Garden Hill is the second largest of three reserves of the Island Lake region of

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. Garden Hill First Nations (

Oji-Cree The Anisininew or Oji-Cree are a First Nation in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, residing in a band extending from the Missinaibi River region in Northeastern Ontario at the east to Lake Winnipeg at the west. The Oji-Cree pe ...

: ᑭᐢᑎᑲᐣᐘᒋᐣᐠ, Kistiganwacheeng), the reserve's

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

community, is located in the northeast section of the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

of Manitoba on the shore of Island Lake. Garden Hill had a population of 3,054 in the

2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, whic ...

. The residents of Garden Hill speak

and English. It is only accessible by

winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

ice road An ice road or ice bridge is a human-made structure that runs on a frozen water surface (a river, a lake or a sea water expanse).Masterson, D. and Løset, S., 2011, ISO 19906: Bearing capacity of ice and ice roads, Proceedings of the 21st Int ...

s via St. Theresa Point and by air. Nearby on Island Lake are the communities of Wasagamack of the Wasagamack First Nation, St. Theresa Point of the St. Theresa Point First Nation, and the northern settlement of Island Lake.

History

In the early 1900s, there were no chiefs, but there were leaders called "headmen". They earned their status by establishing a reputation for generosity, service, wisdom, spirituality, courage, diplomacy, dignity, loyalty and personal magnetism. These leaders achieved status by influence, not by possession of wealth, but by the distribution of it. The shared generosity because of beliefs, values, traditions, and customs required by this behaviour. The chief with the longest time in the position was Henry Fiddler, who held the position of Chief for 22 years from 1931 to 1953. Garden Hill First Nations once belonged to the Island Lake band, who, on 13 August 1909, became a signatory of

Treaty 5 ''Treaty Five'' is a treaty between Queen Victoria and Saulteaux and Swampy Cree non-treaty band governments and peoples around Lake Winnipeg in the District of Keewatin. A written text is included in ; see also Much of what is today ce ...

. In 1969, Island Lake split into four separate communities with their own separate administrations: Wasagamack,

Red Sucker Lake Red Sucker Lake is a lake in the northeastern part of Manitoba, Canada, near its border with Ontario. It has a surface area of approximately . Adjacent to the lake is the Red Sucker Lake First Nation and the community of Red Sucker Lake, Manit ...

, St. Theresa Point, and Garden Hill First Nations. Today, the four communities have a

Tribal Council A tribal council is an association of First Nations bands in Canada, generally along regional, ethnic or linguistic lines. An Indian band, usually consisting of one main community, is the fundamental unit of government for First Nations in Can ...

, called

Island Lake Tribal Council The Island Lake Tribal Council (ILTC), or Anishininew Okimawin - Island Lake Tribal Council, is a tribal council in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, representing 4 First Nations communities situated along Island and Red Sucker Lakes. Members The ...

, to collaborate on common interests.

Demographics

The population of Garden Hill was 3,054 in the

an increase of 17.3% from 2016. There were a total of 665 private dwellings. The population density was 36.8 per square kilometre on a land area of 83.05 square kilometres. The median age was 21.4.

Garden Hill First Nations

Garden Hill First Nations is a

community, and a signatory of

. As of February 2015, Garden Hill First Nations had a registered population of 4,567 with 3918 members living on reserve and 649 members living off reserve. Members elect a chief, vice chief and seven councillors through a Custom Electoral System.

Reserve lands

Garden Hill First Nations has the following seven reserves:

Education

There are two schools in Garden Hill. The elementary school is named Kistiganwacheeng Elementary School and the secondary school is called Garden Hill First Nation High School. Garden Hill Student Services office is located in Winnipeg, the office handles post-secondary students that attend various institutions.

Gallery

File:Garden Hill.JPG, Garden Hill looking north File:Island Lake First Nations Community.jpg, Island Lake/Garden Hill File:Island Lake Lodge dock.jpg, Island Lake Lodge dock File:Garden Hill Health Centre.JPG, Garden Hill Health Centre

Notable members

References

External links

Map of Garden Hill First Nation at Statcan
{{authority control Island Lake Tribal Council First Nations in Northern Region, Manitoba Indian reserves in Northern Region, Manitoba