The Bloodvein First Nation is located on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, along the Bloodvein River in Manitoba, Canada. This area is a part of Treaty 5, and has long been inhabited by native peoples. The name “Bloodvein” was used in an 1818-19 Hudson's Bay Company journal. The name originates from a major battle between the tribe inhabiting the mouth of the river and one of the neighboring tribes, where blood flowed into the river. The river was originally called the "Blood River" but was changed to "Bloodvein" by the HBC.
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During the 18th century, the Bloodvein River was used by Ojibwa peoples as a trapping area for the fur trade, and it was a fur transport route. The native community of Bloodvein, near the river’s mouth, is still inhabited by descendants of the Saulteaux-Ojibwa people, continuing the traditional native life of hunting, trapping, fishing and wild rice harvesting.
The Bloodvein River is located in the largest remaining intact boreal forest region of the world. It is being nominated to become a World Heritage Site. Poplar River is a protected area in the region that is a part of the area being nominated.
The river’s historic features are the undisturbed archaeological sites which provide evidence of prehistoric, hunter-gatherer peoples in the area for thousands of years. There are pictographs (native rock paintings of red ochre) dating back to around 900 to 1,200 AD.
There are many caribou, bears, wolves, bald eagles, lynx, owls, and various species of fish in the area. The river and surroundings is the traditional land use area for the Ojibwa people.
As of April 2007, the First Nation had the population of 1,406 registed people, of which the on-reserve population was 887 people. The primary language spoken on the reserve is Saulteaux.
The First Nation has reserved itself the Bloodvein 12 and the smaller Loon Straits 11 Reserves. Bloodvein First Nation is a member of the Southeast Resource Development Council.
During 2009 work started on upgrading the existing Rice River Road to Bloodvein and further extending it to Berens River.[1]
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