Maskwacis Hobbema (1891–2013) | |
|---|---|
Unincorporated community/Hamlet | |
Area surrounding Maskwacis | |
  Maskwacis Location in Alberta | |
| Coordinates:52°49.6′N113°27.1′W / 52.8267°N 113.4517°W /52.8267; -113.4517 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Alberta |
| Reserves | Samson 137 Ermineskin 138 |
| Municipal district | Ponoka County |
| Established | 1891 |
| Name change | January 1, 2014[2] |
| Area (2021)[3] | |
| • Land | 0.25 km2 (0.097 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 64 |
| • Density | 252.7/km2 (654/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Postal code | T0C 1N0 |
Maskwacis (/ˈmʌskwətʃiːs/;Cree:ᒪᐢᑿᒌᐢ,maskwacîs), renamed in 2014 fromHobbema (/hoʊˈbiːmə/), is an unincorporated community in centralAlberta, Canada at the intersection ofHighway 2A andHighway 611, approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) south of the City ofEdmonton. The community consists of twoCree First Nations communities – one on theErmineskin 138 reserve to the north and the other on theSamson 137 reserve to the south. It also consists of an adjacenthamlet withinPonoka County.[4] The community also serves three more nearbyFirst Nations reserves includingSamson 137A to the south,Louis Bull 138B to the northwest, andMontana 139 to the south.
The area was originally known as Maskwacis, and FatherConstantine Scollen always referred to it as "Bear Hills" when he attempted to re-establish a Catholic mission there in late 1884 and 1885, around the time that he and Chief Bobtail succeeded in persuading the young men of the community not to join theNorth-West Rebellion. The first railway station was named Hobbema after the Dutch painterMeindert Hobbema during the construction of theCalgary and Edmonton Railway in 1891. As a result, all of Hobbema's neighbouring communities came to bear names of First Nations origin (Ponoka ("elk"),Menaik ("spruce"),Wetaskiwin ("hills where peace was made")), with the exception of Hobbema itself.[5] The community, including the hamlet portion within Ponoka County, was renamed Maskwacis (meaning "bear hills" inCree) on January 1, 2014.[2][6]
The community has an employment centre, health board and college.[7]
The community straddles the boundaries between the Ermineskin 138 reserve, the Samson 137 reserve and Ponoka County. The northern portion of the community is located within Ermineskin 138 on the west side of Highway 2A. The southern portion of the community is located within Samson 137 on the east side of Highway 2A and north side of Highway 611. The remaining portion of the community is located within Ponoka County on the west side of Highway 2A across from the Samson 137 portion of the community and south of the Ermineskin 138 portion of the community.
The Ermineskin 138 portion of the community is located withinCensus Division No. 11, while the Samson 137 and Ponoka County portions are located withinCensus Division No. 8.
Maskwacis serves fivereserves of four Cree First Nationband governments, which are collectively known as the "four nations" and are each party toTreaty Six. The four nations include theErmineskin Cree Nation,Samson Cree Nation,Louis Bull Tribe, and theMontana First Nation.[8]
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Maskwacis had a population of 64 living in 14 of its 15 total private dwellings, a change of6.7% from its 2016 population of 60. With a land area of 0.25 km2 (0.097 sq mi), it had a population density of256.0/km2 (663.0/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
As a designated place in the2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Maskwacis (Hobbema) had a population of 60 living in 21 of its 22 total private dwellings, an increase from its 2011 population of 0. With a land area of 0.27 km2 (0.10 sq mi), it had a population density of 226.2/km2 in 2016.[19]
The total population among the five reserves in the2016 census was 7,663.
| Name | Population (2016)[20] | Population (2011)[20] | Per cent change[20] | Occupied dwellings[20] | Total private dwellings[20] | Land area (km2)[20] | Population density[20] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ermineskin 138 | 2,457 | 1,874 | 31.1% | 452 | 523 | 104.46 | 23.5 |
| Louis Bull 138B | 1,177 | 1,309 | −10.1% | 226 | 276 | 31.55 | 37.3 |
| Montana 139 | 630 | 653 | −3.5% | 137 | 143 | 28.10 | 22.4 |
| Samson 137 | 3,373 | 3,746 | −10.0% | 785 | 878 | 128.14 | 26.3 |
| Samson 137A | 26 | 38 | −31.6% | 6 | 6 | 1.34 | 19.4 |
| Total reserves | 7,663 | 7,620 | 0.6% | 1,606 | 1,826 | 293.59 | 26.1/km2 |
The community has attracted national media attention in Canada for its problems with crime and gangs. In an attempt to cut down on crime, the Hobbema Cadet Corp was established with the goal of keeping children as young as eight years old off the streets.[21][22][23]
ThePê Sâkâstêw Centre, a minimum-security facility based on Aboriginal healing processes, is in Maskwacis.[24]
The community is home toMaskwacis Cultural College and CHOB-TV.
Maskwacîs Education Schools Commission oversees the 11 schools throughout Ermineskin, Samson, Louis Bull, Montana, and Ma-Me-O.[25]
Wetaskiwin Regional Division No. 11 operates public schools serving the area, includingPigeon Lake Regional School.[26]
It was once home toErmineskin Indian Residential School.
It is home to an annualpow wow.[27]
Pioneering, award-winning First Nations hip-hop groupsWar Party andTeam Rezofficial are from Maskwacis.[citation needed]
Briar Stewart made an award-winning documentary, "Journey to Jamaica", about a group of cadets from Maskwacis.[citation needed]
W. P. Kinsella wrote a number of short stories which were set in what was then called Hobbema, including the collectionsDance Me Outside,The Fencepost Chronicles,Brother Frank's Gospel Hour, andThe Secret of the Northern Lights. The stories "met with controversy from some critics who objected to Kinsella's appropriation of Native voice and what they saw as stereotype-based humour."[28]
The community was formerly the home of theHobbema Hawksjunior "A" hockey team.
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