- Ohsweken, Ontario
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Ohsweken
Oswe:ge[citation needed]Coordinates: 43°04′N 80°07′W / 43.067°N 80.117°WCoordinates: 43°04′N 80°07′W / 43.067°N 80.117°W Country 
CanadaProvince 
OntarioGovernment - Governing Body Six Nations Band Council - MP Phil McColeman (Conservative) - MPP Dave Levac (Liberal) Area - Total 75 km2 (29 sq mi) Elevation 200 m (656 ft) Population (Dec-2008) - Total < 11,634[vague] Population of entire reserve. No census data is collected for the town. Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC−5) - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4) Postal code N0A Area code(s) Area code 519 Website http://www.sixnations.ca Ohsweken, (generally pronounced /oʊʃˈwiːkɛn/), is a village on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Indian reserve near Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Approximately 300 of the 2,700 homes on the reserve are in Ohsweken, and it is the site of the reserve governmental and administrative offices.[citation needed]
Contents
History
From approximately 1840 to 1865, the Six Nations Confederacy council met in a log building near Middleport, Ontario. In 1856, against protests from the Onondaga chiefs, a strong-willed superintendent from the Indian Department, Jasper T. Gilkison, established a council building in what is present day Ohsweken, about 6 km south-west of Middleport. Gilkison later retired in 1891 under pressure from the prime minister for incompetence.[1] Though the Onondaga chiefs argued that they should establish their own center of government, the village of Ohsweken quickly developed in the surrounding area.[2]
Places
Veterans’ Park
This park is at the corner of Fourth Line Road and Chiefswood Road. It features The Six Nations-Mississauga War Memorial which commemorates the 200 First Nations soldiers who were killed during World War II. The soldiers fought in Dieppe, France, Hong Kong, and were a part of the Normandy Invasion.[3]
Gaylord Powless Arena
The Gaylord Powless Arena seats 648 with room for 200 standing. Originally constructed in 1972, it was renovated in 2005 and is regularly used for lacrosse, hockey and figure skating. On Bread and Cheese Day, the arena serves for distribution of large chunks of bread and cheese.[4]
Iroquois Village Plaza
The Iroquois Village Plaza is a rented commercial property located in central Ohsweken on Cheifswood Road. It contains an bank, restaurants, the CKRZ-FM radio station, and other businesses.
Events
Six Nations Fall Fair
Six Nations Annual Fall Fair takes place often the first week of September and is one of the oldest Agricultural Fairs in Ontario.[citation needed] Celebrations include the Miss Six Nations pageant, a powwow, horse races, and a derby.
Bread and Cheese
The Bread and Cheese celebration takes place on Victoria Day to commemorate Queen Victoria's gifts of bread and cheese to the people of the Six Nations. Every year, hundreds of people stand in line to enter the Gaylord Powless Arena for large squares of bread and cheese, now provided by Six Nations Band Council. The celebrations also include carnival rides and games, a parade from Chiefswood Park to the arena, and a street dance held by CKRZ-FM.
National Aboriginal Day
The events take place at Chiefswood Park, celebrating National Aboriginal day and the summer solstice on June 21. June 21 is also the day of the Tom Longboat run. There are also festivities at Gage Park in Hamilton.
Grand River Champion of Champions Pow Wow
This annual Pow-wow, since 1979, hosts over 400 dancers and drummers from across North America and is held on the last weekend of July at Cheifswood Park. It features traditional Native dancing, food and crafts.[5]
Elder Network
The Elder Network is a network of people who serve the Elders of the Six Nations, and host various special meals such as a Wild Game Dinner in November, a Strawberry Social in June and a Fish Fry in August. Most of the staff for these meals are volunteers.
Media
The town is serviced by two community newspapers, Turtle Island News and the Tekawennake. Both newspapers feature mostly local news but also include stories related to broader First Nations and Canadian issues. CKRZ-FM, a community radio station, broadcasts a variety of programming including local news, music, language lessons and radio bingo.
People
Actors
Politicians and volunteers
Civil servants
- Roberta Jamieson
Poets
Athletes
- Tom Longboat (Cogwagee)
- Stan Jonathan
- Maynard 'Hook' Martin (Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame)
- Craig Point
- Gaylord Powless
References
- ^ Getty, Ian A. L.; Lussier, Antoine S. (1983). As long as the sun shines and water flows: a reader in Canadian native studies. UBC Press. ISBN 9780774801812. http://books.google.com/books?id=bDtQRq7oSRUC&source=wikipedia. Retrieved 4-Aug-2010.
- ^ Handbook of North American Indians Volume 15. Smithsonian Institution. 1978. pp. 528–529. http://books.google.com/books?id=PHXIeG6JyKEC&pg=PA528. Retrieved 03 Aug 2010.
- ^ "The Sacrifices and Achievements". Native Soldiers - Foreign Battlefields. Veterans Affairs Canada. 30 Jun 2005. http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/other/native/second_sacrifices. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ "Parks and Recreation - Gaylord Powless Arena". http://www.sixnations.ca/prArena.htm. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ "Powwow to feature hundreds of dancers". Brantford Expositor. http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2660788. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
External links
Categories:- Wikipedia articles needing clarification from August 2,010
- Communities in Brant, Ontario
- First Nations reserves in Ontario
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