TATASKWEYAK CREE NATION LANDS
Reserve Land
Tataskweyak Cree Nation (TCN), previously known as Split Lake Cree, originally signed its adhesion to Treaty 5 in 1908. Lands around Split Lake were chosen as Reserve land (Map 1) and surveyed in 1913. TCN Reserve lands were finally legally created as Reserve land by Canada in 1959.

Original Reserve lands are summarized by acreage below:

Reserve 171 (main Reserve & Community)
Reserve 171A (across the channel from Community)
Reserve 171B (south end of Split Lake near York Landing)

3,608 acres
7,390 acres
335 acres


Total Original
11,333 acres

In 1977, TCN signed the Northern Flood Agreement (NFA) with Canada, Manitoba and Manitoba Hydro regarding adverse effects including flooding from the Lake Winnipeg/Nelson River Regulation and Churchill River Diversion Projects. A land exchange formula allowed TCN to choose additional Reserve lands from unencumbered Crown land, among other NFA entitlements.

For 15 years TCN struggled to have the NFA implemented with little success. Finally by 1992, after three years of tough bargaining, TCN signed its NFA Implementation Agreement. With that came the 4-party implementation of the NFA, including more land (set apart by Canada 7 years later), as described below. The 1992 Agreement increased the amount of Reserve land by 4 times.


Assean Lake Reserve
Waskaiowaka Lake Reserve
30,692 acres
5,061 acres

Total NFA Reserve Lands
35,753 acres

Grand Total TCN Reserve Lands
47,086 acres

Additional Permit/Fee Simple Lands (not Reserve lands) Under the 1992 Agreement:
Permit/Fee Simple Lands (38 parcels on 22 lakes)
+/- 2,000 acres

TCN LANDS – TOTAL ACREAGE
+/- 49,086 acres

Please see Map 2 illustrating the Permit/Fee Simple lands in the Split Lake Resource Management Area.
For more information on the history of TCN, including the 1908 Treaty, the 1977 NFA and the 1992 NFA Implementation Agreement, see the Analysis of Change report.

Physical Setting – Split Lake/Assean Lake Area
The entire land area from Assean Lake to Split Lake is underlain by granite bedrock of the vast Precambrian Shield wrapping around Hudson Bay. The Split Lake community of the Tataskweyak Cree is located along a peninsula on the north shore of the big Lake at the confluence of the Nelson and Burntwood Rivers. The terrain in the vicinity of the community is gently rolling, although cliffs of exposed bedrock occur in places.
Local terrain is slightly undulating, attributable to the underlying bedrock configurations. As a result, soil depths vary substantially over short distances. In some areas, the bedrock is exposed, while in other areas the soil depths may range from one to five metres (3 to 16 feet).
Clay soils, lain down by glacial action, predominate. The combination of impermeable clay soils and undulating bedrock create pockets that impede drainage in many areas, and has contributed to the creation of peat bogs, primarily blanket bogs. The organic peat surface varies in thickness from 0.25 to 0.5 metres (1-2 feet).
Forests in the area consist mainly of black spruce and jack pine with the addition of trembling aspen and white birch in the upland areas. A variety of shrubs, feather mosses, Labrador tea and lichens are present in many locations, depending on site conditions. The area is beautiful in winter and summer.
Tataskweyak Cree have used and occupied these lands since time immemorial.

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