Okanese First Nation

The Okanese First Nation (Cree: ᐅᑭᓃᐢ, okinîs, literal meaning: Little Rose-hip)^[2] is a Cree-Saulteaux First Nation band government in Balcarres, Saskatchewan, Canada.^[3][4][5]

The Okanese First Nation was a signatory to Treaty number four.^[5] It is named after a leader named Okanis, who signed the treaty on their behalf, on September 9, 1875.^[3] The Nation's population was 104 in 1879. 225 of the 459 members lived on the Nation's Reserve in 1999.

In June 2008 Canwest reported Marie-Anne Day Walker-Pelletier the Chief of the Okanese since 1981, was the longest-serving female Chief in Saskatchewan.^[6]