The Red Rock Indian Band (also known as Lake Helen Reserve) is an

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

Northwestern Ontario Northwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Northern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the ...

, Canada. Their territory is located on the Red Rock 53 (formerly Parmachene 53) and Lake Helen 53A

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 ...

s in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. As of March 2017, they had a total registered population of 1,837 people. The Nation is led by Chief Marcus Hardy. The council is an independent member of

Anishinabek Nation The Anishinabek Nation, also known as the Union of Ontario Indians, is a First Nations political organization representing 39 member Anishinabek Nation First Nations in Canada in the province of Ontario, Canada. The organization's roots predate Eu ...

, a First Nations political organization. The First Nation is also a member of Waaskiinaysay Ziibi Inc., an

economic development corporation An economic development corporation ("EDC") is an organization common in the United States, usually a 501(c)(3) non-profit, whose mission is to promote economic development within a specific geographical area. These organizations are complementary ...

made up of five Lake Nipigon First Nations. Members of the Red Rock Indian Band once lived in different locations on and around Lake Nipigon. Historically, members are known to have lived at Jackfish Island, Gull Bay, and McIntyre Bay (English Mission Church) also called Grand Bay. The Indian reserves are approximately 100 km northeast of the city of

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

and 2 km east of Nipigon. The total area covered by the two reserves is approximately . This site is also the location of Saint Sylvesters Church. St. Sylvester's Church was built in 1877, which was a Jesuit Mission. The first recorded burial was on October 3, 1880. The graveyard is adjacent to the church and people are still buried there regularly. Although a historical landmark, the Church is no longer used as the building structure is unsafe. The Red Rock Indian Band is located within the 1850 Robinson Superior Treaty area. Band members use the Parmachene area regularly, for fishing, berry picking, hunting, trapping, gathering medicinal plants, camping, and participate in traditional ceremonies. Blueberry picking in particular is enjoyed by many Red Rock Indian Band members. The Lake Helen Reserve 53A is the main community located on the shores of Lake Helen. Al Hackner, 2-time world curling champion, is a member of Red Rock Indian Band. The traditional

name for the band is ''Opwaaganasiniing'', which is the

locative In grammar, the locative case (abbreviated ) is a grammatical case which indicates a location. It corresponds vaguely to the English prepositions "in", "on", "at", and "by". The locative case belongs to the general local cases, together with the ...

form of the word for pipestone.

References

External links

AANDC profileFirstNations.ca profileOfficial website
First Nations governments in Ontario Ojibwe governments {{Ontario-geo-stub