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The Couchiching First Nation (Ojibwe : Gojijiing Anishinaabeg) is a Saulteaux First Nation band government in the Canadian province of Ontario, who live on the Couchiching 16A and Agency 1 reserves in the Rainy River District near Fort Frances.
Ancestors of the Couchiching First Nation were collectively known as Gojijiwininiwag (Couchiching-men) or as Rainy Lake and River Bands of Saulteaux—"couchiching" (gojijiing) being the Ojibwe word for "at the inlet", referring to Rainy Lake, known in Ojibwe as Gojiji-zaaga'igan (Inlet Lake).
Originally, members of the Couchiching First Nation resided further west and others were voyageurs from the east until they moved to the Fort Frances area in the late 19th century to avoid the Louis Riel Rebellion. The Department of Indian Affairs then allocated them a tract of land north of the town, but the band members considered it too far from the trading post. Eventually, they ended up on Little Eagle land and changed it to Couchiching.[ citation needed ]
The current chief is Richard Bruyere. He was elected chief on March 7, 2024, in the band election process. A council of six band members governs the band: Sandy Bruyere (reelected), Lucille Morrisseau (reelected), Randy Jones (reelected), Kourtney Perrault (reelected), Peggy Loyie (reelected), and David Bruyere. The chief's and council's terms end in March 2026. [1] [2]
Couchiching First Nations administers over a dozen programs within the reserve.
Couchiching First Nation had early residences in the Wasaw area north of Frog Creek/Frog Lake. This area was highly regarded in the busy 19th-century forestry and wild rice harvests. After 1909, flooding impacts and expropriation of land for the railway and highway forced the community to move south of Frog Creek and along Sand Bay (south of Highway 11 east of Fort Frances). The Wasaw companies include Wasaw Business Enterprises, Wasaw Project Inc., Wasaw Construction Ltd., Wasaw Developments, and Wasaw Food Services, Inc. These companies are meant to create own source revenue for the community in order to build an economic base for the community.
Wasaw (waasa) in Ojibwe, the language of Couchiching, means "far". [3]
The Ojibwe are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and throughout the northeastern woodlands. The Ojibwe, being Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands and of the subarctic, are known by several names, including Ojibway or Chippewa. As a large ethnic group, several distinct nations also consider themselves Ojibwe, including the Saulteaux, Nipissings, and Oji-Cree.
The Saulteaux, otherwise known as the Plains Ojibwe, are a First Nations band government in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. They are a branch of the Ojibwe who pushed west. They formed a mixed culture of woodlands and plains Indigenous customs and traditions.
Rainy River District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1885. It is the only division in Ontario that lies completely in the Central Time Zone, except for the township of Atikokan observing Eastern Standard Time for part of the year. Its seat is Fort Frances. It is known for its fishing and its location on the US border opposite International Falls, Minnesota, and Baudette, Minnesota.
The Rainy River is a river, approximately 137 miles (220 km) long, forming part of the Canada–United States border separating Northwestern Ontario and northern Minnesota.
Yellow Quill First Nation (formerly Nut Lake Band of Saulteaux) is a Saulteaux First Nation band government in Saskatchewan, Canada. Their reserve is twenty kilometres northwest of Kelvington. The Yellow Quill First Nation is a signatory of Treaty No. 4, which was signed by Chief Yellow-quill on August 24, 1876.
Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation, formerly known as the Nicickousemenecaning First Nation and as the Red Gut First Nation, is a Saulteaux First Nation band government who inhabit the banks of Rainy Lake of the Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. As of January, 2008, the First Nation had a population of 290 registered people. As of 2017, it has approximately 130 on-reserve members.
Lac La Croix First Nation is a Saulteaux First Nation band government who reside in the Rainy River District of northwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Ontario-Minnesota border. It is approximately 200 km northwest of Thunder Bay, Ontario. As of January 2008, the First Nation had a registered population of 398 people, of which their on-Reserve population was 273.
Muskowekwan First Nation is a Saulteaux (Ojibway) First Nation who inhabit approximately 100 km northwest of Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada. As of May, 2008, the First Nation has 1,517 registered people, of which their on-reserve population was 400.
Fishing Lake First Nation is a First Nation of the Saulteaux branch of the Ojibwe nation. Fishing Lake First Nation are Anishinabek people. The band can trace their origins to central Canada, and were pushed westward to avoid encroachment by European settlers. The First Nation was originally part of the Yellow-quill Saulteaux Band, a Treaty Band named after a Treaty 4 signatory Chief Ošāwaškokwanēpi, whose name means "Green/Blue-quill." However, due to "š" merging with "s" in Nakawēmowin, this led to a mistranslation of his name as "Yellow-quill"—"yellow" being osāw-, while "green/blue" being ošāwaško-. The band was given three reserves, at Fishing and Nut Lakes and Kinistino, Saskatchewan. The Fishing Lake Indian Reserve 89 was approximately 22,850 acres (92.5 km2). Soon after the death of Chief Ošāwaškokwanēpi, the Band divided into three groups, the Fishing Lake First Nation, the Yellow Quill First Nation, and the Kinistin Saulteaux Nation
The Naicatchewenin First Nation, also known as the Anishinaabeg of Nagaajiwanaang and formerly known as Northwest Bay First Nation, inhabited a region in Ontario that was cited in the Northwest Angle Treaty of 1873, also known as Treaty 3. Nagaajiwanaang is located approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Fort Frances, with the community of Devlin 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the south on Highway 11. The city of Thunder Bay lies 420 kilometres (260 mi) to the east and Winnipeg is 450 kilometres (280 mi) to the northwest.
Pwi-Di-Goo-Zing Ne-Yaa-Zhing Advisory Services is a non-profit Regional Chiefs' Council located in the Rainy River District, Ontario, Canada, serving seven First Nations by providing advisory services and training which will enhance the overall management skills and opportunities of the area's First Nations.
Rainy Lake and River Bands of Saulteaux are Saulteaux (Ojibwe) group located in Northwestern Ontario and northern Minnesota, along and about the Rainy Lake and the Rainy River, known in Ojibwe as Gojijiing.
Seine River First Nation, previously known as the Rivière la Seine Band, is an Ojibwe First Nation reserve located roughly 300 kilometres (190 mi) west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. As of November 2011, the First Nation had a total registered population of 725, of which 327 lived on their own reserve.
Mitaanjigamiing First Nation, formerly known as Stanjikoming First Nation, is an Ojibwe First Nation band government who inhabit 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of Fort Frances, Ontario, along the shores of Stanjikoming Bay of Rainy Lake. As of November, 2011, the First Nation had a total registered population of 142, of which 99 lived on their own reserve.
Rainy River First Nations is an Ojibwe First Nation band government in Emo, Ontario, Canada.
The Cote First Nation is a Saulteaux First Nations band government in Kamsack, Saskatchewan. This Saulteaux reserve is connected to the Keeseekoose First Nation and only a couple of miles from the Key First Nation. Their land is situated just south of the boreal forest in the aspen parkland ecosystem of Canada. The Ojibwe of this region of Saskatchewan and Manitoba were both hunters of the plains bison and hunters of the forests which were more abundant during the 19th century. They also fished the endless lakes and other waterways in the land. They seldom went hungry as a result of the large bison herds. However, by the 1870s, commercial hunting had reduced the bison to near extinction and the Ojibwe of Saskatchewan and Manitoba began to suffer from famine.
Big Grassy First Nation is an Ojibwe or Ontario Saulteaux First Nation band government located in Rainy River District, Ontario near Morson, Ontario.
Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation is an Ojibwe or Ontario Saulteaux First Nation located in Kenora District, Ontario near Nestor Falls, Ontario. Together with the Big Grassy First Nation, Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation is a successor apparent to the former Assabaska Band of Saulteaux. Total registered population in February, 2012, was 737, of which the on-reserve population was 445. The First Nation is a member of the Anishinabeg of Kabapikotawangag Resource Council, a regional tribal council that is a member of the Grand Council of Treaty 3.
Seven Generations Education Institute is an Aboriginal-owned and controlled post-secondary institution, co-founded by the ten bands in the Rainy Lake Tribal area in 1985. The ten bands are: Big Grassy, Big Island, Couchiching, Lac La Croix, Naicatchewenin, Nigigoonsiminikaaning, Ojibways of Onigaming, Rainy River, Seine River and Mitaanjigamiing. Each of the bands appointed one member to the board of directors of Seven Generations Education Institute, which functions with the leadership of the Executive Director.
Tara Houska Zhaabowekwe is a tribal attorney, land defender and climate justice activist.
48°40′55″N93°24′40″W / 48.68194°N 93.41111°W
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