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Pelican Narrows is a northern village in the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan, Canada. Its location is 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Creighton by Hanson Lake Road and Highway 135. Its name in Cree is Opawikoscikan which means "The Narrows of Fear".

Pelican Narrows
Northern village[1]
Surrounding lakes
Pelican Narrows Location of Pelican Narrows in Saskatchewan Show map of Saskatchewan Pelican Narrows Pelican Narrows (Canada) Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 55°11′18″N 102°56′03″W
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
District	Northern Saskatchewan Administration District
Census Division	18
Post office established	1949
Area
• Total	9.16 km2 (3.54 sq mi)
Elevation  (airport)[2]	385 m (1,264 ft)
Population  (2011)[3]
• Total	3,500
• Density	295.0/km2 (764/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT)
Postal code	S0P 0E0
[4][5]

The community is northwest of the narrows that join Mirond and Pelican Lakes, which lie between the Sturgeon-Weir and Churchill River systems. Pelican Narrows is the administrative headquarters for the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, a member of the Prince Albert Grand Council, and the majority of the townsite is reserve land. The community consists of the Northern Village of Pelican Narrows and Pelican Narrows 184B and 206 Indian Reserve. Together they formed a population centre of 3,500 people in 2021.[3]

History

The Cree settlement dates from at least 1730. It was an area of trade for the Hudson's Bay and North West companies. In 1874, the Hudson's Bay Company established a permanent post at Pelican Narrows.[6][7] This became a Northern Store in 1987 which remains open to this day.

Roman Catholic missionaries were traversing the area from the mid-19th century and established a permanent mission in 1878.[8] Anglican missionaries arrived in the late 1890s and built a church in 1911. Schoolchildren were sent away for a number of years.

In 1967, an all-weather road was built into the community and other services followed.[9]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Pelican Narrows had a population of 123 living in 30 of its 34 total private dwellings, a change of -30.9% from its 2016 population of 178. With a land area of 2.4 km² (0.93 sq mi), it had a population density of 51.3/km² (132.7/sq mi) in 2021.[10]

Pelican Narrows (population centre) with a population of 2,703[3] consists of the Northern Village of Pelican Narrows with 790 people[3] and Pelican Narrows 184B Indian Reserve of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation with 1,913 people.[3]

2,460 people identified Cree as their mother tongue in 2011.[3]

Infrastructure

• Pelican Narrows Airport is located 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) north northeast of Pelican Narrows.[2]
• Napoleon Merasty Memorial Arena features an ice rink and a fitness centre.
• Angelique Canada Health Center[11]

Events

An annual walleye fishing derby takes place every year in July. From December to February, an Annual Winter Festival takes place across the reserve.

Education

Schools include the Wapanacak Elementary School and the Wapawikoscikan School (Opawikoscikan Community School) which is home of the Tawowikamik Public Library.[12]

History

Bitter Embrace: White Society’s Assault on the Woodland Cree is a history of the Pelican Narrows region including interviews with local residents.[13]

See also

• List of population centres in Saskatchewan
• List of villages in Saskatchewan

References

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