Eel Ground First Nation

The Eel Ground Band or Eel Ground First Nation is a Mi'kmaq First Nation band government of 977 people located on the Miramichi River in northern New Brunswick, Canada. The community comprises three reserves (Eel Ground #2, Big Hole Tract # 8 (south half), and Renous #12).[2]

Eel Ground Band
Flag
Eel Ground Band
Location of Eel Ground in New Brunswick
Coordinates: 46°58′9.2″N 65°37′38.2″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceNew Brunswick
CountyNorthumberland County
Established1783
Government
 • ChiefGeorge Harold Ginnish
 • CouncilMerrill Martin
Mike Simon
Wallace Francis
Alisha Sweezey
Tyler Patles
Willie Sark
Kyle Francis
Cody Narvey
Brian Simon
Kelvin Simonson
 • MPPat Finnigan (L)
 • Provincial RepresentativesRick Brewer (L)
John W. Foran (L)
Area
 • Total28.23 km2 (10.90 sq mi)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2012)[1]
 • Total977
Time zoneUTC-4 (Atlantic (AST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (ADT)
NTS Map021I13
Websitehttp://www.eelgroundfirstnation.com/
Postal code span:

History
See also: History of New Brunswick and List of historic places in Northumberland County, New Brunswick

Eel Ground principally occupies lands adjoining the City of Miramichi, New Brunswick, and members of the two communities have no doubt interacted from the time of earliest European settlement. About 1648, Nicolas Denys, Sieur de Fronsac, established a fort and trading post nearby, "on the North side of the Miramichi, at the forks of the river". His son, Richard Denys, was placed in charge of the fort and trading post. In 1688 Richard describes the establishment as including about a dozen French and more than 500 Indians.[3][4][5][6]

The band was officially recognised by the British in 1783, soon after the French defeat in the Seven Years' War.[1]

No doubt the First Nation population had long preceded Denys' "establishment", and present-day inhabitants of Eel Ground would largely be descended from Richard Denys' immediate neighbours. For the Mi'kmaq, the nearby junction of the Northwest and Main Southwest branches of the Miramichi River had long served as a natural meeting point.

Notable people
Main article: List of people from Northumberland County, New Brunswick
Dancer at 2000 Pow-wow hosted by Eel Ground First Nation (IR Walker 2000)

See also

References
  1. Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, Indian and Northern Affairs, retrieved August 30, 2012.
  2. http://eelgroundschool.ca/leaders/ourcomm.html Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Eel Ground First Nation
  3. English, E.J. (2002) Nelson and its Neighbours: 300 years on the Miramichi, 2nd Ed., Earl J. English, Miramichi
  4. Davidson, W.H. (1947) An account of the life of William Davidson, otherwise John Godsman, of Banffshire and Aberdeenshire in Scotland and Miramichi in British North America. Publ. New Brunswick Museum, Historical Studies No. 6.
  5. Davidson, W.H. (1966) William Davidson 1740–1790. North Shore Leader, Newcastle
  6. Beaubear's Island National Historic Site "id73". Archived from the original on 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2016-02-07.

First Nations in New Brunswick


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