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Welcome -
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Walpole Island Bridge
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"Our present-day community is nestled between Ontario
and
Michigan at the mouth of the St. Clair River.
The
modern delta emerged only 6,000 years ago. This place is known to us as
Bkejwanong, the-place-where-the waters-divide. It is also known as
Walpole Island, named after the "warpoles" which were long wooden
starves planted in the ground with the emblems of the First Nations
on them. These warpoles were seen by the early visitors. Bkejwanong
has been occupied by Aborginal people for thousands of years. It is
today home to 3,000:
Having a commmon heritage they formed the Three
Fires Confederacy - a political and cultural compact that has served
us well. The "Island" is blessed with a unique ecosystem including
6,900 hectares of the most diverse wetlands in all of the Great Lakes
Basin. Actually, Walpole
Island consists of six islands with Walpole
being the largest. The land portion of the"reserve" contains a total
of 58,000 acres. I use the term "reserve" lightly because in fact
Walpole Island has never been founded, legislationed, established,
set apart or surveyed as a "reserve".
Walpole Island has the
distinction of being "unceded territory". This fact, together with
its natural and human resources, makes Walpole Island a very special
place. Walpole Island is also known for its rare flora and
fauna. Our local economy is highly
diverse and rich. It is dependant on the bounty of the land and its
fruits. Our lands and waters still support recreation and tourism.
Hunting, fishing, and trapping is a mulit-million dollar industry in
our community. Even though we are the southern most reserve in Canada
citizens of our First Nation, incredibly can still support their
families through hunting, fishing, trapping and guiding activities.
These traditional activities are central to our economic base and
cultural integrity".
Although the Pottawatomi
settled permanently at Walpole Island only
after 1836, they had used the territory of southwestern Ontario at a
much earlier date.
Walpole Council House
Authored by Kendall Sands.
First created January 18, 1997. Last worked on June 30
, 2008
with
a rebuild anticipated when I'm back in Ann ArborGO BLUE!
I"ve added more pix and some content...I will be updating and adding to the
site.
Thanks for looking.