Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation (KOFN; also known as Riding Mountain Band, oj, Giizhigowininiing) is a First Nations community primarily located on Keeseekoowenin 61 (

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 ...

61A), situated near Elphinstone, Manitoba, south of

Riding Mountain National Park Riding Mountain National Park is a national park in Manitoba, Canada. The park is located within Treaty 2 Territory and sits atop the Manitoba Escarpment. Consisting of a protected area , the forested parkland stands in sharp contrast to the sur ...

. The

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

is surrounded by territory of the Rural Municipality of Yellowhead, in whose northeastern portion it lies. The KOFN also two smaller reserves: IR 61A, which is located within Riding Mountain National Park, on the northwest shore of Clear Lake; and IR 61B, which is located between the two other reserves by Bottle Lake.

Origins

The reserve was established around Riding Mountain House, a trading post of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

that operated from 1860 until 1895. The Keeseekoowenin Ojibway, also known as Riding Mountain Band, signed Treaty 2 with the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

on 21 August 1871. The group takes their name from Keeseekoowenin, who was Chief when they moved to the reserve in 1875. In 1935, the Sovereign Okanase Indian Nation, known as the Clear Water Lake Indian Tribe, were burned out of the Clear Water Lake Indian Territory of current-day

and relocated within the Indian Reserve (IR) 61. In 1994, a land claim settlement awarded Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation the IR 61A to the location on the boundaries of the National Park.

Reserves

The Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation has 3 separate

lands. The main reserve, Keeseekoowenin 61 (IR 61A), is situated south of

, in a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

setting with the Little Saskatchewan River flowing through it. The second reserve (IR 61A) is located within the park, on the northwest shore of Clear Lake. The third, called Bottle Lake 61B, is located in between the two other reserves.

References

External links

Map of Keeseekoowenin 61 at Statcan

{{Authority control West Region Tribal Council Keeseekoowenin First Nations in Southern Manitoba