Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, commonly known as Wabigoon First Nation (

Anishinaabemowin Ojibwe ( ), also known as Ojibwa ( ), Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algon ...

: ''Waabigoniiw Saaga'iganiiw Anishinaabeg''), is a

Saulteaux The Saulteaux (pronounced , or in imitation of the French pronunciation , also written Salteaux, Saulteau and Ojibwa ethnonyms, other variants), otherwise known as the Plains Ojibwe, are a First Nations in Canada, First Nations band governm ...

First Nation

band government In Canada, an Indian band (), First Nation band () or simply band, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subject to the ''Indian Act'' (i.e. status Indians or First Nations). Bands are typically small groups of people: the largest in ...

who inhabit the

Kenora District Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The district seat is the City of Kenora. It is geographically the largest division in Ontario: at , it covers 38 percent of the province's area, making it larger ...

in northwestern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is approximately 19 km southeast of

Dryden, Ontario Dryden is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on Wabigoon Lake. It is the least populous community in Ontario incorporated as a city. The City of Dryden had a population of 7,388 and its Census g ...

. As of January 2008, the First Nation had a registered population of 533 people, of which their on-Reserve population was 175.

History

The Wabigoon Lake reserve was first laid out in 1884 and was confirmed by the Ontario government in 1915. Members of the Wabigoon Band of Saulteaux living on the western portion of the

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined 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." ...

moved away and formed the

Eagle Lake First Nation Eagle Lake First Nation is an Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Gr ...

. Those living on the eastern portion of the Reserve officially changed its name to Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation on August 7, 1987. In 2021, as part of a search for a site for a deep geological repository for Canada's used nuclear fuel, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) drilled boreholes in a rock formation known as the Revell Batholith, located south of Highway 17, about 35 kilometres west of Ignace (between Ignace and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation). On November 28, 2024, the NWMO selected Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and the township of Ignace as the site of a nuclear waste repository. Construction is expected to begin in the mid 2030s and become operational in the early 2040s.

Governance

The First Nation elect their officials through the Act Electoral System, consisting of a Chief and four councillors. The current Chief is Clayton Wetelainen, the four councillors are Laurel Spalding, Ron Williams, Tyson Williams, and forth coming via bi-election in January 2022. As a signatory to

Treaty 3 ''Treaty 3'' was an agreement entered into on October 3, 1873, by Chief Mikiseesis (Little Eagle) on behalf of the Ojibwe First Nations and Queen Victoria. The treaty involved a vast tract of Ojibwe territory, including large parts of what i ...

, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation is a member of the

Bimose Tribal Council Bimose Tribal Council is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations council, one of three such councils on the Grand Council of Treaty 3. Its members include: * Asubpeeschoseewagong First Nation * Eagle Lake First Nation * Iskatewizaagegan 39 Indepen ...

, a Regional Chiefs Council, and

Grand Council of Treaty 3 Grand Council of Treaty 3 (GCT3) is a political organization representing 24 First Nation communities across ''Treaty 3'' areas of northern Ontario and southeastern Manitoba, Canada, and four additional First Nations, specifically in regard to the ...

, a Tribal Political Organization that represents many of First Nation governments in northwesternern Ontario and southeastern

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

Reserve

The First Nation have reserved for themselves the Wabigoon Lake 27

References

External links

Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation
official website
AANDC profile
{{authority control First Nations governments in Ontario Communities in Kenora District Saulteaux reserves in Ontario 1915 establishments in Ontario