Cote First Nation facts for kids
Band symbol
|
|
| People | Saulteaux |
|---|---|
| Treaty | Treaty 4 |
| Headquarters | Kamsack |
| Province | Saskatchewan |
| Land | |
| Reserve(s) | |
| Land area | 80.882 km2 |
| Population (2019) | |
| On reserve | 1074 |
| Off reserve | 2987 |
| Total population | 4061 |
| Government | |
| Chief | George Cote |
| Tribal Council | |
| Yorkton Tribal Council | |
| Website | |
| cotefirstnation.ca | |
The Cote First Nation (which is called Ininiwidooskwaning in the Ojibwe language) is a Saulteaux First Nation group. They live near Kamsack, Saskatchewan. Their land is close to the Keeseekoose First Nation and the Key First Nation.
The Cote First Nation's land is located just south of the boreal forest in a grassy area called the aspen parkland. In the past, the Ojibwe people from this area of Saskatchewan and Manitoba were skilled hunters. They hunted plains bison and other animals in the forests. They also fished in the many lakes and rivers. Because of the large bison herds, they usually had enough food. However, by the 1870s, too much hunting by others caused the bison to almost disappear. This led to difficult times and hunger for the Ojibwe people.
History of the Cote First Nation
The people of Cote have lived in Saskatchewan and Manitoba for at least 250 to 300 years. When people from Europe arrived, many Ojibwe people had to move west and north. By the late 1800s, Europeans reached eastern Saskatchewan. They began to talk with the leaders of the Cote people.
One important leader was Chief MīMīY, also known as Gabriel Coté. He signed Treaty 4 on September 15, 1874. A special area of land, called a reserve, was set aside for them in 1877. This created the Cote First Nation. The Keeseekoose First Nation was also formed from a group that was once part of the Swan River First Nation in Manitoba. They moved after floods forced them to leave their original home.
It is not known if the Ojibwe people of eastern Saskatchewan took part in the 1885 North-West Rebellion. Their land was quite far from the main battles of that conflict. The Cote Ojibwe people were likely connected to Chief Yellow Quill and Chief Kinistin during the 1800s.
Reserves and Land
The Cote First Nation originally had a larger reserve that was connected to the Keeseekoose First Nation. Today, the Cote First Nation has one main reserve that covers about 8,088 hectares (about 20,000 acres). They also share a special piece of land called Treaty Four Reserve Grounds 77 with 33 other First Nations who signed Treaty 4. The Cote First Nation is part of the Yorkton Tribal Council. This council helps manage things for several First Nations in the area. Their offices are in Yorkton.
Community Members
As of September 2013, the Cote First Nation had 3,616 registered members. About 904 members lived on the reserve, and 2,712 members lived off the reserve.
Today, the Cote Reserve covers 8,088 hectares. If you include the Keeseekoose Reserve, the total area is 16,567 hectares. The population of the Cote First Nation is 841 people living on the reserve and 2,642 living off the reserve. This makes a total of 3,483 members. When you add the total population of the Keeseekoose First Nation, the combined population is 5,726 people.
Important Chiefs
Antoine "Tony" Cote (1935 - July 31, 2019) was an important leader for the Cote First Nation. He was elected Chief for eight years, from 1970 to 1978. During his time as Chief, he helped build an arena on the reserve. He also started the first Saskatchewan Indian Summer Games in 1974. These games were a big event for Indigenous youth.
Tony Cote also helped create the first all-Indigenous Junior B Hockey Team and the first all-Indigenous Oldtimers Hockey Team. In 1980, he was the Treasurer for the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. He received many awards for his work. These include the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and being added to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. He also won the Tom Longboat Award for Saskatchewan in 1974. To honor him, the Saskatchewan First Nations Summer Games were renamed the Tony Cote Summer Games.
