The Eskasoni Mi'kmaw Nation () is a

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 ...

of the Mi'kmaq First Nations, located in Unama'ki (Cape Breton), Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2021, Eskasoni has a membership of 4,675. Of this population, 3,973 live on-Reserve, and 667 live off-Reserve.

History

The word 'Eskasoni' is derived from the Mi'kmaq word , which means 'where the fir trees are plentiful'. In 1942, the federal government enacted a centralization policy through

Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to Native Americans and A ...

. This policy led to the forced relocation of hundreds of Mi’kmaq from the

Digby, Nova Scotia Digby is a Canadian town in southwestern Nova Scotia. It is in the historical Digby County, Nova Scotia, county of Digby and a separate municipality from the Municipality of the District of Digby. The town is situated on the western shore of the ...

area to two reserves – Eskasoni and Shubenacadie, known today as Sipekne’katik. This led to rapid population growth in Eskasoni, which was previously home to less than 200 residents. In 2016 Dr. Mohan Singh Virick, a

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

doctor who served Eskasoni for 50 years, donated 140 hectares (335 acres) of land. He also donated a building in Sydney to help house Eskasoni's growing population.

Present day

Eskasoni is the most populous community of the Mi'kmaq Nation. It has its own

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...

station,

CICU-FM CICU-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting at 94.1 MHz from the Eskasoni First Nation on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. The station broadcasts a community radio format and plays a variety of music, including classic rock, country, etc. ...

, broadcasting at 94.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

. The Eskasoni First Nation is also home of the

Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources The Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) is an Indigenous led non-profit organization located in the Mi'kmaw community of Eskasoni on Unama’ki (Cape Breton Island), Nova Scotia, Canada. UINR serves the five Mi'kmaw communities in Unam ...

, a Mi'kmaq organization devoted to natural resources and the environment. The community operates its own school board, providing services to children from kindergarten to grade 12. The Eskasoni First Nation is composed of three parts:

References

External links

Eskasoni Band Council

* ttp://www.efwc.ca Eskasoni Fish & Wildlife Commission
Government of Canada's Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Eskasoni First Nation profile

Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources
{{authority control First Nations governments in Atlantic Canada First Nations in Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq governments