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Block 14, Lot 34
Cumberland House Cree Nation
Saskatchewan S0E 0S0
Canada - (306) 888 2226
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Cumberland House Cree Nation (CHCN) is located two hours northeast of the nearest rural community. We are approximately 100 km from the Manitoba border. Cumberland House Cree Nation is situated on an Island right next to the Village of Cumberland House which is on Crown land. The First Nation community is only separated by 5 KM from the village. The Saskatchewan River flows by the First Nation Community.
Our Membership is approximately 2000 with about 65% living on the reserve. Cumberland House Cree Nation has a K-12 school, Health Center, Daycare, Child and Family Services, Convenience Store, and Band Office.
Many Cumberland House Cree Nation Members use the land for traditional hunting and fishing, as well as many other traditional practices such as berry picking, medicine gathering, and camping. CHCN Band Members are fluent in Swampy Cree (N-dialect).
Cumberland House Cree Nation signed an adhesion to Treaty 5 on September 24, 1875. Formerly known as the Cumberland House Band, there are a total of five reserves designated for the Cumberland House Cree Nation.
The Custom Election Act 2009 was recently amended and the Chief and Council now serve three-year terms as of March 2012. We use the Custom Electoral System also known as Band Custom where we make our own rules and regulations regarding elections.
Cumberland House Cree Nation is a proud and resilient Nation that puts values on land preservation, hunting, fishing, camping, family, education, health, and so much more that makes a healthy community. The nation strives to remove itself from colonial idealism and practices towards a better life that is one with the land and our creator.
In the 1960s, the twelve Chiefs of the Prince Albert District formed a political alliance, to collectively work together on common issues, which was formalized under the Charter of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians (FSI). In the early years, the Chiefs met during the FSI All Chiefs Conferences, to discuss pressing issues and to elect a District Representative, who sat on the Executive Council of the FSI, which later became known as the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN). Initially, the Prince Albert District Chiefs (PADC) only addressed concerns of a political nature and did not employ any staff, apart from the fifteen employees they hired, at the beginning of the 1975/1976 school year, to operate the School Block of the Prince Albert Indian Student Residence (PAISR), which was still under the control of Indian Affairs, at that time. Then, in 1982, a Convention Act was passed, formalizing the organization. This was followed by the development of the administrative side of the organization, in 1984, which was incorporated as the PADC Management Company. In 1989, the organization developed a new logo and the name was changed to the Prince Albert Tribal Council (PATC). The Chiefs of the newly formed tribal council passed a new Convention Act, in 1993, and the name of the organization was officially changed to the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC). The PAGC Convention is based upon the primacy and independence of each of the twelve First Nations and identifies the national, cultural, and political principles that the Grand Council is founded upon and under which it is required to act. The new Convention also supports the devolution or transfer of services currently offered by PAGC to individual First Nations, as requested.