Wôlinak
| Wôlinak | |||
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| Location in Quebec | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Quebec | ||
| Coordinates : | 46 ° 20 ′ N , 72 ° 26 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 ) | ||
Wôlinak is an Indian reservation in the Canadian province of Québec and lies in the middle of the urban area of Bécancour . The almost 0.5 km² reserve Wôlinak No. 11 had 168 inhabitants of Indian descent in 2006, mostly from Eastern Abenaki .
history
The first inhabitants of Wôlinak were Indian families from the tribes of the Western and Eastern Abenaki . They came at the beginning of the 17th century and settled on the Puante River, which was later renamed Rivière Bécancour after the French baron Bécancour . The area was called Namesokântsik by the Indians , which means where there are many fish and which is known today under the name Mégantic . In its heyday, Wôlinak had more than 600 inhabitants, but the number fell sharply as a result of a series of wars and epidemics. The presence of French settlers and the Jesuits , who fought against the widespread abuse of alcohol among the Indians, also drove some Abenaki families from Wôlinak.
Wôlinak was founded in 1704 as an Indian reservation for Abenaki living in Maine , who were regarded as allies of the French colonial power. From here the warriors marched in small groups across the border and raided the British settlements in New England . Two permanent Abenaki communities had now developed in Québec: Wôlinak or Bécancour near Trois-Rivières , which consisted mostly of Eastern Abenaki from southern Maine, and Odanak or St. Francois , about 45 km southwest of it, that of a mixture from Western Abenaki, Penacook, and New England Algonquin . In 1735, Wolinak-Abenaki moved to the place where their descendants can still be found today. Meanwhile converted to Christianity, they built a wooden church around 20 meters long and 10 meters wide here. The Jesuit priest Eustace Lesueur held the service, which was also attended by the white residents of Bécancour.
In the British-American War of 1812, the residents fought on the side of the British. Upon their return they found that white settlers had occupied a large part of their reservation. Furious, they set fire to some of the white houses and claimed their land back, but were only granted a fraction of their formerly much larger reservation.
Todays situation
The official name of the reservation residents is called Waban-Aki Nation , which counts a total of 311 people. The 0.49 km² reserve has around 168 (2006) permanent residents who, in addition to French, all speak their traditional tribal language. Every two years the members of the tribal council, which consists of a chairman and four advisors, are elected. Wôlinak's health center and administration are located in a new building from 1998.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ History of Wôlinak ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ History Wôlinaks ( Memento of the original on 22 October 2007 at the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Community profile
- ↑ Wôlinak today ( Memento of the original from October 25, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
