English River First Nation

The English River Dene Nation is a Dene First Nation band government in Patuanak, Saskatchewan, Canada. Their reserve is in the northern section of the province. Its territories are in the boreal forest of the Canadian Shield. This First Nation is a member of the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC).^[5]

English River First Nation
Band No. 400
Des Nëdhë́’iné

People	Denesuline
Treaty	Treaty 10
Headquarters	Patuanak
Province	Saskatchewan
Land[1]
Main reserve	La Plonge 192
Other reserve(s)	Elak Dase 192A Knee Lake 192B Dipper Rapids 192C Wapachewunak 192D Île-à-la-Crosse 192E Primeau Lake 192F Cree Lake 192G English River 192H Barkwell Bay 192I Grasswoods 192J Haultain Lake 192K Flatstone Lake 192L Cable Bay 192M Cable Bay 192N Beauval Forks 192O Leaf Rapids 192P Slush Lake 192Q Mawdsley Lake 192R
Land area	252.703 km2
Population (2019)[2]
On reserve	778
Off reserve	847
Total population	1625
Government[3]
Chief	Jerry Bernard
Tribal Council[4]
Meadow Lake Tribal Council

Traditionally, English River First Nation are known in Chipewyan (Denesuline) as "People of the Great River" (Des Nëdhë́’iné), referencing Churchill River along its banks their traditional territory is located.^[6][7]

Demographics

As of May 2012 the total membership of English River Dene First Nation was 1,451 with 774 members living on-reserve and 677 members living off-reserve.^[8]

Territory

The English River Dene Nation based in Patuanak has territory at fifteen sites.^[9]

• Cree Lake 192G on the south-west side of Cree lake is 1607.40 hectares 57.3848°N 107.0644°W / 57.3848; -107.0644
• Cable Bay 192M on Cree Lake is 538.30 hectares
• Barkwell Bay 192I at the northern end of Cree Lake is 2344 hectares 57.6158°N 106.1000°W / 57.6158; -106.1000 ^[10][9] One of the two sites at the south end may include the old Cree Lake settlement.
• Wapachewunak 192D is 1967 hectares. 55.9085°N 107.7138°W / 55.9085; -107.7138 with 482 residents (Canada Census 2011).^[11] It adjoins the northern hamlet of Patuanak
• La Plonge 192 is 9,487.20 hectares (23,443.4 acres) 55°12′34″N 107°35′23″W. The La Plonge settlement where the Beauval Residential School was located is across the river from the northern village of Beauval and had 115 residents in 2011.^[12]
• Dipper Rapids 192C is 831.30 hectares (2,054.2 acres) 55°57′07″N 107°22′15.3″W and home of the Dipper Lake settlement where the Churchill River enters Dipper Lake ^[13]
• Elak Dase 192A 55.8742°N 106.7544°W / 55.8742; -106.7544 is 1390.90 hectares on the east side of Knee Lake is home of the Knee Lake settlement^[13] at the mouth of the Haultain River. 55.8543°N 106.7762°W / 55.8543; -106.7762
• English River 192H located on an island in Porter Lake is 42.90 hectares. 56.3347°N 107.3358°W / 56.3347; -107.3358
• Beauval Forks 192O 55.1011°N 107.7079°W / 55.1011; -107.7079 is 1.40 hectares.
• Flatstone Lake 192L is 230.50 hectares. 56.2502°N 107.7180°W / 56.2502; -107.7180
• Haultain Lake 192K is 201.20 hectares. 56.8334°N 106.3678°W / 56.8334; -106.3678
• Grasswoods 192J 56.3347°N 107.3358°W / 56.3347; -107.3358 is 54.4 hectares.
• Île-à-la-Crosse 192E is 5 miles east of Ile a la Crosse at the mouth of the Beaver River ^[13] on the shore of Lac Île-à-la-Crosse and is 6 hectares.
• Knee Lake 192B (north west shore of Knee Lake) is 487.20 hectares. 55.8613°N 107.0429°W / 55.8613; -107.0429
• Primeau Lake 192F home of the Primeau Lake settlement ^[13] is 1690 hectares. 55.8946°N 107.2429°W / 55.8946; -107.2429

Notable members

• Sage Paul, fashion designer^[14]

See also

• Denesuline language
• Denesuline

References

1. "First Nation Detail". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
2. "First Nation Detail". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
3. "First Nation Detail". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
4. "First Nation Detail". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
5. "Meadow Lake Tribal Council". Archived from the original on March 23, 2012.
6. Des Nedhe Group, "Who we are". For generations, the local Dene people have used the word Des Nedhe to describe the “great river” that flows next to them – known today as the Churchill River in northern Saskatchewan. https://desnedhe.com/about/#board
7. English River First Nation Website, As ‘people of the river’ we are known for our bold and collaborative spirit and our self-sufficient and humble nature. https://erfn.net/
8. "AANDC (Registered Population)". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada.
9. "AANDC Reserves/Settlements/Villages". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada.
10. "Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Geographical Names (Query by Geographical Name)". Retrieved January 7, 2015.
11. "Canada Census 2011 (Wapachewunak 192D (Indian reserve))". 8 February 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
12. "Canada Census 2011". 8 February 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
13. Marchildon, Gregory P.; Robinson, Sid (2002). Canoeing the Churchill: A Practical Guide to the Historic Voyageur Highway. University of Regina Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-88977-148-2.
14. Laing, Sarah (26 October 2022). "A platform where Indigenous artists can shine". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 12 November 2023.

External links

• Official website