Wunnumin Lake Band Office - Profile
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 Wunnumin Lake First Nation is located 500 km north of Thunder Bay, within the district of Sioux Lookout.The environment of Wunnumin Lake First Nation is utilized and preserved by the local native people as our aboriginal homeland. Our rights, culture, language, fishing, gathering, hunting, and trapping are granted to us by the Creator. Our relationship with the land is a combination of respect and responsibility. LIFE ON THE LAND: THE BIG BEAVER HOUSE LAKE PEOPLE: STORIES OF THE PEOPLELet us tell you how the Pipestone River got its name. In the day when the animals could talk, Weesakayjac began to hunger for the taste of beaver. He followed the Pipestone River to Big Beaver's house. There Weesakayjac punched a hole in the dome of the lodge, but Big Beaver escaped through his underwater tunnel. Big Beaver fled down the Pipestone River, chased by Weesakayjac. When he reached his dam, Big Beaver broke through, doubled back, and raced up the river. Weesakayjac flew into a rage when he saw the smashed dam. He spied Baby Beaver and in his rage he smashed in Baby Beaver's head with a rock. Baby Beaver flew through the air, landing in a pool of blood. To this day the earth is red from the blood of Baby Beaver. The chase continued up the Pipestone River and past Big Beaver's smashed house. Finally Weesakayjac grabbed Big Beaver. In his fear, Big Beaver's bowels loosened and made a giant pipe in the centre of the river. Weesakayjac tried to boil Big Beaver in his pot but the pot tipped, Big Beaver escaped, and Weesakayjac once again missed his dinner. To this day you can still see Weesakayjac's overturned pot and Big Beaver's pipe. They say if you are on the river at just the right time, you can see smoke coming from the pipe. And thanks to Big Beaver's gift, people on the river have been making pipes from this rock since time immemorial. As you travel down the river, you come across Big Beaver's house and you can see where he stored his winter food supply at the end of his tunnel. You can also see the original community of the Big Beaver House Lake people, the gardens, the church, the old Hudson Bay store, and the flower gardens gone wild. If you are lucky or maybe just if you are interested, the people of Wunnumin Lake might show you where Baby Beaver spilled his blood, staining the earth red and giving Wunnumin Lake its name - Wunnumin means red earth in Oji-cree. You need no skill at all to see the broken dam that stretches across the lake in front of the community, nor to find the rock that Weesakayjac threw, or his footsteps in the esker that is Big Beaver's dam. And this is how the Pipestone River got its name. TRAVELLING TO WUNNUMIN LAKEThe reserve is accessible by air, water, and seasonal road. In 1992, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario completed a 3500' gravel airstrip. Airport facilities include a waiting room and an airport maintenance building. Wasaya Airways and Bearskin Airways provide daily scheduled flights and charters. To travel to Wunnumin Lake by water, follow the Pipestone River from Pickle Lake, Kingfisher Lake, and Summer Beaver. There is no all-weather provincial highway leading to the settlement. However, during the winter season a winter road is constructed for the purpose of delivering bulk material and fuel. SERVICESThe following services are available in Wunnumin Lake:  Health Services Health Director Ð Chris Cromarty Nursing Station (tel) 807-442-2573; (fax) 807-442-2532 Band Economic Development Band Economic Development Officer Ð Lloyd Angees (tel) 807-442-2559; (fax) 807-442-2627 Education Education Director Ð Matthew Angees (tel) 807-442-2559; (fax) 807-442-2627 Distance Education Director - Evelyn Gliddy (tel) 807-442-2509; (fax) 807-442-1039 CAP CAP Coordinator Ð Matthew Angees (tel) 807-442-9931; (fax) 807-442-9956 NAPS (tel) 807-442-2570; (fax) 807-442-9962AFFILIATIONS Wunnumin Lake First Nation is affiliated with the Shibogama First Nations Tribal Council and is part of the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation. | |||
