North Spirit Lake | North Spirit Lake First Nation
Community Profile
- North Spirit Lake First Nation is an Oji-Cree community situated in the boreal forest region of northwestern Ontario, Canada
- Last Updated 2025-05-02 01:49:13 UTC
- Name: North Spirit Lake (ISC Code: 238)
- Former Names: Spirit Lake Band, North Spirit Lake Reserve
- Band Style: First Nation
- Cultural Area: Boreal Forest
- Indigenous Language: Oji-Cree
- Number of Registered Members: 501
Governance
Band Council
- GOVERNANCE TYPE: Not Applicable
- TERM EXPIRES: 03/31/2026
- CHIEF: JOHN CAMERON JR. KEESIC
- NUMBER OF COUNCIL MEMBERS:6
- JOHN CAMERON JR. KEESIC
- BRANDON ADAM RAE
- DESTINY AMANDA MEEKIS
- HOMER MEEKIS
- COREY BARNEY RAE
- PHILLIP CAMPBELL
Contact Information
- BAND WEBSITE: http://www.nsl.firstnation.ca/
- PHONE NUMBER: (807) 776-0021
- FAX NUMBER: (807) 776-0026
- ADDRESS: GENERAL DELIVERY, NORTH SPIRIT LAKE, ON
- EMAILS:
- Chief JOHN CAMERON JR. KEESIC:
- Chief BRANDON ADAM RAE:
- Councillor DESTINY AMANDA MEEKIS:
- Councillor HOMER MEEKIS:
- Deputy Chief COREY BARNEY RAE:
- Head Councillor PHILLIP CAMPBELL:
- General Band Office:
- Media Contact:
- Referrals Contact:
- Websites
Band Financial Statements
- 2023 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2022 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2021 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2020 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2019 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2018 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2017 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2016 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2015 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2014 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2013 - Audited consolidated financial statements
- 2012 - North Spirit Lake20122013.pdf
- 2011 - North Spirit Lake20112012.pdf
- 2010 - North Spirit Lake20102011.pdf
- 2009 - North Spirit Lake20092010.pdf
- 2008 - North Spirit Lake20082009.pdf
- 2007 - North Spirit Lake20072008.pdf
- 2006 - North Spirit Lake20062007.pdf
- 2005 - North Spirit Lake20052006.pdf
- 2004 - North Spirit Lake20042005.pdf
- 2003 - North Spirit Lake20032004.pdf
- 2002 - North Spirit Lake20022003.pdf
- 2001 - North Spirit Lake20012002.pdf
Band Council Remuneration
- 2023 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2022 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2021 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2020 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2019 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2018 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2017 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2016 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2015 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2014 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
- 2013 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses
Laws, Bylaws, and Codes
Intergovernmental Agreements
Lands and Traditional Territory
Reserves
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ISC Code: 6340
NORTH SPIRIT LAKE
1815.8 Hectares
PARTS 1, 2, 6 & 7 LOCATION RF 156 CLSR 69612
[52.4828714, -93.0146142]
- Northwestern Ontario boreal forest region
- Encompassing areas around North Spirit Lake
- Traditional hunting and fishing territories
- Historically nomadic Oji-Cree territories
Consultations and Referrals
Band Submissions
Consultation Reports
Band Business Interests
Band Owned Corporations
Court Records
Downloadable Court Decisions
Active Court Cases
Media Reports
Media Reports
- Spirit Lake Tribe declares State of Emergency, enters lockdown
- With Unfit Drinking Water, Indigenous Communities in Canada Bear Hardship (Published 2022)
- Tribes, state argue redistricting case to federal appeals court
- Two-day, community-led search scheduled for two Indigenous people missing from Fort Totten
- Spirit Lake Faces Another Tragic Disappearance
- Tribes Ask Court to End North Dakota’s Appeal of Native Voting Rights Victories
- Court Orders North Dakota to Restore Native Voting Power Without Delay
- Band office, home destroyed in North Spirit Lake in latest First Nations fires in northwestern Ontario
- North Dakota tribe files complaint against social media giants
- Six Indigenous tribes have filed lawsuits against social media companies for teen mental health concerns
- Construction Complete on Largest Indigenous-led Energy Project in Ontario’s History
- Spirit Lake Nation ends lockdown
- Frontier Lithium project has northwest Indigenous opposition
- Restoring Food Sovereignty on the Spirit Lake Reservation
- Indigenous Services Canada responds to recent house fires in remote northern Ontario First Nations
- Spirit Lake school board votes 4-1 to keep Indian mascot
- Native Voters in North Dakota Secure Big Wins for Fair Representation
- With speeches, salutes and drum songs, Tribal Flags installed at School of Law
- Judge finds Voting Rights Act violation in North Dakota redistricting for two tribes
- First Nations teen solves remote community's drinking water problems
- Spirit Lake public schools will keep Indian mascot
- Standing Rock Tribe is latest to sue social media companies for alleged mental health effects
- 'Dateline NBC' Focuses on Epidemic of Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women
- Indigenous voters challenge North Dakota voter ID rules, gerrymandering
- Watch the Dateline episode "The Secrets of Spirit Lake" now
- Jemini Posey remains 'only one of many' missing Indigenous North Dakotans
- House fire displaces family of 6 in remote First Nation in northwestern Ontario
- Tribes seek youth police academy to fill open jobs
- More Than a Century after Their Death, the US Army to Return Remains of Five More Indigenous Children to Their Tribal Communities
- Indigenous candidates face off in North Dakota
- Native Americans gain representation in North Dakota Legislature as Republicans keep supermajority
- What Happened on the Spirit Lake Reservation
- Report identifies 12 Indian boarding schools in North Dakota from 1876 to 1961
- Savanna's Act
- New Details Emerge in Hearing on Abuse at Spirit Lake | FRONTLINE
- February 2019 progress update on long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserve
- North Spirit Lake First Nation declares state of emergency
- Indigenous nations sue North Dakota over ‘sickening’ gerrymandering
- An Outpouring of Sympathy for North Spirit Lake First Nation, Devastated by Plane Crash
- 'Their spirits are still here': Tribe, state to search for remains at North Dakota boarding school
- In the Spirit of Survival: How Indigenous Protectors Are Saving Rez Dogs
- Missing and murdered Indigenous people featured in Dateline NBC’s Missing in America and Cold Case Spotlight series
- Looking ahead with Brad Hawk, executive director of North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission
- Strangers on the prairie
- Two Tribal Nations Sue Social Media Companies Over Youth Suicides
- Rising Youth Mortality Rates Hit Native American, Black Youth the Hardest
- Tribes and candidates react to North Dakota's new state House subdistricts
- Native American Tribe Defends Fighting Sioux Logo
- 26 indicted in ‘unprecedented’ drug trafficking bust on ND reservations
- Intense wildfire season forces evacuations from Oregon to Ontario
- Plane crash in northwestern Ontario kills 4
- Bad water: Innovative solution for remote northern Ontario First Nations
- Diesel-generated electricity costly for environment, economy, Ontario First Nations say
- 3 days, 2 kids, 1 quest: girls find way to Toronto from fly-in First Nation
- Frank Black Cloud: Spirit Lake Nation supports 'Fighting Sioux'
- Why are Indigenous babies being hospitalized more often?
- Infant dies at Spirit Lake Indian Reservation after ignored neglect reports
- 4 charged in northwestern Ont. drug bust, cash, replica firearms and drugs seized
- Indian Country Today: 'We tripled ... Native American women running' for North Dakota Legislature
- 10 First Nations with more than 10 years of bad water
- For boys who died at North America’s first residential school, reburial offers peace to the living and dead
- First Nations call for better airports on reserves
- Canada boosts support for winter roads, connections to remote Ontario First Nations
- Construction complete on Ontario’s largest Indigenous-led energy project
- Six Northwestern Ontario First Nations funded for multi-purpose centres
- Community support is vital, Frontier Lithium official says
- Northern Ontario chiefs council meeting with 2nd First Nation exploring nursing transfer
- Ontario First Nations plan power line to help remote communities get off diesel
- Carla Yellowbird Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
- Indigenous Leaders: Mission accomplished, Watay Power declares on northwestern Ont. power line project
- RCMP identify 4 killed in northern Ontario plane crash
- 'We are not Oji-Cree': 22 First Nations across Manitoba, Ontario clear the air on distinct identity
- Ontario crash survivor crawled from burning plane
- Feds announce money for Pikangikum-area bridge project
- Spirit Lake Nation commodity food program turns to tribal buffalo herd for meat
- Benson County (ND) Redistricting (Spirit Lake Tribe v. Benson County)
- 'Huge loss': Fire destroys band office in northern Ontario First Nation
- North Dakota Voter ID Law (Brakebill v. Jaeger)
- Spirit Lake School Board Votes 4-1 To Keep Indian Mascot
- Native Voters Restore Fair Elections In North Dakota
- Clean Water bill ‘just the first step,’ NAN grand chief says
- Native Americans gain representation in North Dakota Legislature as Republicans keep supermajority
- Dateline: Unforgettable: 4 key details about Carla Yellowbird's murder case
- Savanna's Act, a bipartisan bill to address 'tragic issue' of missing and murdered Native Americans, passes US House
- A Tribe’s Epidemic of Child Sex Abuse, Minimized for Years (Published 2012)
- Defendant sentenced for kidnapping and murder of Spirit Lake Nation woman
- Pilot killed in Ontario plane crash mourned
- Ontario Investing Nearly $17 Million to Support Workers in Northern Ontario
- ‘Gross negligence’: Shortages in USDA food aid for Native Americans blasted in Congress
- United Tribes Technical College Hires First New President in 37 Years
- Flood fight to come to Devils Lake, Spirit Lake Indian Reservation
- NDSU honors Indigenous Peoples' Day with tipi display
- North Dakota Tribal Food Assistance Program Facing Problems After Warehouse Consolidation
- North Dakota's tribes team up to attract international tourists
- Native American Women Lead Fight for Missing, Murdered
- Judge Issues Life Sentence for North Dakota Man in Child Abuse Death of 5-Year-Old Native American Girl on Reservation
- Construction complete on Ontario’s largest Indigenous-led energy project
- Fires destroy northwestern Ont. First Nation band office, home
- Judge orders North Dakota to use Native plaintiffs' proposed legislative map
- St. Michael woman named to 2024 class of Bush Fellows
- Six Northwestern Ontario First Nations funded for multi-purpose centres
- Bearskin Airlines to offer new northern connections
- Band office, home destroyed in North Spirit Lake in latest fires in First Nations in northwestern Ontario
- Spirit Lake rapper amplifies voices of Native youth
- North Dakota tribe files first-of-its-kind lawsuit against social media giants
- Ontario spending more than $500K to support Eabametoong First Nation's recovery after devastating school fire
- VICTORY: Court Blocks North Dakota Voting Map that Discriminated Against Native Voters
- Tribal food assistance program in shambles after USDA warehouse consolidation
- A week after his daughter died in foster care on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, Fargo father seeks answers
- Native Americans gain representation in North Dakota Legislature as Republicans keep supermajority
- Sault Ste. Marie to host 100 fire evacuees from North Spirit Lake First Nation
- North Spirit Lake First Nation Declares State of Emergency
- 'Huge loss': Fire destroys band office in northern Ontario First Nation
- Ontario forest fires burned record area of land this summer as they displaced First Nations in northwest
- Ontario’s largest Indigenous-led energy project complete
- North Dakota tribe files first-of-its-kind lawsuit against social media giants
- Spirit Lake rapper amplifies voices of Native youth
- Wisconsin tribe sues social media companies over suicide rates among Native youth
- North Spirit Lake First Nation declares state of emergency over water, drugs
- Denver’s Native American restaurant Tocabe providing meals to North Dakota reservation
- Native vote case in North Dakota goes before federal appeals court
- Two people dead after Fort Totten stabbing
- Warm clothing the latest campaign drive for Mikinakoos Children’s Fund
- Man pleads guilty to killing wife hours after wedding
- New forest fires in northwestern Ontario hit single-day high amid evacuations
- Northern Ontario Grid Connection Project
- Pikangikum bridge and all-weather road to be built
- First Nations struggle to house, keep teachers
- Watay Power transmission project completed
- Bill seeks to strengthen tribal consultation on North Dakota legislation
- Accessing documents relating to investigations on North Dakota's tribal lands proves difficult
- Movement to investigate legacy of Native American boarding schools picks up steam in North Dakota
- North Dakota Monitor: Tribes share priorities with state lawmakers
- Search underway for person believed to armed and dangerous on North Dakota reservation
- Reports detail high COVID-19 burden in Native Americans
- When Your Loved Ones Go Missing and Authorities Don’t Care
- Election 2024: The Native Vote
- UPDATE: North Spirit Lake First Nation declares State of Emergency
- Drug Traffickers Target American Indian Reservations Across the U.S. -
- Polaris prepares to roll out Indian Scout motorcycle
- 4 charged in northwestern Ont. drug bust, cash, replica firearms and drugs seized
- New hotel opens in North Spirit Lake
- LANDBACK: Spirit Lake Nation regains land from Fish and Wildlife Service
- Northern Plains tribes get $135 million for solar power
- North Dakota reservation orders masks after COVID-19 spike
- Two charged in connection with kidnapping and murder of Spirit Lake Nation woman
- Ontario, Pikangikum First Nation and Canada Partnering to Advance Construction of Berens River Bridge
- Ontario celebrates completion of construction on the largest Indigenous-led energy project in province’s history
- Land Transfer Completed from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Spirit Lake Nation
- North Dakota tribe files first-of-its-kind lawsuit against social media giants
- Spirit Lake Tribe, voters sue Benson County over county redistricting plan
- Faced with historical health disparities, North Dakota tribes battle to keep COVID-19 at bay
- Child Abuse Concerns Spur Federal Takeover at North Dakota Indian Reservation | FRONTLINE
- Three dead in shooting on North Dakota reservation, suspect arrested
- Menominee, North Dakota tribes sue social media companies over Native youth suicides
- Two Tribal Citizens Killed on Fort Totten Reservation in North Dakota
- Standing Rock Tribe is latest to sue social media companies
- Kind Hearted Woman | FRONTLINE
- $28.5 million for Upgrades to Diesel Generating Stations Across North
- Parties agree to plan to build permanent Berens River bridge
- Devils Lake or Spirit Lake? In 1996, Mni Wakan Oyate voted to change tribe's name to reflect true translation
- Tribal food assistance program in shambles after USDA warehouse consolidation
- Interior Dept. Completes Land Transfer to Spirit Lake Nation
- Indigenous Nations Allege New Maps in North Dakota Violate Voting Rights Act
- Two tribal nations sue social media companies over Native youth suicides
- The Indian Child Welfare Act: The Nation’s First Family Separation Policy
- Tribes strike historic deal with Army over repatriations
- Indian Country headlines for Friday
- Goal scored for Cat Lake First Nation
- Department of the Interior Announces Completed Land Transfer from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Spirit Lake Nation
- Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Spirit Lake Nation, et al., v. Jaeger
- ‘A historic victory’: Spirit Lake Nation reclaims land taken by federal government
- Spirit Lake Tribe, et al. v. Jaeger
- Voters and Tribal Nations defend critical ND redistricting win from appeal
- North Dakota Native Americans Speak Out to Protect Their Right to Vote
- Voting in North Dakota’s 2018 Election
- ND delegation introduces bill to rename Spirit Lake Indian Reservation game preserve
- Victory for Native American Voting Rights in North Dakota!
- Victory for Native American Voting Rights in North Dakota!
- Menominee Indian Tribe sues social media companies over Native youth suicides
- Menominee Indian Tribe sues social media companies over Native youth suicides
- Spirit Lake Nation Opposes North Dakota Casino Push
- Spirit Lake Nation Opposes North Dakota Casino Push
- Standing Rock Tribe is latest to sue social media companies for alleged mental health effects
- Standing Rock Tribe is latest to sue social media companies for alleged mental health effects
- North Dakota tribe sues state to block voter ID law
- North Dakota tribe sues state to block voter ID law
- Members of drug ring connecting North Dakota Indian Reservations and Michigan residents face federal charges
- Members of drug ring connecting North Dakota Indian Reservations and Michigan residents face federal charges
- What’s Changed Since the BIA Took Over at Spirit Lake?
- What’s Changed Since the BIA Took Over at Spirit Lake?
- North Dakota Congressman Kevin Cramer Allegedly Verbally Attacks Abused Native Women's Advocate
- North Dakota Congressman Kevin Cramer Allegedly Verbally Attacks Abused Native Women's Advocate
- N.D. woman sentenced in toddler death on reservation
- N.D. woman sentenced in toddler death on reservation
- Fires destroy northwestern Ont. First Nation band office, home
- 'Kind Hearted Woman' follows Spirit Lake Nation abuse saga
- Fires destroy northwestern Ont. First Nation band office, home
- 'Kind Hearted Woman' follows Spirit Lake Nation abuse saga
- UPDATE: Arrest Made Following Murders on Spirit Lake Reservation, Three Dead
- Three people shot, killed on Spirit Lake Reservation; alleged shooter apprehended hours later
- Secretary of State and North Dakota Tribes Agree to Settle Voter ID Lawsuit
- Suspect in custody after 2 people killed on Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota
- Suspect in custody after 2 people killed on Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota
- North Dakota Redistricting (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Michael Howe)
- North Dakota Redistricting (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Michael Howe)
- Democrats endorse 3 tribal members in District 9
- Democrats endorse 3 tribal members in District 9
- Reporting Vignettes From the Past Year in Canada (Published 2022)
- Reporting Vignettes From the Past Year in Canada (Published 2022)
- Two tribes challenging North Dakota redistricting plan
- Two tribes challenging North Dakota redistricting plan
- Spirit Lake Tribe: Two people from shooting dead, one in critical condition
- Tribes, North Dakota partner to update 30-year-old textbooks on Native history
- Keystone Air Flight 231 Crashes into North Spirit Lake
- Three people shot, killed on Spirit Lake Reservation; alleged shooter apprehended hours later
- As Child Abuse Persists at Spirit Lake, Congress Steps In
- Mar 28, 2013 - North Dakota Congressman Kevin Cramer Verbally Attacks Native Victim’s Assistance Program Director at State Meeting...
Academic Research
Academic Research
- Spirit Lake Nation: Assets Strengthening Dakotah American Indian Community Solidarity
- The last Wakan Wacipi at the Spirit Lake Reservation: An ethnohistory of Dakota Sioux religion and cultural revitalization
- Implementation of an educational initiative for the youth through community-based participatory approach in Spirit Lake Nation, North Dakota
- Water: A First Nations' Spiritual and Ecological Perspective.
- A study of the impact of oil and gas development on the Dene First Nations of the Sahtu (Great Bear Lake) Region of the Canadian Northwest Territories (NWT)
- In my Native tongue: Reflections from the shore of Spirit Lake
- Landowning, Dispossession and the Significance of Land among Dakota and Scandinavian Women at Spirit Lake, 1900-29.
- As I drove out to the Spirit Lake Dakota Indian Reservation for the first time, I was filled with trepidation. I had never been on an Indian reser
- Forces of nature: an environmental history of Inkpaduta's 1857 attack on Spirit Lake
- Gendered entanglements: Dakotas and Scandinavians at Spirit Lake, 1900–1930
- Indigenous Revitalization, Rock Music, and the Holy Spirit: The Religious Logic of Healing at Lake Junaluska
- Night spirits: The story of the relocation of the Sayisi Dene
- Night spirits: The story of the relocation of the Sayisi Dene
- Night spirits: The story of the relocation of the Sayisi Dene
- Night spirits: The story of the relocation of the Sayisi Dene
- Night spirits: The story of the relocation of the Sayisi Dene
Expert Analysis