Kashechewan | |
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Kashechewan Indian Settlement | |
Coordinates: 52°17.5′N 81°39′W / 52.2917°N 81.650°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
District | Kenora |
First Nation | Kashechewan |
Official Website | https://www.kfncree.com/ |
Population | |
• Total | 2,537 |
The Kashechewan First Nation (/kəˈʃɛtʃəwən/, Cree: ᑫᔒᒋᐗᓐ ᐃᓕᓕᐗᒃ, kêšîciwan ililiwak) is a Cree First Nation band government located near James Bay in Northern Ontario, Canada. The community is located on the northern shore of the Albany River. Kashechewan First Nation is one of two communities that were established from Old Fort Albany (now the Fort Albany 67 Indian Reserve) in the 1950s. The other community is Fort Albany First Nation, which is now located on the southern bank of the Albany River. The community is connected to other towns along the shore of James Bay by the seasonal ice road/winter road, linking it to the towns of Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, and Moosonee.
Kashechewan is policed by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, an Aboriginal-based service. A fire at the detachment on January 9, 2006, severely injured an officer and killed two inmates as they could not be rescued.[1]
When the community of Kashechewan came into being, the new residents chose the name "Keeshechewan", meaning "where the water flows fast" in Cree. However, when the sign for the new post office arrived, it had the misspelling "Kashechewan", and this became the official name of the community. This official name has no real meaning in the Cree language.[2]