Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation

Located in western Manitoba, about 386 kilometers or 240 miles northwest of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and not too far from the Saskatchewan border (about 30 miles or 48 kilometers), is the Anishinabe wuskwi sipihk first nation. In history, the Anishinabek possibly first settled in this region of western Manitoba between the 1860s or 1880s, under the guidance of ogima (chief) Kinistin. But it may have occurred much earlier. Ogima Kinistin probably first had to request from the Chippewan (Chipewyan) people for their permission for the Anishinabek to live on their land, or he had his soldiers force their way in. Or the Anishinabek forced their way in to this part of Manitoba sometime during the 18th century to control the invading Freemasons who were, of course, the English and French. The whites armed the Athabascans and Dakotas with their guns and ammunition but it only temporarily delayed the Anishinabe conquest. Anyway, a large group of Anishinabek did enter this region of western Manitoba and adjacent Saskatchewan to live, in the decades between the 1860s and 1880s, or much earlier as stated. Total area covered by this First Nation which has 15 reserves, is 11,154 total hectares or 27,562 total acres. Total population is 614, with most (417) living off the Reserve, while 193 live on reserve, and 4 live on other reserves.