From the time the members of the Makwa Lake Cree Band (Loon Lake) signed Treaty 6 on September 9, 1876, until they were successful in receiving the Makwa Lake Reserve (Numbers 129 and 129A) in 1916, they continued to live much as they had prior to treaty. After acquiring their own reserve they began to develop agriculturally through raising cattle and farming. The band’s infrastructure consists of a band office, warehouse, kindergarten, school, fire hall, band hall, and arena. The primary economic base is agriculture. Of the 1,196 registered band members, 753 live on reserve. The band controls a total of 5,881.7 ha of reserve land, the largest parcel of which is just west of the town of Loon Lake.

Christian Thompson