The Wahta Mohawks () are a

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans *Mohawk people (Kanien’kehá:ka), an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language (Kanien’kéha), the language spoken by the Mohawk people *Mohawk hairstyle, from a ...

First Nation 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 v ...

) in the

District Municipality of Muskoka The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka, is a List of regional municipalities in Ontario, Canada, regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. It extends from Georgian Bay in the ...

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 near

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. 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 The Canadian Shield ( ), also called the Laurentian Shield or the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), th ...

. It is used primarily for hunting and fishing by Mohawk from the reserves of

Kanesatake Kanesatake () is a Mohawk (''Kanien'kéha:ka'') settlement on the shore of the Lake of Two Mountains in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers and about west of Montreal. People who reside in ''Kan ...

and

Kahnawake The Kahnawake Mohawk Territory (, in the Mohawk language, ''Kahnawáˀkye'' in Tuscarora) is a First Nations reserve of the Mohawks of Kahnawà:ke on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, across from Montreal. Establi ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, 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 shut down in 2017 due to 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 soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

festival, one of their important ceremonies. Wahta Mohawk Territory was founded in 1881 after the

Sulpician Order The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (; 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, where it was founded. The members of the Society add t ...

bought land here for Mohawk from the community of

Kanesatake, Quebec Kanesatake () is a Mohawk (''Kanien'kéha:ka'') settlement on the shore of the Lake of Two Mountains in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers and about west of Montreal. People who reside in ''Kane ...

, 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 Chippewas of Rama First Nation, also known as Chippewas of Mnjikaning and Chippewas of Rama Mnjikaning First Nation (, also alternatively Rama Anishinaabek), is an Anishinaabe (Ojibway) First Nation located in the province of Ontario in Canada ...

. In October 2023, in conjunction with Muskoka District council and the province, District Road 38, which had been formerly known only by its district road number and had no official name apart from that, was given the new name Kanien’kehá:ka Iohatátie, meaning "Mohawk Peoples Road" in the Mohawk language.

"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. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', 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 A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. In a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature), a quorum is necessary to conduct the business of ...

in a band

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

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.

References

External links

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

"Wahta Gap"

Demographics

See also

References

External links