Gesgapegiag is one of two

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 ...

reserves on the south shore of the Gaspésie, most of whom are of

Mi'kmaq 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 northe ...

ancestry. Most of the members reside on the federal

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

that was set aside by the legislature of

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

in 1853, for the exclusive use of the majority of Mi'kmaq in this region. The remaining Mi'kmaq live off-reserve in the eastern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and across

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, but stay connected to the community through modern communications and travel to. All community members, regardless of residence, participate in democratic elections held every two years to elect one Chief and eight Councillors in accordance with Canada's

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' (, long name ''An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians'') is a Canadian act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still ...

Election Regulations. The community is also allied to other Mi'kmaq communities in the Gaspé region of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

and in northern

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 ...

. Together, their elected Chiefs advance ancestral claims to self-government and to the traditional territory called ''Gespe'gewa'gi'' (Kespékewáki''), the last land. Gespe'gewa'gi is the Mi'kmaq Nation District that extends from the Miramichi River to the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, a land area that straddles the modern day

border. The First Nation is a strong advocate of

Aboriginal peoples in Canada In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and '' Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider the ...

, and aboriginal and treaty rights. Its main resource is the

Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are ...

and other fruits of the waters and forests, including modern harvest of timber. Political representatives of the Mi'kmaq of Gesgapegiag and the greater district of Gespe'gewa'gi continue talks with the

Government of Quebec A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

over access to traditional lands. The name ''Gesgapegiag'', is the origin for the name of the

Cascapédia River The Cascapédia River is a river in the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec, Canada, which has its source at Lake Cascapedia, fed by streams of the Chic-Choc Mountains, and empties into Cascapedia Bay (''Baie de la Cascapédia''), a small bay of Chaleur B ...

, as well as other nearby places carrying the name Cascapedia.

Gallery

Image:Gesgapegiag1.jpg, Band office Image:Gesgapegiag2.jpg, Galgoasiet Image:Gesgapegiag3.jpg, Gas Station Image:Gesgapegiag4.jpg, Old Village Image:Gesgapegiag5.JPG, Old Village

Notes

External links

* http://www.mikmaqonline.org/ {{Coord, 48, 12, 4.9, N, 65, 55, 33.7, W, display=title Gaspé Peninsula Mi'kmaq in Canada