Ohsweken () is a dispersed rural community located within the

Six Nations of the Grand River Six Nations (or Six Nations of the Grand River) is demographically the largest First Nations reserve in Canada. As of the end of 2017, it has a total of 27,276 members, 12,848 of whom live on the reserve. The six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy ...

, in the

County of Brant The County of Brant (2021 population 39,474) is a single-tier municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario. Although it retains the word "county" in its name, the municipality is a single-tier municipal government and has no upper tier. The C ...

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. Approximately 300 of the 2,700 homes on the reserve are in Ohsweken, and it is the site of the reserve governmental and administrative offices.

History

From approximately 1840 to 1865, the Six Nations Confederacy council met in a log building near Middleport, Ontario. In 1856, against protests from the Onondaga chiefs, a strong-willed superintendent from the

Indian Department The Indian Department was established in 1755 to oversee relations between the British Empire and the First Nations of North America. The imperial government ceded control of the Indian Department to the Province of Canada in 1860, thus setting ...

, Jasper Tough Gilkison, established a council building in what is present-day Ohsweken, about south-west of Middleport. Gilkison later retired in 1891 under pressure from Prime Minister Sir

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (10 or 11January 18156June 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 until his death in 1891. He was the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, and had a political ...

for incompetence. Though the Onondaga chiefs argued that they should establish their own centre of government, the village of Ohsweken quickly developed in the surrounding area.

Arts and culture

Six Nations Fall Fair

Six Nations Annual Fall Fair takes place often the first week of September and is one of the oldest Agricultural Fairs in Ontario. Celebrations include the Miss Six Nations pageant, a powwow, horse races, and a derby.

Bread and Cheese (Independence Day)

In appreciation of the Six Nations' support for Great Britain during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

began an annual tradition of giving blankets to their community. The custom ended with Victoria's death in 1901. In 1924, however, the council of the Six Nations decided to revive the practice, this time with gifts of bread and cheese, as a commemoration of the close ties between Six Nations and the British Crown. Every year, thousands of people stand in line to enter the

Gaylord Powless Gaylord Powless (1946–2001) was a Haudenosaunee lacrosse player from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario. His father Ross was also a highly regarded player. In 2017, Powless was awarded the Order ...

Arena where they receive large squares of bread and cheese. The celebrations also include carnival rides and games, a parade from Chiefswood Park to the arena, and a street dance held by CKRZ-FM.

National Indigenous Peoples’ Day

The events take place at Chiefswood Park, celebrating National Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the summer

solstice A solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly sun path, excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around 20–22 June and 20–22 December. In many countries ...

on June 21. June 21 is also the day of the Tom Longboat run. There are also festivities at Gage Park in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

Grand River Champion of Champions Pow Wow

This annual

Pow-wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity for Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their ...

, held since 1979, hosts over 400 dancers and drummers from across North America. It is held on the last weekend of July at Chiefswood Park. It features a variety of traditional Native dancing by different tribes, food, and crafts.

Attractions

Veterans' Park

This park is at the corner of Fourth Line Road and Chiefswood Road. It features The Six Nations-Mississauga War Memorial, which commemorates the 200

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

soldiers who were killed during World War II. The soldiers fought in

Dieppe Dieppe (; ; or Old Norse ) is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department, Normandy, northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newhaven in England ...

, France, and Hong Kong, and were part of the

Normandy Invasion Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...

in 1944.

Gaylord Powless Arena

The Gaylord Powless Arena seats 648 with room for 200 standing. Originally constructed in 1972, it was renovated in 2005 and is regularly used for lacrosse, hockey and figure skating. On Bread and Cheese Day, the arena serves for distribution of large chunks of bread and cheese.

Speedway

Ohsweken Speedway The Ohsweken Speedway is a dirt track in the village of Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. Ohsweken’s weekly Friday night racing program runs from May to September each year, featuring 360 Sprint Cars, Crate Sprint Cars, Thunder Stocks, and Mini Sto ...

is a 3/8 mile dirt oval auto raceway located in Ohsweken.

Education

Six Nations Polytechnic is a Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation community-controlled school.

Media

The town is serviced by two community newspapers, ''

Turtle Island News ''Turtle Island News'' is a weekly community newspaper, published in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. The ''Turtle Island News'' also covers First Nation and aboriginal issues across North America. History The newspaper was founded in 1994 by Lynd ...

'' and ''

Two Row Times The Two Row Times, an Onkwehon:we ( Onkwehonwe) flagship publication of Garlow Media,Two Row Times Business Report (September 20, 2013) is a free weekly news publication based in Hagersville, Ontario, Canada, and focusing distribution on the Six ...

''. Both newspapers feature mostly local news but also include stories related to broader First Nations and Canadian issues. CKRZ-FM, a community radio station, broadcasts a variety of programming including local news, music, language lessons and radio bingo. CJKS-FM, another local radio station, is known for their varieties of genres broadcast and dedicated Native American programming.

Notable people

Jay Silverheels Jay Silverheels (born Harold Jay Smith; May 26, 1912 – March 5, 1980) was a First Nations in Canada, First Nations and Mohawk people, Mohawk actor and athlete, descended from three Iroquois nations. He was well known for his role as Tonto, the ...

Gary Farmer Gary Dale Farmer (born June 12, 1953) is a Canadian First Nations ( Cayuga) actor and musician. He is best known for his Independent Spirit Award-nominated roles in '' Powwow Highway'' (1989), ''Dead Man'' (1995) and '' Smoke Signals'' (1998). ...

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

Daniel David Moses Daniel David Moses (February 18, 1952 – July 13, 2020) was a Canadian poet and playwright. Moses was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, and raised on a farm on the Six Nations of the Grand River near Brantford, Ontario, Canada.Colin Boyd"Daniel Davi ...

Stan Jonathan Stanley Carl "Bulldog" Jonathan (born September 5, 1955) is a Canadian former ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League, for whom he played for parts of eight seasons, and featured in two Stanley Cup ...

Brandon Montour Brandon Montour (born April 11, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman presently playing for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Montour was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round, 55th overall, of ...

Craig Point Craig Point (born January 19, 1986), is an Iroquois lacrosse player who currently plays for the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League and the Six Nations Chiefs of Major Series Lacrosse. He was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, and com ...

Cody Jamieson Cody Jamieson (born July 17, 1987) is an Iroquois professional box lacrosse player. He plays for the Halifax Thunderbirds of the National Lacrosse League and the Six Nations Chiefs in Major Series Lacrosse. Jamieson is a former attackman for Syr ...

* Tyson Bomberry

References

External links

* {{authority control Wikipedia articles needing clarification from August 2010 Communities in the County of Brant Six Nations of the Grand River