The ancestors of the Anicinabe people of Sagkeeng signed Treaty 1 in 1871. The Fort Alexander Indian Reserve of approximately 21,674 acres was surveyed in 1874 and has a current band membership of 7,637 people with approximately 3,352 living on reserve.
Sagkeeng’s traditional territory includes land within Treaty #1 and land north and west of the Winnipeg River. In June 2007 the Sagkeeng Chief and Council filed a Statement of Claim seeking court recognition of unextinguished Aboriginal Title over traditional lands situated outside Treaty #1. In addition to this claim, in September 2010, Sagkeeng submitted a revised Treaty Land Entitlement claim which is currently before the Specific Claims Tribunal.
The Sagkeeng Anicinabe Government’s current leadership consists of five elected members: Chief Derrick Henderson, and Councillors Lin Dorie, John Courchene, Dylan Courchene, Erin Courchene, Henry Swampy and Tania Twoheart. This leadership was elected in April of 2019.
