Our lands are held communally,
not by individuals, so cannot
be used as equity. Yet, if we
do not hold the land communally
it reverts back automatically
to the Province.

Current Lands: Our current land holdings are a remnant of our Traditional Lands. The land holding agreements that exist today are unique in Alberta, possibly in Canada. When the Town of Grande Cache was built, our People did not have clear Constitutional Status. The Province simply described the People as “Original Native Settlers,” and organized us into four Cooperative Associations and two Enterprises to hold six small parcels of land.

The six Aboriginal communities in the Grande Cache area are: Muskeg Seepee Cooperative, Susa Creek Cooperative, Grand Cache Lake Enterprise (Kamisak Development), Victor Lake Cooperative, Joachim Enterprise, and Wanyandie Cooperative (East and West). The seven parcels together total 4150 acres. The land is held communally by members with either an elected Board of Directors or Managing Director. Each Cooperative and Enterprise holds a fee simple title to the parcels of land and has the legal authority to manage its own affairs. The land arrangement’s unusual structure has resulted in many of the problems we face today. In a modern economy, wealth is tied to equity, usually in the form of personal property. However, our lands are held communally, not by individuals, so cannot be used as equity. Yet, if we do not hold the land communally it reverts back automatically to the Province, putting our claim to the land in immediate peril.