Marten Falls First Nation

Marten Falls 65
Indian reserve
Marten Falls Indian Reserve No. 65
Marten Falls 65
Coordinates: 51°40′N 85°55′W / 51.667°N 85.917°W / 51.667; -85.917Coordinates: 51°40′N 85°55′W / 51.667°N 85.917°W / 51.667; -85.917
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
District Kenora
First Nation Marten Falls
Area[1]
 • Land 81.43 km2 (31.44 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 190
 • Density 2.3/km2 (6/sq mi)
Website community.matawa.on.ca

Marten Falls First Nation is an Anishinaabe First Nation reserve located in northern Ontario. The First Nation occupies communities on both sides of the Albany River in Northern Ontario, including Ogoki Post (Ojibwe: Ogookiing) in the Cochrane District and Marten Falls in the Kenora District. As of December 2013, the First Nation had a total registered population of 728 people, of which their on-reserve population was 328 people.

Profile

Ogoki is a First Nation community managed by the Marten Falls Band. It has a registered population of roughly four hundred people, with additional transient residents fulfilling healthcare, teaching or policing roles. The town is served by Ogoki Post Airport, and has its own community radio station, CKFN 89.9 FM (a repeater of CKWT-FM.)

There is no road access to the community outside of winter roads. However, since 2000 there has not been a winter road into the community. Travel and transportation is currently on a fly-in basis only.

Government

Governance

The Marten Falls First Nation elects their council members through the Act Electoral System for a two-year term, consisting of a chief and five councillors. The current chief is Elijah Moonias, whose term began on September 30, 2013, and will last until September 29, 2015. The five councillors are: Ambrose Achneepineskum, Anna Achneepineskum, Paul Achneepineskum, Lance Baxter, Shane Baxter, Linda Moonias and Tom Moonias.

Council

As a signatory to Treaty 9, the Marten Falls First Nation is a member of the Matawa First Nations, a Regional Chief's Council, and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, a Tribal Political Organization representing majority of the First Nations in northern Ontario. Through these council memberships, the First Nation receives additional services, ranging from Economic Development assistance and Health Care assistance to Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.

Services

In order to implement services to the First Nation, the following assist the council carrying out these services to the community:

The healthcare in the community is serviced by a First Nations Inuit Health (a branch of Health Canada) clinic staffed by community health nurses (CHN). There is a K-8 school (Henry Coaster Memorial School) that staffs teachers from both outside the community and within the First Nation. The on-reserve version of Children's Aid is provided through Tikinagan Child and Family Services. Ogoki is policed by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, an Aboriginal-based service.

Reserve

The First Nation have reserved for themselves the 7,770.1-hectare (19,200-acre) Marten Falls Indian Reserve 65, located on the north bank of the Albany River, about 170 km (110 mi) northeast of Nakina, Ontario.

History

Marten Falls was the home of Chanie Wenjack, a young boy who died in 1966 while trying to return home after escaping from an Indian residential school.[2] His story was dramatized in Secret Path, a multimedia music, film and graphic novel project by Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Marten Falls 65 census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Gord Downie to release album, graphic novel about residential schools". The Globe and Mail, September 9, 2016.
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