Pikangikum First Nation facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pikangikum 14
Bigaanjigamiing
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| Pikangikum Indian Reserve No. 14 | |
 Pikangikum 14
Location in Ontario
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| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Ontario |
| District | Kenora |
| First Nation | Pikangikum |
| Area | |
| • Land | 8.59 km2 (3.32 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 335 m (1,099 ft) |
| Population
(2011)
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| • Total | 2,100 (2,011 census) 4,500 (2,019 reported) |
| • Density | 111.3/km2 (288/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 807 |
The Pikangikum First Nation (/pɪˈkændʒɪkəm/, Ojibwe: Bigaanjigamiing, unpointed ᐱᑲᐣᒋᑲᒥᐠ,,pointed ᐱᑳᐣᒋᑲᒦᐣᐠ) is an Ojibwe First Nation located on the 1,808-hectare (4,470-acre) Pikangikum 14 Reserve, in Unorganized Kenora District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The main centre is the community of Pikangikum, on Pikangikum Lake on the Berens River, part of the Hudson Bay drainage system; it is approximately 100 kilometres (60 mi) north of the town of Red Lake.
The community has a registered population as of September 2011[update] of 2,443, of whom 2,334 live on the reserve.
Contents
History
A 2005 Wawatay Native Communications Society survey found that the residents of Pikangikum have one of the highest rates of original language retention of any First Nation in Northern Ontario. The language is Ojibwe, the major dialect of Anishinaabe peoples (see Berens River Ojibwe language).
Clans
The community has the following doodem (clans):
- Caribou (Adik)
- Sturgeon (Name)
- Pelican (Zhashagi)
- Skunk (Zhigaag)
Government
The Pikangikum First Nation is governed by a council elected via a custom electoral system consisting of a chief, deputy chief and nine councillors. The current chief is Dean Owen Pikangikum First Nation is a member of Treaty 5 (through the initial signing on 20 September 1875 at Berens River, Manitoba) and the Independent First Nations Alliance.
Transportation
The community is accessible primarily by airplane at the Pikangikum Airport, although it is also served by Pikangikum Water Aerodrome. It has winter road access north to Poplar Hill First Nation and south to Red Lake and Ontario Highway 125.
Education
The community's only school burned down in 2007, with all students learning in portables until the opening of Eenchokay Birchstick School in 2016.
Economy
Unemployment rates are estimated to be around 90% in Pikangikum. Traditional subsistence economies are not factored into the employment rate calculation.
In November 2020, Pikangikum became the first community in Canada to gain access to the beta version of the Starlink satellite internet constellation, providing limited high-speed Internet access to the community for the first time.
Whitefeather Forest Initiative
Since 1996, Pikangikum First Nation has been pursuing its Whitefeather Forest Initiative (Ojibwe: pointed: ᐚᐱᒦᑿᓐ ᓅᐦᐱᒫᐦᑲᒥᒃ ᒫᒋᐦᑖᐏᓐ; unpointed: ᐘᐱᒥᑿᓐ ᓄᐱᒪᑲᒥᒃ ᒪᒋᑕᐏᓐ; Waabimiigwan Noopimaakamig Maajitaawin), a land-based community economic development renewal and resource stewardship initiative. Through this Initiative the First Nation is working with the Government of Ontario to manage the Whitefeather Forest, 12,200 square kilometres (4,700 sq mi) of Crown land in the Pikangikum customary land-use area. In 2006 the First Nation completed their land use strategy named Keeping the Land, which was approved by the Province through the Ministry of Natural Resources. The land use strategy provides guidance for the future management of proposed new land-use activities, such as commercial forestry, protected areas and eco-cultural tourism. Keeping the Land provides a vision for the management of proposed new land uses rooted in the indigenous knowledge and customary stewardship traditions of Pikangikum people. Keeping the Land is made up of three key components (WFMC 2006):
- Stewardship Strategy — an obligation to respect all living beings
- Customary Activities — all those physical, mental and spiritual states of well-being that are needed for survival on the land.
- Economic Development — new livelihood practices adapted to customary stewardship approach to provide for the survival of Pikangikum people in a contemporary cultural context.
Recreation
Hockey on adjacent Lake Pikangikum is a favourite pastime of the youth.
Health concerns
Water advisories
Pikangikum was under boil-water advisory for more than 10 years. The supply of clean running water was negatively affected by inadequate power supply by the community's diesel power generator.
