Pimicikamak government

Pimicikamak is related to, but constitutionally, legally, historically and administratively distinct from, the Cross Lake First Nation which is a statutory creation that provides services on behalf of the Canadian Government.

These were passed down orally through stories, ceremonies and traditions[9] that formed part of a culture that enabled Pimicikamak's ancestors to survive as a people in a harsh environment for thousands of years.

[14] On September 24, 1875, Tepastenam and two others[15] signed Treaty 5[16] with the British Crown at Norway House on behalf of Pimicikamak.

"[20] Beginning in 1996, parts of the Pimicikamak traditional constitution were updated and codified in written laws in English.

They are based upon self-determination,[21] the inherent right of self-government, the Rule of Law and updated traditional principles of democracy and accountability.

[25] The roles of the Secretary to the Councils as keeper of customary laws and as the interface between the oral Cree traditional government and the written English world it faces may have arisen in the 1990s.

[35] Negotiation and legislation of self-government can result in domestic, dependent status similar to that of Indian nations in the United States of America, whose governments are defined by Act of Congress.

[39] Since 1999, several Band Councils have taken and held office pursuant to the Pimicikamak Election Law, 1999[40] instead of the federal legislation.

[42] In 2002, the Manitoba Minister of Northern and Aboriginal Affairs, the late Honorable Oscar Lathlin, set a precedent by formally addressing the Pimicikamak National Assembly.