Kitigan Zibi is a First Nations reserve of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, an Algonquin band. It is situated not far of the confluence of the Désert and Gatineau Rivers, and borders south-west on the Town of Maniwaki in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. Having a total area of, it is the largest Algonquin Nation in Canada, in both area and population. Present in the reserve are grocery and hardware supermarkets, gas station, elementary and secondary schools with a library accessible to the whole community, gift shops, a community radio station, a day-care, a community hall, a health centre, a police department, a youth centre, a wildlife centre, and an educational and cultural centre.
Toponymy
Kitigàn means "garden" or "cultivated land." Since Algonquins were historically not farmers, it may be that, in this case, this name originated as a reference to a clearing made by the Hudson's Bay Company for the establishment of its post, dependencies, and the adjoining garden.
Geography
The reserve is bounded by the Eagle River along its west side, by the Desert River on the north side, and the Gatineau River on the east side. Most of its development is along or near Highway 105, while forest still covers much of the reserve. It is also home to 13 fresh water lakes with areas in excess of and approximately 29 smaller lakes and streams located throughout the territory. Fish species found within these waters are walleye, pike, bass, trout, carp, catfish, and fresh water sturgeon. Mammals found within the reserve include beaver, muskrat, fisher, marten, mink, otter, bobcat, lynx, cougar, deer, black bear, wolf, and moose.
History
The history of the reserve is closely linked to that of the Town of Maniwaki, which developed concurrently. In the first half of the 19th century, Algonquins of the mission at Lake of Two Mountains, under the leadership of Chief Pakinawatik, came to the area of the Désert River. Shortly after, in 1832, the Hudson's Bay Company followed them and installed a trading post at the mouth of this river. A decade later, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate established the mission of Notre-Dame-du-Desert and, from 1849, they demanded of the authorities the demarcation of a township in order to establish a reserve for the Algonquins. Chief Pakinawatik, along with other leaders, journeyed by canoe on three separate occasions to Upper Canada and negotiated the terms for the setting aside of the reserve land. The township limits were drawn in 1850 and given the name of Maniwaki by the Oblates at this time. In Algonquin language, the place was identified as Kitigànsìpì or Kitigàn Zìbì, meaning "Garden River." Legally established in 1851, the reserve was demarcated in 1853. In the decree implementing it, the reserve was called "Manawaki" and also "River Desert". The name "Kitigan Zibi" came to replace the other two on September 24, 1994, when the band council gave this title to the reserve. Because of land claim settlements in the late 1990s, small portions of land of the Town of Maniwaki were added to Kitigan Zibi. The federal government concluded, on 18 March 2019, an agreement to pay the Kitigan Zibi community $116 million, settling 29 claims for Indian reserve land appropriated between 1873 and 1917 for the town site of Maniwaki. The same community filed in December 2016 a claim in Ontario Superior Court, claiming it never surrendered and still owns the land in Ottawa on which Parliament of Canada stands. Concerned about the disinterest of its youth in their own language, the community has decided to reintroduce the teaching of the Algonquin language in school.
Demographics
As of September 2012, the registered population of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation is 2,988 members, of whom 1,560 live on the Kitigan Zibi reserve, 28 live on another reserve or crown land, and 1,400 live off reserve. Canada Census data before 2001:
The Kitigan Zibi Pow Wow is held annually, on the first weekend of June. The Kitigan Zibi Cultural Centre has a number of exhibits, cultural artifacts, paintings, and photographs relating to the Algonquin culture and history. A living museum, Mawandoseg Kitigan Zibi, is dedicated to traditional Anishinaabeg way of life.
