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Lake Winnipeg's
Contemporary First Nations
| Self-Determination:
The Jurisdictional Legacy of
the Manitoba Framework Agreement
Initiative
In contrast to the optimism,
trust, harmony and egalitarian
spirit which accompanied the
signing of a series of First
Nations treaties in Manitoba
during the early 1870's, the
subsequent institution of the
federal Indian Act in 1876 resulted
in loss of aboriginal land,
impoverishment, and the dark
days of reserve pass systems
and residential schools. In
1994, after 3 years of discussions
between the Chiefs of the First
Nations of Manitoba and Indian
Affairs and Northern Development
Canada, the Manitoba Framework
Agreement Initiative was signed
by the Assembly of Manitoba
Chiefs and the Government of
Canada. The Agreement provides
a timetable for the transfer
of jurisdiction over First Nations
matters to the First Nations
themselves, recognizing their
right to self-government.
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The historic Hudson's Bay Company outpost
of Norway House is now the home of the Norway
House First Nation. With a total band population
of over 4,000, the Cree community, located
450 air kilometres north of Winnipeg at
the junction of Jack River and Playgreen
Lake, has acquired modern amenities and
road connections. Other Lake Winnipeg First
Nations communities include:
· Grand Rapids Reserve, Cree, at
the mouth of the Saskatchwan River on the
west side of Lake Winnipeg
· Berens River Band, Ojibway, on
the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg, at the
mouth of the Berens River
· Bloodvein Reserve, Ojibway, on
the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg directly
north of the Bloodvein River
· Brokenhead Reserve, Ojibway, extending
along the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg
between Netley Marsh and Victoria and Grand
Beaches
· Jackhead Reserve, Ojibway, on
the western shore of Lake Winnipeg
· Little Black River Reserve, Ojibway,
on the banks of the O'Hanley and Black Rivers
on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg
· Poplar River Band, Ojibway-Cree,
on the east side of Lake Winnipeg at the
mouth of the Poplar River
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