Wasauksing First Nation

Parry Island First Nation
Parry Island First Nation
	Indian reserve
Parry Island First Nation Indian Reserve
	Aerial view of Parry Island, with the town of Parry Sound visible at the top.
	Parry Island First Nation
	Coordinates: 45°17′N 80°09′W / 45.283°N 80.150°WCoordinates: 45°17′N 80°09′W / 45.283°N 80.150°W
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
District	Parry Sound
First Nation	Wasauksing
Area
• Land	72.36 km2 (27.94 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	419
• Density	5.8/km2 (15/sq mi)
Website	www.wasauksing.ca

Wasauksing First Nation (formerly named as Parry Island First Nation) is an Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi First Nation band government whose reserve is located near Parry Sound in Ontario, Canada.

Their reserve constitutes the Parry Island in Georgian Bay. The island is about 19,000 acres (77 km²) with 78 miles (126 km) of lakeshore, making it one of the larger islands in the Great Lakes. The Wasauksing First Nation now occupies the entire island, although the ghost town of Depot Harbour on the island was historically a non-aboriginal settlement.

Community[edit]

The reserve is home to a community radio station, CHRZ-FM, and the Aboriginal magazine Spirit.

Transportation[edit]

The reserve's main road crosses to the mainland via the Wasauksing Swing Bridge, connecting to Rose Point Road in Seguin Township south of Parry Sound. The road continues to Parry Sound itself, becoming Emily Street at the municipal boundary of Parry Sound and Seguin.

People[edit]

Dick King, Potawatomi, photographed in 1928 on Parry Island. King is holding a war club and dance rattles, both now in the NMAI Collection.^[2]

Notable people from the Wasauksing First Nation include Francis Pegahmagabow, the most highly decorated aboriginal soldier in Canadian military history.^[3]