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Keeseekoose First Nation facts for kids

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Keeseekoose First Nation
Band No. 367
People Saulteaux
Treaty Treaty 4
Headquarters Kamsack
Province Saskatchewan
Land
Main reserve Keeseekoose 66
Other reserve(s)
Keeseekoose 66A-66ST04
Land area 79.554 km2
Population (2019)
On reserve 711
Off reserve 1814
Total population 2525
Government
Chief Lee Anthony Ketchemonia
Council
1)Alvin Musqua Jr

2)Alvin Quewezance 3) Ralph Keshane 4) Beverly Keshane 5) Henry Keshane 6) Lyndon Musqua 7)Robert Stevenson 8) Calvin Stevenson 9) Glen Ketchemonia 10) Ambrose Musqua 11) Lorenz Keshane 12) Kevin Musqua

Tribal Council
Yorkton Tribal Administration Tribal Chief Isabelle O'Soup
Website
keeseekoose.com

The Keeseekoose First Nation is a Saulteaux band government located in Kamsack, Saskatchewan. The band is named for Chief Kiishikouse (kîšîkôns, "little sky"), who signed an adhesion to Treaty 4 at Swan Lake, Manitoba, in 1875. Flooding on the band's Manitoba reserve forced a relocation to the band's current location, adjacent to the Cote First Nation reserve. Those who stayed in Manitoba are today known as the Pine Creek First Nation.

Reserves

It has 24 Reserves and shares the Treaty Four Reserve Grounds 77 with many other Treaty Four First Nations. Total on-Reserve population is 679 and off-Reserve population is 1,564, making the total population 2,243. When including the Coté First Nations with whom they share the same Reserve, the total population is 5,726. The area covered by the Keeseekoose Reserves is 8,475 hectares or 20,942 acres. When including the Cote, the area increases to near 41,000 acres or 16,567 hectares.

History

Originally the Keeseekoose Saulteaux people lived on the plains of Manitoba and probably the forest to the north. Their food supply was largely buffalo, from which pemmican was prepared. They also hunted the forest for deer, moose and other wild game. Their country was teeming with incredible numbers of waterways which they utilized for more food. They probably harvested the wild rice that grew on the waterways of Manitoba. In fact, wild rice was probably one of their major food sources. Chief Keeseekoose saw that his subjects were going hungry in the early 1870s and put their welfare first and signed treaty four on September 15, 1874. While half of the people wanted to fish and hunt , the others wanted to farm and ranch. This promted a dicision from Chief Kisickonse after the Swan River First Nation of Manitoba was established. Under the leadership of Chief Kisickonse and after treaty four was signed the Keeseekoose, many of the tribe relocated to the present location where the land was more suitable for farming and ranching.

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