Kitigan Zibi (also known as River Desert, and designated as Maniwaki 18 until 1994) is a

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 ...

reserve of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, an

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

band. It is situated near the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the Désert and

Gatineau River The Gatineau River (, ) is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec. The river is long and drains an area of . Toponomy Ac ...

s, and borders south-west on the Town of Maniwaki in the

Outaouais Outaouais (, ; also commonly called The Outaouais) is a region of western Quebec, Canada. It includes the city of Gatineau, the municipality of Val-des-Monts, the municipality of Cantley, Quebec, Cantley and the Papineau Regional County Municipal ...

region of Quebec, Canada. Having a total area of , it is the largest Algonquin Nation in Canada in both area and population. Present on the reserve are shops, an elementary and secondary school, a community hall, a health centre, police services, a youth centre, a retirement home, a cultural centre, and the CKWE 103.9 radio station.

Economy

The creation of a forestry company, mitog, which holds a forest management agreement allows them to cut trees on their ancestral territories. They also work in collaboration with other forest operators. They are also important partners in the management of the Eagle Forest, a territory located west of Maniwaki, where logging, outdoor activities and wildlife protection go hand in hand. The community also has a 12,000-tap maple grove whose potential has not yet been fully exploited and it is in Kitigan Zibi that Awazibi pure maple syrup is produced.

Toponymy

''Kitigàn'' can be translated from Algonquin as "garden," "cultivated land" or "cleared land." This name may have originated as a reference to a clearing made by the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

for the establishment of its post, dependencies, and the adjoining garden.

Geography

The reserve is bounded by the Eagle River along its west side, by the Désert River on the north side, and the

on the east side. Most of its development is along or near Highway 105, while forest still covers much of the reserve. It is also home to 13 fresh water lakes with areas in excess of and approximately 29 smaller lakes and streams located throughout the territory. Fish species found within these waters include walleye, pike, bass, trout, carp, catfish, and fresh water sturgeon. Mammals found within the reserve include beaver, muskrat, fisher, marten, mink, otter, bobcat, lynx, cougar, deer, black bear, wolf, and moose.

History

The history of the reserve is closely linked to that of the Town of Maniwaki, which developed concurrently. In the first half of the 19th century, Algonquins of the mission at

Lake of Two Mountains Lake of Two Mountains (French: ''Lac des Deux Montagnes'') is part of the river delta widening of the Ottawa River in Quebec, Canada, at its confluence with the St. Lawrence River. Lake of Two Mountains has four outflows: Rivière des Mille Îl ...

, under the leadership of Chief Pakinawatik, came to the area of the Désert River. Shortly after, in 1832, the

followed them and installed a trading post at the mouth of this river (now within the municipal boundaries of Maniwaki). A decade later,

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest later recognized as a Catholic saint. The congregation wa ...

established the mission of Notre-Dame-du-Desert and, from 1849, they demanded of the authorities the demarcation of a township in order to establish a reserve for the Algonquins. Chief Pakinawatik, along with other leaders, journeyed by canoe on three separate occasions to Upper Canada (Toronto) and negotiated the terms for the setting aside of the reserve land. The township limits were drawn in 1850 and given the name of Maniwaki by the Oblates at this time. In

Algonquin language Algonquin (also spelled Algonkin; in Algonquin: or ) is either a distinct Algonquian languages, Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe language dialects, Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alon ...

, the place was identified as ''Kitigànsìpì'' or ''Kitigàn Zìbì'', meaning "Garden River." Legally established in 1851, the reserve was demarcated in 1853. In the decree implementing it, the reserve was called "Manawaki" (after ''mani aki'' meaning "Mary's Land") and also "River Desert". The name "Kitigan Zibi" came to replace the other two on September 24, 1994, when the band council gave this title to the reserve. Because of land claim settlements in the late 1990s, small portions of land of the Town of Maniwaki were added to Kitigan Zibi. The federal government concluded, on 18 March 2019, an agreement to pay the Kitigan Zibi community $116 million, settling 29 claims for Indian reserve land appropriated between 1873 and 1917 for the town site of Maniwaki. The same community filed in December 2016 a claim in Ontario Superior Court, claiming it never surrendered and still owns the land in Ottawa on which Parliament of Canada stands.

Demographics

As of May 2022, the registered population of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation is 3,685 members, of whom 1,624 live on the Kitigan Zibi reserve and 2,061 live off reserve. Historic populations: * Population in 2021: 1,204 * Population in 2016: 1,221 * Population in 2011: 1,401 * Population in 2006: 1,165 * Population in 2001: 1,081 * Population in 1996: 969 * Population in 1991: 563

Language

As of the 2016 census, the mother tongue of those living on the Kitigan Zibi reserve are: * English: 62.7% * French: 15.2% *

: 18.0% * French and English: 1.2%

Education

There are two schools on the reserve: * Pakinawatik Kikinamadinan (Pre-School) * Kitigan Zibi Kikinamadinan (Elementary & High School)

References

External links

*
Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council - Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg community page
{{authority control Communities in Outaouais Indian reserves in Quebec Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg