JIPUJIJKUEI KUESPEM PROVINCIAL PARK RESERVE:

Located on Rte. 360, near Bay d'Espoir on the south coast, near the only recognized Indian Reserve of Newfoundland, the Miawpukek First Nation, Jipujijkuei Kuespem Provincial Park Reserve is part of the traditional hunting grounds of the Mi'kmaq people.

Their descendants are still living in nearby Conne River, 12 km (7.4 mi). This reserve was created to protect examples of forested ecoregions and is home to rare species, Boreal Felt Lichen known also as Erioderma Pedicellatum.

The name of the park can be translated to "Little River Pond", taking its name from a nearby pond.

Miawpukek [Pronounced: miow-bok-eck, meaning: Middle River] First Nation is a Mi'kmaq First Nations band government in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with a registered population of 834 living on-reserve as of September 2019, with another 2,223 living off-reserve.

They control the reserve of Samiajij Miawpukek in Bay d'Espoir on the island of Newfoundland It was formerly known as Conne River until the 1980s [see below].

In 1991 Miawpukek was one of the poorest communities in Atlantic Canada.

Due in part to increased education of its members, it has gone on to become the most well-of First Nation in Atlantic Canada after Membertou.

The Qalipu First Nation (Pronounced: ha-lee-boo, meaning: Caribou), is a Mi'kmaq band government as defined by the Indian Act, created by order-in- council in 2011 pursuant to the Agreement for the Recognition of the Qalipu Mi'kmaq Band.

Instantly becoming one of the largest First Nations in Canada, it represents the Qalipu Mi'kmaq of Newfoundland and Labrador. The band does not control any reserve lands.

Qalipu's legitimacy is questioned by other Mi'kmaq groups, who do not consider Qalipu members to be Indigenous nor a part of the larger Mi'kmaq nation. [Its headquarters is Corner Brook.]

According to the 2016 Census, there are 36,470 residents in Newfoundland and Labrador who indicated that they were of Mi'kmaq ancestry.

In terms of tracing Mi'kmaq place names, a great deal of research has been undertaken in the past 20 years. It has culminated with an excellent handbook Ktaqmkuk Place Names Project

The Ktaqmkuk Mi'kmaq Place Names Project: From the Project's website, the Project "is the most recent phase of a larger undertaking that began in 1999 when the Federation of Newfoundland Indians (FNI) conducted an island-wide Traditional Use Study (TUS) aimed at identifying historical and present-day Mi'kmaw locations".

Throughout Mi'kma'ki (traditional Mi'kmaq lands), places were often named to describe landscape features, to aid in navigation, and to locate specific resources.

Names like Pilmuipke'katik (where mint grows along the brook) speak to a traditional way of naming lands and water features that was useful and practical for the people of the day.

The Ktaqmkuk Place Names Project aims to capture and record this information, these place names and what they mean, for our knowledge, and for future generations. In this way, we better understand who we are, and where we come from.

The Ktaqmkuk Place Names Project has been evolving since the Federation of Newfoundland Indians (FNI) first Traditional Use Study in 1999, and through subsequent TUS completed by both the FNI and Qalipu. Recently, Qalipu partnered with the College of the North Atlantic and Memorial University's Grenfell Campus to compile information into an interactive map which includes more than eighty place names collected from community members.

In their manual, entitled Ktaqmkuk: Across the Waters (2018) Ktaqmkuk Place Names Project and on the interactive map on their website, 83 places are listed, along with the Mi'kmaq name for the province itself.

The English name is given, followed by the Mi'kmaq name, with phonetic breakdown of the pronunciation with information on its' meaning (along with some reference information).

In 1765 and 1766 Captain James Cook explored the southern coast of Newfoundland. As he headed "up" the Bay d'Espoir, he came to a river which he named Riviere Le Con.

Over time the river, and the town at its mouth, became known as Conne River (Hamilton, 1996). Since June 25, 1987 the "Conne", as the Mi'kmaq who lived there referred to it, was declared to be known as the "Conne River Reserve" (Brooks, 2013).

The following is from the Miawpukek First Nations Website: Miawpukek is the traditional Mi'kmaw name for our community.

"Miawpukek" is used as the name of the community in most documents produced by Miawpukek First Nation Government. Documents produced elsewhere most often uses "Conne River". The name means "Middle River".

Miawpukek became a permanent community sometime around 1822. Before 1822 it was one of many semi-permanent camping sites used by our people who were at the time still nomadic and traveling throughout our Mi'kmaq Domain of Newfoundland, Labrador, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Maine.

Miawpukek Reserve was established according to traditional oral history in 1870. It was officially designated as Samiajij Miawpukek Indian Reserve under the Indian Act in 1987.

Most of our members, as of June 1985, are registered Indians. The ancestries of our community members include Mi'kmaq, Innu, Abenaki and European lines....

Our membership is 787 on-Reserve and 1779 off-Reserve. Our total population on-Reserve as of August, 2006 is 867. (787 Native and (approx.) 80 non-Native).

[Update: As of September 2019, the registered population is 834 living on-reserve with another 2,223 living off-reserve]

Since being established as a reserve in 1987, Miawpukek has gone from a poor, isolated community with almost 90% unemployment to a strong vibrant community with nearly 100% full time/part-time employment.

We are one of two of the fastest growing communities in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We are often pointed to by Indian and Northern Affairs as a model community for other First Nations.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/ConneRiver