and currently known as Elsipogtog (Pacifique spelling), or L'sipuktuk (Francis-Smith variation) and Elsipogtog First Nation located in

Weldford Parish, New Brunswick Weldford is a civil parish in Kent County, New Brunswick, Canada. For governance purposes it is divided between Richibucto 15 Indian reserve and the local service district of the parish of Weldford, which is a member of the Kent Regional Serv ...

Suicide rate

In 1992, there were seven suicides involving youth and over 75 suicide attempts in the community. An inquest was held and one of the recommendations was the creation of a position at the school to help support the youth in the community. The Elsipogtog Crisis Centre was also established in 1992 to help combat the large number of suicides in the community.

Youth justice system

In 1995, the community held a Justice Awareness Day that led to the creation of a justice alternative for youth. This was due to the high youth suicide rate in Elsipogtog and the large percentage of their youth in the court system. The Elsipogtog Restorative Justice Program includes pre- and post-charge diversion system, mediation, group conferencing programs, and sentencing circles. The program allows the community to "decide what sbest for itself in terms of resolving wrongdoing...by striving to resolve the effects of an offender's behaviour.

Present day

The community has one school, Elsipogtog School, which has students from kindergarten to grade 8. Elsipogtog has a gas station, and a

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

detachment which is open throughout the week. There is a 7 day/week supermarket and a Pharmasave brand Pharmacy which are both 100% band owned and operated. There is also a holistic approach Health and Wellness Centre which has clinical and physician services available, as well as home and community care services, mental health and addiction services. There are community justice services available.

Kraft Hockeyville

After a fire that had destroyed the community's' arena the Chief Young Eagle in September 2020, Elsipogtog had entered into a Canada wide competition held by Kraft Heinz Canada in collaboration with the National Hockey League(NHL),and the National Hockey League Players Association(NHLPA) called

Kraft Hockeyville ''Kraft Hockeyville'' is an annual competition sponsored by Kraft Heinz, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association in which communities compete to demonstrate their commitment to the sport of ice hockey. The winning commu ...

, the competition which has started in 2006 allows for small communities in Canada for a chance to win $250,000 in arena upgrades, $10,000 worth of youth hockey equipment and a chance to host an NHL Pre Season game. Runners up receive $25,000 in arena upgrades and $10,000 for youth hockey equipment On March 20,2021 the NHL and NHLPA announced the Top 4 communities hoping to become Kraft Hockeyville 2021, which were Elsipogtog, New Brunswick; Lumsden, Saskatchewan; Saint Adolphe, Manitoba; Bobcaygeon, Ontario. After two days of online voting on April 9 and 10 2021, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the winner live on

Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then ...

Hockey Night in Canada, naming Elsipogtog Kraft Hockeyville 2021. The win came a week after the tragic loss of two community members in a fishing accident, Craig 'Jumbo' Sock who was a community leader and Seth Monahan Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic the NHL Pre Season could not be held in 2021. With restriction being lifted, Elsipogtog was finally able to celebrate in October 2022 becoming Kraft Hockeyville 2021 with 3 days filled with activities; Day 1 of celebration was an Alumni Game which included NHL alumni players, and 3 female indigenous hockey players who have played for Team Canada and Team USA, also Elsipogtogs own NHL Player,

Everett Sanipass Everett Sanipass (born February 13, 1968) is a Canadian retired ice hockey forward. Sanipass was born in Elsipogtog First Nation, New Brunswick. Sanipass is the first Native Canadian to be inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame. Play ...

, the alumni were split into teams, and gave minor hockey players to play alongside them. Day 2 included a day of activities, bouncy castles; a chance to get autographs from various players including

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

legend Bryan Trottier, and a visit from The Stanley Cup. Mascots for the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

and

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

were also in attendance. And on Day 3, the Pre season Game was held at the J.K Irving Center in Bouctouche New Brunswick, community members were also treated for a chance to watch the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens practice before the game. Montreal Canadiens goaltender and Fredericton New Brunswick own Jake Allen was in the lineup. The Ottawa Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens in a 3-2 win in Overtime.

Protest Against Shale-Gas Project

In May 2013, members of Elsipogtog First Nation demonstrated their concern over the proposed shale-gas project and 2D seismic imaging done near their reserve by SWN Resources Canada, a subsidiary of Southwestern Energy Company. Workers were on site to conduct seismic exploration that uses sound wave technology to create images of underground shale beds that might contain natural gas. Many residents voiced their concerns about the planned

hydraulic fracturing Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frack ...

(fracking) through social media. Throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall of 2013, protesters blocked SWN Resources Canada workers from accessing their seismic equipment.They blocked Route 116, 134, Hwy 11. On July 24, 2013, a video was recorded of a First Nations protester strapping herself to bundles of Geophones and other equipment used by SWN Resources Canada for seismic testing on the site. She slowed down the workers access to the equipment until the RCMP removed her later that day. On Sept 29th, SWN's trucks were blocked by a mystery van and protesters gathered in support. Shortly afterward, a sacred fire was lit and maintained by a 12-year-old boy who watched over the prayers of the people. On October 1, 2013, a video was recorded of Elsipogtog First Nation Chief Arren James Sock delivering an eviction notice to SWN Resources Canada while dozens of protesters continued to block Route 134 in Rexton to prevent SWN Resources Canada from moving their exploration equipment. On October 7, 2013, a video was recorded of Elsipogtog First Nation Chief Arren James Sock and New Brunswick Premier

David Alward David Nathan Alward (born December 2, 1959) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 32nd premier of New Brunswick, 2010 to 2014. Alward has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick since 1999 and has been the leader of the P ...

addressing the media regarding the blockage of the shale gas research and the injunction regarding the blockade. On Thursday October 17, 2013, the

moved in to enforce a court injunction against a road blockade by shale-gas and

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frack ...

protesters. The situation "exploded in violence, sending dozens of people to jail and reducing five police cars to smouldering ruins". The incident was made famous in a now-iconic photograph of activist

Amanda Polchies Amanda Polchies is a Lakota Sioux and Mikmaq woman who lives in Elsipogtog First Nation. She became known for an iconic image taken of her while participating in a protest against hydraulic fracturing near the village of Rexton, New Brunswick. Pro ...

kneeling before the police and holding an eagle feather. The

RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...

said "more than 40 protesters were arrested for various offences including firearms offences, uttering threats, intimidation, mischief and for refusing to abide by a court injunction". T.J. Burke, the lawyer for the Elsipogtog First Nation, confirmed Chief Arren Sock was among those arrested in the clash. "Chief Arren Sock and a few of his band council members were released a few hours after their arrests". On Oct 18th, SWN applied for an indefinite injunction against a list of people including John and Jane Doe. Judge Rideout denied this injunction. On 29 November 2013, another shale-gas protest resulted in the arrest of five men. Another report on the same day stated that 15 protesters were jailed for throwing rocks at vehicles. Numerous arrests continued to occur in 2014.

Composition

Elsipogtog First Nation is composed of two parts as shown:

Demographics

Richibucto 15

Population trendStatistics Canada:

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

census Religious make-up (2001) Income (2015) Mother tongue (2016) Education (2006)

Notable people

*Albert Levi, former chief and Order of Canada recipient * Mildred Milliea, language instructor and Order of Canada recipient *

, former

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

player

References

{{First Nations in New Brunswick Communities in Kent County, New Brunswick Mi'kmaq governments Mi'kmaq in Canada