Nigadoo is a community in the town of Belle-Baie in Gloucester County, New Brunswick.[2] It was a village prior to 2023, when it was amalgamated with surrounding municipalities to form the town of Belle-Baie. Nigadoo is located at the mouth of the Nigadoo River on Nepisiguit Bay, 15 km northwest of Bathurst and adjacent to Beresford.
Nigadoo
Mimoogwodoo | |
|---|---|
| Village of Nigadoo | |
 | |
  Nigadoo Location within New Brunswick. | |
| Coordinates: 47°44′17″N 65°42′40″W / 47.73805°N 65.711°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | New Brunswick |
| County | Gloucester |
| Parish | Beresford |
| Town | Belle-Baie |
| Incorporated | 1967 |
| Electoral Districts Federal | Acadie—Bathurst |
| Provincial | Nigadoo-Chaleur |
| Area | |
| • Land | 7.65 km2 (2.95 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
| • Total | 997 |
| • Density | 130.4/km2 (338/sq mi) |
| • Change (2016–21) |  3.5% |
| • Dwellings | 450 |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (ADT) |
| Postal code | |
| Area code | 506 |
Highways Route 11 Route 134 |  Route 315 Route 322 |
In the Mi'gmaq language "nigadoo" or "Mimoogwodoo" roughly translates as "place to hide".
History
editThe Name Nigadoo, comes from the old Mi’gmaq word “Mimoogwodoo”[3] meaning “the hiding place”. Long before Samuel de Champlain, John Cabot or Nicolas Denys charted the Chaleur Region it was inhabited by the Mi’gmaq People.
The legend on how Nigadoo got its name goes back to those times before European settlers came. Historically, is known that the Mi’gmaq people and the Iroquois (Mohawk) people were sometimes at war with each other, as their territories bordered each other around the area now known as Edmundston.
It was during one of these wars or conflicts that it was said that a hundred Iroquois canoes were seen coming over the cape, what is known as Gespe'g "Gespe’g" meaning "end of the world", or "where the world ends".
The Mohawk were on a mission to invade the Mi’gmaq people along the Bay of Chaleur which was actually called (Mowebâktabāāk) meaning "The Biggest Bay".[4] Little did the Mohawk know, that there were Mi’gmaq scouts and runners who saw the fleet of canoes coming.
The Mi’gmaq in the Gespe’g sent runners or messengers ahead of the fleet to warn each village that the Mohawk warriors were coming. By the time the message was relayed all the way to Nepisiguit, “Oinpegitjoig ”[5] the Mi’gmaq warriors had enough time to gather an offensive and they chose the mouth of the Nigadoo river to hide their canoes to ambush the Mohawk.
The mouth of the Nigadoo River was a strategic location due to the way the River is hidden from the Bay, as it flows around a sand bar that can still be seen to this day.
As the Mohawk fleet of canoes made their way down along the coast, they were surprised and ambushed by the Mi’gmaq warriors who defeated the invaders. It was after the success of this battle that the Mi’gmaq forever called this place "Mimoogwodoo"”.
Over time, as French Acadian settlers came to this place, they asked their friends and neighbors the Mi’gmaq people what this meant. It is speculated that the French settlers could not properly pronounce Mimoogwodoo (mim-moo-gwah-doo) and over time it came to be known as Nigadoo.
On January 1, 2023, Nigadoo amalgamated with Beresford, Petit-Rocher, Pointe-Verte, and all or part of ten local service districts to form the new town of Belle-Baie.[6][7] The community's name remains in official use.[8]
Demographics
editIn the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Nigadoo had a population of 997 living in 436 of its 450 total private dwellings, a change of 3.5% from its 2016 population of 963. With a land area of 7.65 km2 (2.95 sq mi), it had a population density of 130.3/km2 (337.5/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
| 2021 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 997 (+3.5% from 2016) | 952 (+2.7% from 2006) |
| Land area | 7.65 km2 (2.95 sq mi) | 7.69 km2 (2.97 sq mi) |
| Population density | 130.4/km2 (338/sq mi) | 123.8/km2 (321/sq mi) |
| Median age | 50 (M: 48.8, F: 52) | 45.2 (M: 44.2, F: 46.4) |
| Private dwellings | 435 (total) | 410 (total) |
| Median household income | $48,782 |
Language
edit| Canada Census Mother Tongue - Nigadoo, New Brunswick[9] | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Total | French
|
English
|
French & English
|
Other
| |||||||||||||
| Year | Responses | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | |||||
2021
|
995
|
870 |  0.0%
|
87.43% | 95 | 26.67%
|
9.95% | 30 | 100%
|
3.01% | 5 | 0.0%
|
0.52% | |||||
2016
|
965
|
870 | 1.75%
|
90.16% | 75 |  6.25%
|
7.77% | 15 | 0%
|
1.55% | 5 | 0.0%
|
0.52% | |||||
2011
|
955
|
855 | 1.2%
|
89.53% | 80 | 45.5%
|
8.38% | 15 | n/a%
|
1.57% | 5 | n/a%
|
0.52% | |||||
2006
|
920
|
865 | 0.6%
|
94.02% | 55 | 54.2%
|
5.98% | 0 | 0.0%
|
0.00% | 0 | 0.0%
|
0.00% | |||||
2001
|
980
|
860 | 3.6%
|
87.76% | 120 | 33.3%
|
12.24% | 0 | 100.0%
|
0.00% | 0 | 0.0%
|
0.00% | |||||
1996
|
930
|
830 | n/a | 89.25% | 90 | n/a | 9.68% | 10 | n/a | 1.07% | 0 | n/a | 0.00% | |||||
Notable people
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Census Profile of Nigadoo". Statistics Canada. December 6, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ New Brunswick Provincial Archives - Nigadoo
- ^ Silas T. Rand Dictionary of the Language of the MicMac Indians who reside in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton and Newfoundland. by REV. Sials Tertius Rand, D.D., L.L.D. Halifax, N.S.: Nova Scotia printing company 1888
- ^ Mowebâktabāāk (Mowee-bawk-tay-bay-k) -Mi’gmaq word meaning “The Biggest Bay” which is now known as the Baie Des Chaleur. Silas T. Rand, 1875. Oinpegitjoig (win-peg-it-joe-ick) meaning roughly flowing water or evil flowing waters
- ^ Spelling by Linguist Gilbert Sewell at Pabineau First Nation. www.pabineaufirstnation.ca
- ^ "Local Governments Establishment Regulation – Local Governance Act". Government of New Brunswick. October 12, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "RSC 3 Chaleur Regional Service Commission". Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ "Proposed entity names reflect strong ties to nature and history" (Press release). Irishtown, New Brunswick: Government of New Brunswick. May 25, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ a b Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
- ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
- ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
- ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.