Band Number: | 377 |
People: | Saulteaux |
Treaty: | Treaty 4 |
Headquarters: | Tisdale |
Province: | Saskatchewan |
Main Reserve: | Kinistin 91 |
Reserve: | |
Area: | 41.48 |
Pop Year: | 2019 |
On Reserve: | 339 |
Off Reserve: | 750 |
Chief: | Felix Thomas |
Tribal Council: | Saskatoon Tribal Council |
Website: | kinistin.sk.ca |
Footnotes: | [1] |
The Kinistin Saulteaux Nation (oj|Gidishkoniganinaan )[2] is a Saulteaux band government in Saskatchewan. Their reserve is 39km (24miles) southeast of Melfort. The Kinistin Saulteaux Nation is a signatory of Treaty No. 4, which was signed by Chief Yellow-quill on August 24, 1876.
Total registered population in February, 2009, was 913, of which the on-reserve population was 328 members. The First Nation is a member of the Saskatoon Tribal Council and have their urban offices in Saskatoon as well as their Tribal Council offices.
The First Nation was originally part of the Yellow-quill Saulteaux Band, a Treaty Band named after a Treaty 4 signatory Chief Ošāwaškokwanēpi, whose name means "Green/Blue-quill." However, due to "š" merging with "s" in Nakawēmowin (Saulteaux language), this led to a mistranslation of his name as "Yellow-quill"—"yellow" being osāw-, while "green/blue" being ošāwaško- (or osāwasko- in Saulteaux). Kinistin is named after Chief Kiništin ("Cree"), one of the headmen for Chief Ošāwaškokwanēpi. Chief Kiništin came to Saskatchewan from Western Ontario along with his two brothers, Miskokwanep ("Red [Crow-]Feather") and Mehcihcākanihs ("Coyote"). In 1901, lands were set aside for the Kinistin Band. Soon after the death of Chief Ošāwaškokwanēpi, the Yellow-quill Saulteaux Band divided into three groups, with the group originally headed by Chief Kiništin becoming the Kinistin Saulteaux Nation.
The First Nation have reserved for themselves three reserves:
Kinistin have an elected tribal council consisting of a chief and five councilors. The current council for the two-year-long electoral term ending in April 2019, consists of Chief Felix Thomas and Councillors Wayne J. Thomas, Joseph Smokeyday, Cecil McNab and Craig Thomas.