Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN, Chipewyan: K'ai Taile Dené) is a band government. It represents local people of the Denesuline (Chipewyan) ethnic group. It controls eight Indian reserves: Chipewyan 201 and Chipewyan 201A through Chipewyan 201G, near Fort Chipewyan, Alberta. The band is party to Treaty 8, and is a member of the Athabasca Tribal Council.^[5]

Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
Band No. 463
K'ai Taile Dené

People	Dënesųłı̨né
Treaty	Treaty 8
Headquarters	Fort Chipewyan
Province	Alberta
Land[1]
Main reserve	Chipewyan 201
Other reserve(s)	Chipewyan 201A Chipewyan 201B Chipewyan 201C Chipewyan 201D Chipewyan 201E Chipewyan 201F Chipewyan 201G
Land area	347.67 km2
Population (2019)[2]
On reserve	255
Off reserve	1048
Total population	1303
Government[3]
Chief	Allan Adam
Council size	4
Tribal Council[4]
Athabasca Tribal Council
Website
acfn.com

The ancestors of today's ACFN were evicted from Wood Buffalo National Park by the Government of Canada beginning in 1944, according to research published by the band.^[6]

The band launched a court challenge in 2007 to an oilsands lease given to Shell Canada by the provincial government which, the band alleged, they were not given a chance to oppose. In 2011, the band lost its suit, but planned to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.^[7]

The band was the focus of Neil Young's 2014 concert campaign against the Athabasca oil sands development. In the wake of that the band withdrew from the Oil Sands Monitoring program, which they say lacks input from aboriginal peoples and does not address treaty rights.^[8]

Chief Allan Adam was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in March 2020, tackling him and punching him severally in the head whilst he lay on the ground.^[9][10]

References

1. "First Nation Detail". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
2. "First Nation Detail". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
3. "First Nation Detail". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
4. "First Nation Detail". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
5. "Athabasca Tribal Council – Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation". Archived from the original on 2011-02-25. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
6. Willow Springs Strategic Solutions. "A HISTORY OF WOOD BUFFALO NATIONAL PARK'S RELATIONS WITH THE DENÉSULINÉ Final Report Including historical narrative, impacts and critical interpretations, with appendices" (PDF).
7. "Alberta Cree lose legal fight to stop Shell oilsands leases". The Toronto Star. 28 January 2011.
8. Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Pulls Out Of Joint Oilsands Monitoring Program, Canadian Press via the Huffington Post, January 24, 2014
9. Cecco, Leyland (2020-06-12). "First Nations chief shown being punched by Canadian police in video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
10. Porter, Catherine; Bilefsky, Dan (2020-06-12). "Video of Arrest of Indigenous Leader Shocks Canada". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-12.

Further reading

• Publications by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation

External links

• First Nation homepage