Hobbema hopes to heal with name change to Maskawics
Posted Jan 3, 2014 7:25 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An Alberta reserve with a reputation for violence is hoping to transform their community with a new name.
Hobbema, 70km south of Edmonton, has long been in the news for gang shootings, gaining a lot of attention after a five year old was shot and killed in 2011.
The National Post reports, on January 1st, Aboriginal residents scrapped the 100 year old dutch moniker ‘Hobbema’ to return to their Cree roots.
In an hour long ceremony on new year’s, they dubbed themselves ‘Maskawics’; the original name of the territory more than 120 years ago.
Chief Marvin Yellowbird tells the paper, this is a great opportunity to “turn the page and create a positive image,” after a lot of tragedy.
