bɪɡ ˈrɪvər | Big River First Nation
Community Profile
- The Big River First Nation is situated in the boreal forest region of Saskatchewan, maintaining traditional lands and practices while engaging in modern economic and social development.
- Last Updated 2025-05-02 11:17:51 UTC
- Name: Big River (ISC Code: 404)
- Former Names: Buffalo River Band, Northern Saskatchewan Band
- Band Style: First Nations
- Cultural Area: Boreal Forest, Northern Saskatchewan
- Indigenous Language: Cree
- Number of Registered Members: 4185
Governance
Band Council
- GOVERNANCE TYPE: Not Applicable
- TERM EXPIRES: 10/09/2027
- CHIEF: JONATHAN BEAR
- NUMBER OF COUNCIL MEMBERS:12
- JONATHAN BEAR
- LARRY KEENATCH
- LARRY JOSEPH
- CLIFFORD BEAR
- WALLY MCADAM
- SANDRA BEAR
- EUCLID MORIN
- ROBERT RABBITSKIN
- AL WHITEFISH
- ISADORE WEENONIS
- MICHAEL CROOKEDNECK
- CURTIS MORIN
Contact Information
- BAND WEBSITE: http://www.brfn.ca/
- PHONE NUMBER: (306) 724-4700
- FAX NUMBER: (306) 724-2161
- ADDRESS: PO BOX 519, DEBDEN, SK
- EMAILS:
- Chief JONATHAN BEAR:
- Councillor LARRY KEENATCH:
- Councillor LARRY JOSEPH:
- Councillor CLIFFORD BEAR:
- Councillor WALLY MCADAM:
- Councillor SANDRA BEAR:
- Councillor EUCLID MORIN:
- Councillor ROBERT RABBITSKIN:
- Councillor AL WHITEFISH:
- Councillor ISADORE WEENONIS:
- Councillor MICHAEL CROOKEDNECK:
- Councillor CURTIS MORIN:
- General Band Office:
- Media Contact:
- Referrals Contact:
- Websites
Band Financial Statements
- 2023 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2022 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2021 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2020 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2019 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2018 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2017 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2016 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2015 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2014 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2013 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2007 - Big River20072008.pdf
- 2006 - Big River20062007.pdf
- 2005 - Big River20052006.pdf
- 2004 - Big River20042005.pdf
- 2003 - Big River20032004.pdf
- 2002 - Big River20022003.pdf
- 2001 - Big River20012002.pdf
Band Council Remuneration
- 2023 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2022 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2021 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2020 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2019 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2018 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2017 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2016 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2015 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2014 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2013 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
Laws, Bylaws, and Codes
Intergovernmental Agreements
Lands and Traditional Territory
Reserves
-
ISC Code: 6607
BIG RIVER INDIAN RESERVE NO. 118
11571.8 Hectares
98 KM NW/NO OF/DE PRINCE ALBERT
[nil, nil] -
ISC Code: 6608
BIG RIVER INDIAN RESERVE NO. 118A
393.0 Hectares
NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT, SECS 6&7, TWP 52, RGE 7 & SECS 1,2,11&12, TWP 52, RGE 8, W3M
[nil, nil]
Traditional Territory Details
- Encompasses boreal forest regions in Northern Saskatchewan
- Traditional hunting and trapping grounds
- Significant river systems including the Churchill River
- Historical migration routes through dense forest landscapes
Consultations and Referrals
Band Submissions
Consultation Reports
Band Business Interests
Band Owned Corporations
Court Records
Downloadable Court Decisions
- Dana and Barbara Pettigrew v Big River (Rural Municipality)
- Big River (Town) v Robert and Patricia Moyer
- Carrier Forest Products v. Big River No. 555 (Rural Municipality)
- Ernest Montgrant v Big River (Rural Municipality)
- Big River (Rural Municipality) v Pettigrew
- R v Big River First Nation
- Carrier Forest Products Ltd. v Big River (Rural Municipality)
- Big River First Nation v Agency Chiefs Tribal Council Inc.
- McAdam v. Big River First Nation
- R v Big River First Nation
- Whitefish et al. v. Joseph et al.
- R. v Big River First Nation
- Agency Chiefs Tribal Council Inc. v Big River First Nation
- A.C. Forestry Ltd. v Big River First Nation
- Big River First Nation v. Dodwell
- Big River First Nation v A.C. Forestry Ltd.
- Simonot v. Big River First Nation
- Couture (Marcel Seeds) v. Big River First Nation
- Big River Planning Area Basic Planning Statement Regulation
- Big River First Nation v A.c. Forestry Ltd.
- Bill v Big River First Nation
- Rural Municipality of Big River No. 555 (Re)
- Big River Brewing Company Ltd. (Re)
- Big River Union Hospital v. Saskatchewan Union of Nurses
- Various (Altus) v Big River and Lakeside (Rural Municipalities)
Active Court Cases
Media Reports
Media Reports
- Big River residents meet on tribal land issue
- Rufiji River
- Longest Rivers In Kenya
- New book captures magnitude of Columbia River Basin
- Indigenous efforts to save Peru’s Marañon River could spell trouble for big oil
- Keepers of the Water take message to COP16 that Canada's largest river basin needs to be protected
- “Bad River” documentary combines historical treatment of indigenous people with the fight to protect Lake Superior
- New York youth hockey players welcomed to Big River First Nation for cultural exchange
- The largest dam removal project in the US is completed – a major win for Indigenous tribes
- Girls’ Hockey Team on Big River First Nation Led by Indigenous Role Model
- Indigenous advocacy leads to largest dam removal project in US history
- In 'The Great River,' historian Boyce Upholt looks at where the Mississippi River starts, and where it's going
- A call for an HIV catch-up plan for the First Nations in Canada
- PRESS RELEASE | Klamath River Runs Free for First Time in a Century as Largest Dam Removal in US History Nears Completion
- Despite owning rights to Colorado River, tribes largely cut off from accessing water
- ‘A proud moment’: Family from Big River First Nation to appear on Family Feud Canada
- Blades reflect on beaded medallions gifted from Big River First Nation
- The Ancient Bond Between a Great River, Its Creatures, and My People
- Biden administration acknowledges harms of Columbia River dams on Indigenous people
- Looking Back: The falls of the Big Sioux River attracted early developers
- Protecting the Amazon Rainforest and River Basin
- Humboldt neighborhood residents conflicted over Bingen’s new smoke shop
- Big River First Nation’s Klein nominated for Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award
- Peru indigenous groups block river in the Amazon after oil spill
- Sask. RCMP searching for Big River First Nation man, 23, facing 29 charges after firearms incidents
- After the dams: Restoring the Klamath River will take billions of native seeds
- Home on the range: inside buffalo restoration on the Wind River Indian Reservation
- First Nation school to operate hockey development pilot project
- This was the worst slaughter of Native Americans in U.S. history. Few remember it.
- Jim Neilson Sports Complex making a difference one year in for Big River First Nation
- Rivers of the week
- As removal of dams frees Klamath River, California tribes see hope of saving salmon
- Massive drug bust in Indian River County may signal large scale operation, sheriff says
- Timber Allocation Approved For Big River Sawmill
- Indigenous Achievement Award Winner: Zach Lomsnes
- Sask. educator celebrates success of Big River First Nation literacy camp, looks to future
- Deck dancing lessons: Big River, Sask., man's moves go viral
- Native Americans Gave Places, Animals, Plants Their Names
- 3 northwest Saskatchewan First Nations cutting timber for Big River sawmill
- Proposed lithium mine near Wikieup would endanger sacred sites, Native activists say
- The Problem With ‘Wind River’ Is Bigger Than We Thought
- A Severe Drought Pushes an Imperiled Amazon to the Brink (Published 2023)
- Hiawatha National Forest - Indian River Canoe Trail
- Seattle’s Skagit River dams hurt salmon, orcas and Native American culture, agencies say
- Ottawa gives $37M to Prairie First Nations for holding out historic 'rightfully owed' funds
- Maryhill Museum of Art displays Native American photography, art from the Columbia in 'Beside the Big River' exhibit
- A trailblazing Paris show for indigenous Australian artist Sally Gabori
- Feds recognize Native names of major Alaska river system
- Premiers, chiefs, all Canadians divided over Trans Mountain, says AFN Chief Bellegarde
- Dams have taken half the water from Australia’s second biggest river – and climate change will make it even worse
- Tiny house built by Idle No More on way to Saskatchewan
- Idle No More sees tiny house as solution to huge problem
- 21 Amazing Experiences During A Long Weekend In Quaint Indian River, Michigan
- New dental clinic 'exciting adventure' for Big River First Nation, improving access to oral health care
- How Idle No More transformed Canada
- Big River First Nation receives 100 sets of hockey and golf equipment
- Goodbye Great Slave Lake? Movement to decolonize N.W.T. maps is growing
- Seal River Watershed in Manitoba a step closer towards protection
- 'We've been frozen out': First Nations concerned about Lloydminster casino project
- Longest Rivers In Australia
- Murray-Darling: when the river runs dry
- How One Quest for the Northwest Passage Ended at the Icy Mouth of Disappointment River
- Saskatchewan Rush opening home games this season by gifting Indigenous star blankets
- Sask. First Nations adopt app to help with mental, physical health
- 10 facts about Ganges, the largest river in India
- Longest River in India 2024, Check Name, Origin, Length and Other Facts
- River red gums record the history and health of the Murray River system. And they're suffering
- Boswell: Reimagining the Rideau — A river’s resurgent Indigenous identity
- Dated law, misuse of water, pollution—Indian rivers' 3 big challenges and how to tackle them
- Roper River will 'disappear', traditional owners say, as government considers massive water allocation
- One Arrow band members questioning earnings of chief and council
- Hawthorn's Indigenous programs
- Indigenous programs
- Review | A 2,000-mile journey through Russia’s lonely borderlands with China
- A river’s pulse: Indigenous people and scientists unite to track giant dam’s environmental toll
- López: The Rio Grande (Backbone of the Borderlands)
- Federal government announces several settlements of historic claims with First Nations in Saskatchewan
- Does the Clarence River flow backwards?
- Murray-Darling Basin Plan failing to improve river system, study finds
- ‘A proud moment’: Family from Big River First Nation to appear on Family Feud Canada
- Largest dam removal ever, driven by Tribes, kicks off Klamath River recovery
- Dammed, now mined: Indigenous Brazilians fight for the Xingu River’s future
- Biden Has a Chance to Oversee Biggest River Restoration Project in US History
- ‘A proud moment’: Family from Big River First Nation to appear on Family Feud Canada
- For Indigenous in the Amazon, a Dual Threat: Big Oil and the Virus
- Big River First Nation Chief expresses pride in community safety officers
- Big River First Nation celebrates grand opening of Jim Neilson Sports Complex
- Mark Lane: Halifax and Indian River — two rivers, one big set problems
- World Water Day: 12 Native Words for Water
- First Nation Hunters Lose Appeal to Overturn Wildlife Act Conviction | Insights
- Enormous Great White Shark Tracked Just off Florida's Indian River Lagoon
- Research on Big River hydrokinetic project is ‘promising’
- Sea turtles making big splash in Indian River County, and nesting season is only halfway done
- The Tasmanian resistance fighter we should remember as a war hero
- Premiers meet for first time on First Nation ahead of annual conference
- The last undammed river of Manitoba
- Fig. 1: (A) Major river basins of India. The Indian landscape has been...
- A fresh approach to understanding the ‘Big River’ in Canada’s North
- ‘Today was eye opener’: Big River First Nation hosts premiers’ meeting
- 'History in the making': Premiers gather on First Nation in Saskatchewan
- Big River First Nation triples voter turnout
- Largest outbreak of COVID-19 in an Indigenous community in Canada offers important lessons
- Fight to save endangered Indian dolphin
- Northwest Indigenous Leaders Call For Removal Of 3 Lower Columbia River Dams
- Great-grandfather of boy, 5, killed in Big River, Sask., blasts drunk drivers
- Old ideas, new app to support mental health in Sask. First Nations
- First Nation in B.C. ousts chief over development dispute
- First Nation fined $100K over environmental infraction and a single word
- Young woman dances along a good path
- Big River First Nation Hockey Tournament and Cabaret
- Governor Newsom announces historic land return effort on the 5th anniversary of California’s apology to Native Americans
- ‘Do Something Big’: Photographer Helps Tell Columbia River History In ‘Healing The Big River’ Book
- Amazon’s Belo Monte dam cuts Xingu River flow 85%; a crime, Indigenous say
- Native American tribe in Va. reclaims big parcel of its homeland
- Timber allocation to increase production at Big River sawmill
- Fig. 4: map of Indian major river basins in context of water availability
- Tribes could lease their water to dry states. Why is it so hard?
- Photos: Paul Nevin revisits Indigenous Petroglyphs on the Susquehanna River
- ‘Thank you for this life’: FSIN lifetime Chief Lawrence Joseph dies at 79
- Indigenous Women in Peru Seek to Turn the Tables on Big Oil, Asserting ‘Rights of Nature’ to Fight Epic Spills
- Indian River puts away Polytech with big second half
- Taylor Sheridan: 'The big joke on reservations is the white guy that shows up and says: "My grandma is Cherokee"'
- China approves world’s largest, $137-billion dam on the Brahmaputra close to the Indian border
- A breastplate reveals the story of an Australian frontier massacre
- Future of majestic river red gum 'Big Tree' in central Victoria uncertain after massive limbs lost
- Figure 21 Aboriginal breastplate for U. Robert King of Big Leather and...
- Hotspots H2O: Proposed Nuclear Waste Site in Canada Draws First Nations Concern
- RCMP continue manhunt after multiple stabbings reported at Big River First Nation
- Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqiyik sign declaration to protect Big Salmon River
- Big River Group partners with Toys Change Lives
- Giving a Dam: Wyoming Tribes Push to Control Reservation Water as the State Proposes Sending it to Outside Irrigators
- Aaron "Great River Moon" Moss
- 'The Great River' explores the history and future of the Mississippi River | Here & Now
- ‘Spirit will be set free’: remains of young Aboriginal man returned to Tasmania after 170 years in UK
- Update: RCMP make another arrest in 3 stabbings on Big River First Nation
- Great Wolf Lodge will be latest Indian country entertainment destination
- Map of massacres of Indigenous people reveals untold history of Australia, painted in blood
- Figure 1. Major Indian sub-continental river basins and the selected...
- Biden administration acknowledges harms of Columbia River dams on Indigenous people
- Pest controllers dive deep into Big River business
- Big River FN author and storyteller featured in Aboriginal Storytelling Month
- The Search Is On for the Site of the Worst Indian Massacre in U.S. History
- Land Claims and the People of the Great River: An interview with Paula Lapierre of the Kichesipirini Algonquin Nation
- ‘Almost forgotten and has now been reclaimed’: Tournament honouring Jim Neilson gets underway this weekend
- ‘A proud moment’: Family from Big River First Nation to appear on Family Feud Canada
- Public advised of recently released offender in Big River First Nation
- Great Redwood Trail Proposal Unearths Painful History for Indigenous Tribes
- Classic Montpelier Histories Show Deep Abenaki Presence
- Sask. RCMP seek help locating suspect after three stabbings in Big River First Nation
- Northern Sask. residents want boreal forest off the chopping block
- Klamath River
- Indigenous traditional knowledge revival helps conserve great apes
- Map of British Columbia’s three largest Pacific salmon producing river...
- Premiers, Indigenous leaders cover youth, economy at Big River FN
- Idle No More tackles big First Nation housing crisis with tiny homes
- Sudden death of endangered fish has three northern First Nations in B.C. calling for change
- Arnhem Land traditional owners produce 13-metre map petition to lobby against Roper River water use
Academic Research
Academic Research
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Nch'i-Wana" The Big River" Mid-Columbia Indians and Their Land. By Eugene Hunn.
- PLACE OF THE BIG RIVER: ENTANGLED STORIES FROM AN ALTERED LANDSCAPE
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Land of Big Rivers: French & Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- The Body that is a River
- Literature as political activism: Literary representations of Indigenous Australia by Anglo and Indigenous writers & Big River
- “The river is us; the river is in our veins”: re-defining river restoration in three Indigenous communities
- Indigenous Knowledge, Social Relationships and Health: Community-Based Participatory Research with Anishinabe Youth at PIC River First Nation
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- “First in Time, First in Right”: Indigenous Self-Determination in the Colorado River Basin
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- The River of Learning: building relationships in a university, school and community Indigenous widening participation collaboration
- Getting the Big Picture
- Renegotiating the Columbia River Treaty: Transboundary governance and indigenous rights
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Belonging and belongings: ethnographic collecting and indigenous agency at the Six Nations of the Grand River
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- The River of Life: Sustainable Practices of Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- The role of story and place in Indigenous science education: Bigfoot in a youth-designed ecological restoration plan
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Iroquoian and Iroquoianist: Anthropologists and the Haudenosaunee at Grand River
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
- Nch'i-wana," the big river": Mid-Columbia Indians and their land
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the People of the Big River Field Class
- Land of Big Rivers: French and Indian Illinois, 1699-1778
Expert Analysis