Oxford House ( cr, ᐸᓂᑇᓂᐱᐩ, Bunibonibee/panipwânipiy) is a

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 ...

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

community in

northern Manitoba Northern Manitoba (also known as NorMan or Nor-Man) is a geographic and cultural List of regions of Manitoba, region of the Provinces and Territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Originally encompassing a small square around the Red ...

, located on the Oxford House 24

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 ...

. The community is located along the eastern shore of

Oxford Lake Oxford Lake is a lake on the Hayes River in Manitoba, Canada. The lake is in size and sits at a surface elevation of . Description Oxford Lake is a vaguely man-shaped lake, with a 'head' on the east, a 'neck', a northwest-southeast shoulder line ...

at the mouth of

Hayes River The Hayes River is a river in Northern Manitoba, Canada, that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was historically an important river in the development of Canada and is now a Canadian Heritage River and the longest natura ...

, north of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. The Hayes River was designated a

Canadian Heritage River The Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS; french: Le réseau de rivières du patrimoine canadien) is a joint program administered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to conserve and protect the best examples of Canada's river her ...

in 2006. The

Bunibonibee Cree Nation Bunibonibee Cree Nation ( cr, ᐸᓂᑇᓂᐱᐩ, panipwânipiy), formerly known as Oxford House First Nation and as Oxford House Band of Indians, is a First Nation located along the eastern shoreline of Oxford Lake at the headwaters of the Hayes ...

have reserved for themselves 13 separate tracts, of which Oxford House 24 serves as their main reserve, containing the settlement of Oxford House.

History

Oxford House was established in 1798 as a

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 ...

fur trading post on the fur trade route between

York Factory York Factory was a settlement and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) factory (trading post) located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. Yo ...

on the

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...

and

Norway House Norway House is a population centre of over 5,000 people, some north of Lake Winnipeg, on the bank of the eastern channel of Nelson River, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The population centre shares the name ''Norway House'' with the north ...

some north of

Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Manitoba, Canada. I ...

. People from nearby areas moved to the trading site and formed the community of Oxford House. The

United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

played a major role in the development of the community. The ministers and their wives were the first nurses and teachers.

People of Oxford House

When the Dust Settles

In 2016, N'we Jinan travelled to Oxford House and made two music videos with indigenous youth living there, "When the Dust Settles" and "BoiDee". The two videos received attention from outside the community for the insight they offer into the problems facing youth living on remote reserves. The songs are included on the N'We Jinan album, ''Silent War'' recorded in Vancouver in 2017.

Demographics

Oxford House 24 Indian reservation had a population of 1,864 in 2011 living in 335 dwellings on a land area of 51.01 square km. The median age was 21.4.

was selected as the mother tongue of 1,500 residents.

Infrastructure

Oxford House has a high school, elementary school, a pre-school (Head Start) an arena, a

Northern Store The North West Company is a multinational Canadian grocery and retail company which operates stores in Canada's western provinces and northern territories, as well as the US states of Alaska, Hawaii, and several other countries and US terri ...

with a

Tim Hortons Tim Hortons Inc., commonly nicknamed Tim's, or Timmie's is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain. Based in Toronto, Tim Hortons serves coffee, doughnuts, and other fast-food items. It is Canada's largest quick-service rest ...

, a nursing station, a

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

detachment, the University College of the North Centre, an airport, a motel (Triple B), water treatment plant, band office, care home, medivac operation/emergency, youth building, a radio station, and a conservation office.

Fire Hall

The Oxford House Fire Hall was built in 2015.

Care Home

George Colon Memorial Home was built in 1988.

Outdoor Rink

The Outdoor Rinks were built in 2015. They are located on each end of the community. The outdoor rink is for everyone.

Churches

There are 5 Churches in Oxford House. They are United Church, R.C Church, Niyahk Bible Chapel, Full Gospel, Pentecostal Church.

Northern Store

The new addition of the Northern store officially opened in October 29, 2012. The Northern Store has its own grocery and retail section, along with its own Tim Horton express, and a post office.

Super B's

The newest business in Oxford House opened in January 2017, owned and managed by local staff. Super B's is a convenience store with a kitchen that provides a partial menu.

University College of the North Centre

The Oxford House UCN Centre opened its doors at 2015.

Elementary school

Elementary School was built in 1974 and completed in 1975.

References

External links

Map of Oxford House 24 at Statcan

When the Dust Settles on Youtube

Boidee on Youtube
{{MBDivision22 Indian reserves in Northern Region, Manitoba Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Unincorporated communities in Northern Region, Manitoba