Opaskwayak Cree Nation

Opaskwayak Cree Nation
Band No. 315
PeopleSwampy Cree
TreatyTreaty 5
Province
Land[1]
Main reserveOCN 21E
Other reserve(s)
  • OCN 21, 21A, 21A South, 21B, 21C, 21D, 21F, 21G, 21I, 21J, 21K, 21L, 21N, 21P, 27A
  • Egg Lake Indian Reserve #1
  • Rocky Lake
  • Rocky Lake Interior
  • Root Lake 231
  • Root Lake Beach Ridge Site Indian Reserve
  • Salt Channel 21D
Land area177.851 km2
Population (2022[2])[1]
On reserve3380
On other land27
Off reserve3180
Total population6587
Government[1]
ChiefMaureen Brown
Tribal Council[1]
Swampy Cree Tribal Council
Website
opaskwayak.com

The Opaskwayak Cree Nation (/ˌoʊpəˈskwaɪək/; OCN, Cree: ᐅᐸᐢᑿᔭᐠ, opâskwêyâhk, 'at the wooded narrows')[3] is a First Nations band government located in Manitoba, Canada.[4] The main OCN reserve is regarded as one of three distinct communities that comprise "The Pas area" in northern Manitoba, with the two others being the Town of The Pas and the Rural Municipality of Kelsey.[5]

Most of the OCN's on-reserve population lives near the Town of The Pas on the OCN 21E reserve, but the band also has many other reserves stretching from Goose Lake in the north to Mountain Cabin, Saskatchewan, in the south. OCN is accessible by rail, road, water, and air travel.

Peoples of the OCN are Swampy Cree, and their dominant language is from the Swampy Cree n-dialect.[6] The Opaskwayak people first negotiated and entered into Treaty 5 in 1876.[6]

The First Nation hosts the Opaskwayak Indian Days annually each August. [citation needed]

  1. ^ "First Nation Detail". Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. 14 November 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "First Nation Profiles". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. 14 November 2008.
  3. ^ Ogg, Arden (August 19, 2015). "Cree Names of Cree-speaking Communities across Canada." Cree Literacy Network. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  4. ^ "Home - Opaskwayak". opaskwayak.com. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  5. ^ "The Pas / OCN | Manitoba North". Travel Manitoba. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  6. ^ a b Klemp, Travis. 2022 March 8. "Opaskwayak Cree Nation." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved 2023-01-15.