Mikisew Cree First Nation

Mikisew Cree First Nation (Cree: ᒥᑭᓯᐤ, mikisiw, meaning: "golden eagle"^[5]) is an Indigenous First Nations government of Woodland Cree people in northeastern Alberta and in Northwest Territories, Canada.

Mikisew Cree First Nation
Band No. 461
ᒥᑭᓯᐤ
mikisiw

People	Woodland Cree
Treaty	Treaty 8
Headquarters	Fort Chipewyan
Province	Alberta
Land[1]
Reserve(s)	Allison Bay 219 Charles Lake 225 Collin Lake 233 Cornwall Lake 244 Devil's Gate 220 Dog Head 218 Old Fort 217 Peace Point 222 Sandy Point 221
Land area	51.161 km2
Population (2019)[2]
On reserve	172
On other land	492
Off reserve	2509
Total population	3173
Government[3]
Chief	Billy-Joe Tuccaro
Tribal Council[4]
Athabasca Tribal Council
Website
mikisewcree.ca

Most Mikisew Cree First Nation members live in Fort McMurray, Edmonton, and Fort Chipewyan in Alberta and in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.

According to former chief Lawrence Courtoreille, starting in 1944 many Dene people were induced by the government of to transfer their registration to the Mikisew band, including Courtoreille's own mother, leading to "a little over fifty percent" of the Mikisew Cree band members having some Dene heritage as of 2022^[update].^[6] Dene people were denied access to hunting, fishing, and gathering within the boundaries of Wood Buffalo National Park unless they switched their registration, and were threatened with eviction from the Birch River settlement. In the end, Cree access to the park was restricted as well.

The Mikisew Cree First Nation is one of the five Athabasca Tribal Council Nations. The group signed a treaty in 1986 with Canada establishing several reserves. The Mikisew Cree won a case in the Supreme Court of Canada in 2005 over title interests to areas of the Wood Buffalo National Park.