In 1972, the recently formed Newfoundland and Labrador Indian and Inuit Association transformed itself into the Federation of Newfoundland Indians. The new organization had six affiliate Mi’kmaq bands.

Today, the FNI has nine member bands from the Western and Central regions of the Island.

To learn about our member bands, click on their names below:

Western Region Corner Brook Indian Band Elmastogoeg (Benoit’s Cove) First Nations Flat Bay Indian Band Indian Head First Nations Port au Port Indian Band St. George’s Indian Band   Central Region Gander Bay Indian Band Glenwood Mi’kmaq First Nation Band Sple’tk (Exploits) First Nation Band

The Corner Brook Mi’kmaq Band, that included members of what is now the Benoit’s Cove Band, was the first Indian Band council formed on the West Coast of Newfoundland. Its first organizational meeting, held in the early 1970’s, resulted in the formation of the Native Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (NANL), the precursor for the Federation of Newfoundland Indians. It is the largest band in the FNI.

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Membership in 2008: 2,468

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Originally part of the Corner Brook Indian Band, the Benoit’s Cove Indian Band was formed in the 1970s by Wilson Sams. The band has been affiliated with the FNI since that time. In 2003 the band changed its name. Elmastogoeg, which translates as “the coming-to and going-from place” is the Mi’kmaq term for the Bay of Islands area in Newfoundland.

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Membership in 2008: 1,003

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Flat Bay, a long and narrow arm of the sea on the west coast of Newfoundland, has long been occupied by Mi’kmaq people. Its waters are fed by three rivers and abundant with salmon, trout, lobster, cod, eel, smelt, flounder, and herring, and the surrounding land is home to caribou, black bear, small mammals, berries, and birds. Flat Bay is a community where hunting, fishing, guiding, logging, gathering, and trapping traditions still thrive.

The Flat Bay Indian Band was incorporated in 1972 and was one of the original FNI affiliated bands. The band council also provides the only form of local government in this isolated community. Since the 1980s, the band’s main focus has been the education of its members, and it has partnered with many agencies in the delivery of education programs. A recent survey of band members is currently directing band activities towards investment in culture, and into the upgrading of water services, the band office, and the local pond area.

Flat Bay Indian Band members are members of the Grand Council of the Mi’kmaq Nation and are affiliated with the Assembly of First Nations.

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Membership in 2008: 541

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On his historic journey across Newfoundland in the early 1800s, William Epps Cormack noted that 150 Mi’kmaq were living at “Indian Head,” an area near today’s Stephenville Crossing. In the early twentieth century, the development of an iron ore mine in the area and the construction of an American Air Force base at Harmon Field dispersed the people in the settlement to several areas around Bay St. George—Stephenville, Stephenville Crossing, Mattis Point, Black Duck, Cold Brook, Noel’s Pond, and Gallants. The descendants of these Mi’kmaq people and their family names are still prevalent in the region.

Originally named the Stephenville/Stephenville Crossing Band, the band became an affiliate of the Federation of Newfoundland Indians in 2000. The band’s name was officially changed to Indian Head First Nations Band after a vote on April 7, 2002, and the band incorporated the following October 31. In April 2006, our band office opened in the W.E. Cormack Building in Stephenville Crossing.

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Membership in 2008: 1,251

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The Port au Port Indian Band was established in 1979 under the leadership of Neil Lucas and was one of the original three bands in the Bay St. George area. The band joined the FNI in the 1970s.

The Port au Port Indian Band was incorporated on November 20, 2003. Today it works towards the cultural, social, economic, and educational interests of its members. A chief and six councilors manage band affairs. General membership meetings are usually held at least four times a year, and executive meetings occur when necessary. The band is governed by the constitution of the Federation of Newfoundland Indians as well as by its own by-laws.

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Groups & Activities: Membership in 2008: 416
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The St. Georges area has long been occupied by Mi’kmaq people. Documents show residents at Seal Rocks (now part of the community of St. George’s) as early as 1538. Within the band’s boundaries are several historic and sacred Mi’kmaq sites, including: Seal Rocks, once known as “Indian Town,” Molly Ann’s Cove, Steel Mountain, Calvary Hill, Hell’s Gulch, Manewagi or “Spirit Mountain,” Hungry Grove, and the mouth of Barachois Brook.

The St. Georges Indian Band was established in 1975. It became an affiliate of the Federation of Newfoundland Indians in 1990. The band council has a chief, vice-chief, secretary, treasurer, four directors, an elder, and a youth representative. Councilors are elected for a four-year term.

The council strives to promote cultural awareness and a sense of pride in the Mi’kmaq heritage of its people. The band’s priorities include education, health, economic development, improved housing, cultural enhancement, tourism, and recreation.

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Membership in 2008: 1,396
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The Gander Bay Indian Band was founded in 1972 and incorporated in 1980. The band council provides support to its members in several areas, including post-secondary education, job creation, housing, and economic development.

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Groups & Activities: Membership in 2008: 227

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The town of Glenwood is located on the Gander River, 24 km west of Gander, a unique riverside situation that is important to its Mikmaq history. Mikmaq hunters and trappers regularly traversed the country between Glenwood and Gander Bay via the system of rivers now within the Miawpukek Reserve (Conne River).

The Glenwood band was a founding member of the Federation of Newfoundland Indians. It was incorporated as the Glenwood Mikmaq First Nations Band in 1980.

The band has a voluntary, elected First Nation band council; it elects seven officers to its governing Board of Directors, as well as a Chief, Vice-chief, and five councilors, every three years.

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Membership in 2008: 422

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Sple’tk First Nations Band was founded in 1988 by Chief Nellie Power as the Exploits Indian Band. It became an affiliate of the FNI in 1990, and changed its name to Sple’tk First Nations Band (and incorporated) in 2003. Sple’tk is the Mi’kmaq word for Exploits.

Our Mi’kmaq ancestors were remarkable people who were known for their exceptional guiding skills, in moose and caribou hunting, and in salmon fishing on the Exploits River. They also fished the river’s headwaters at Red Indian Lake. Historically, logging also played an important part in the lives of the Mi’kmaq in this area. The local Mi’kmaq were noted for their exceptional skills in the use of axes and saws.

Since 1989, the Sple’tk First Nations Band has acquired and administered several programs and services in attempts to better the wellbeing of its members. It focuses on educational, economical, and cultural programs.

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Membership in 2008: 898

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