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 o ...

. Garden Hill First Nations (

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

: ᑭᐢᑎᑲᐣᐘᒋᐣᐠ, Kistiganwacheeng), the reserve's

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 ...

community, is located in the northeast section of the

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

of Manitoba on the shore of Island Lake. Garden Hill had a population of 2,776 in the 2011 Canadian census. The residents of Garden Hill speak

and English. It is only accessible by

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate 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. Different cultures ...

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 Inte ...

s via

St. Theresa Point St. Theresa Point First Nation (Oji-Cree: Minithayinikam) is a First Nations community in northern Manitoba. It has 3 reserves in total, the largest and most populated of which is St. Theresa Point, which is bordered by the unorganized portion of ...

and by air. Nearby on Island Lake are the communities of

Wasagamack Wasagamack or Waasagomach is a community in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is a settlement of the Wasagamack First Nation located on the western shore of Island Lake on Waasagomach Bay north of St. Theresa Point St. Theresa Point First ...

of the

Wasagamack First Nation Wasagamack First Nation (Oji-cree: ᐗᓴᑲᒪᐣᐠ, ''meaning: At the Bay'') is an Oji-Cree First Nation band government in Manitoba, Canada. As of December 2014 the registered population of the Wasagamack First Nation was 2,017, of which 1,823 l ...

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 that was first established in September, 1875, 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 include ...

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

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, Manitoba ...

, and Garden Hill First Nations. Today, the four communities have a Tribal Council, called

Island Lake Tribal Council An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

, to collaborate on common interests.

Demographics

The population of Garden Hill was 2,776 in the 2011 Canadian census an increase of 46.3% from 2006. In 2006 there were 1,898 residents. There were a total of 595 private dwellings. The population density was 33.7 per square kilometre on a land area of 82.48 square kilometres. The median age was 18.9.

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