by Michael W. McDonald J.D. & Angel Julian, APCFNC
Elsipogtog First Nation Band Office. Photo by Michael W. McDonald
The Elsipogtog First Nation formerly known as Big Cove is a Mi’kmaq community located in the district of Sikniktewaq or Sikniktuk. Sikniktuk is translated into English as “the land where the water drains”. Mi’kmaq territory, known to Mi’kmaq as Mi’kma’kik, was split into seven Districts. Sikniktuk is the second largest of the seven Mi’kmaq Districts. Elsipogtog is translated into English as “River of Fire”. It is the third largest populated Mi’kmaq First Nation Community in Mi’kma’kik with a total population around 3,404 band members, with over three quarter of which reside on-reserve.
Elsipogtog sits along the shores of the Richibucto river lying 8 kilometers southwest of Rexton, New Brunswick. The Mi’kmaq have a long deep-rooted history in this area. ...
