Wahta Mohawk Territory, Ontario
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The Wahta Mohawks are a
Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...
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 ...
in Ontario. The Wahta Mohawk Territory is their territory (
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 ...
) in the District Municipality of Muskoka,
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 C ...
, Canada near Bala. It is bounded on the west by Highway 400, a major north–south artery in the province. About one-third of the 831 citizens of Wahta Mohawk Territory live in the community of Wahta, along District Road 38, another third live within 100 km, and the remainder live elsewhere. The land is made up of forest and lakes typical of the rugged Canadian Shield. It is used primarily for hunting and fishing by Mohawk from the reserves of
Kanesatake Kanesatake (''Kanehsatà:ke'' in Mohawk) is a Mohawk (''Kanien'kéha:ka'' in Mohawk) settlement on the shore of the Lake of Two Mountains in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence rivers and about west of ...
and Kahnewake
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, who share access to this territory. It was the site of the now defunct Iroquois Cranberry Growers, which was Ontario's largest cranberry farm. The farm was shuttered because of economic reasons. ''"Wáhta"'' is the Mohawk term for the
Maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...
festival, one of their important ceremonies. Wahta Mohawk Territory was founded in 1881 after the
Sulpician Order The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (french: Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice), abbreviated PSS also known as the Sulpicians is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris ...
bought land here for Mohawk from the community of
Kanesatake, Quebec Kanesatake (''Kanehsatà:ke'' in Mohawk) is a Mohawk (''Kanien'kéha:ka'' in Mohawk) settlement on the shore of the Lake of Two Mountains in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence rivers and about west of ...
, where there had been political and religious strife over land use rights. About one-fifth of the Mohawk from that community moved to the new area., accessed 13 October 2015 They also share the Indian River Indian Reserve with the Chippewas of Rama First Nation.


"Wahta Gap"

For a number of years a Mohawk land claim dispute with the provincial government prevented completion of Highway 400 through Wahta.Mark Ladan, "Deal sought to start highway extension ; Land claim has stalled planned stretch of 400". ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...
'', May 26, 2001.
Consequently, through the late 1990s and early 2000s there was an eight-kilometre gap in the freeway, where the roadway remained a two-lane highway for several years even after construction of the freeway was completed further north; although an agreement in principle was reached between the provincial government and the band council by 2001, construction was further delayed by the inability to reach quorum in a band
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
on the agreement: although two separate votes in 2002 were both solidly in favour of the agreement, neither was legally implementable because overall voter participation fell short of the required minimum of 198 voters both times. In 2003 the government and the Mohawk First Nation reached an agreement allowing freeway construction through the reserve lands. Begun in 2004, construction was completed in 2008.


Demographics

As of March, 2018: *Population: 156 *Area (km².): 61.17 *Density (persons per km².): 2.55 Out of the total 831 Wahta Mohawks, 675 live off-reserve.


See also

* Iroquois Cranberry Growers


References


External links


Land Claim Background2011 Canada Census Profile
{{authority control Mohawk reserves in Ontario Communities in the District Municipality of Muskoka