The aboriginal population across the country has soared during the past decade according to Statistics Canada, but Wahta Mohawk Territory appears to be the exception to the rule.

Newly released figures from the 2006 census show the aboriginal population in Canada jumped 45 per cent between 1996 and 2006. That rate is nearly six times the average of the rest of the population, and brings the total number of aboriginals living in Canada to 1,172,790.

While Linda Commandant, executive assistant to the Wahta council, said she is not surprised by the census result, she said Wahta Mohawk Territory, located west of Bala, has seen little population shift over the past decade.

“Our population tends to be fairly stable,” said Commandant.

Despite the constant population level, Commandant said Wahta’s overall numbers have grown significantly as a result of the territory’s land claims process, which was settled in 2005.

“What happened during that process was we had to make sure we had mailing addresses for everyone because everyone had to vote on it. So we had a big push on . . . to make sure we knew where everyone was,” she said. “The actual stats change when people haven’t been registered and then make an effort to become registered.”

Commandant also speculated that more of the general population is becoming interested in their ancestry, and subsequently discovering their aboriginal history.

Of Wahta’s 650 registered members, roughly 250 live in the territory, while the remainder are scattered throughout Muskoka and beyond.

Census figures indicate a significant influx of aboriginals into urban centres, but Commandant said the reverse is true in Wahta, mainly because of recently upgraded infrastructure in the territory.

“Our trend is turning the other way. People are starting to come home,” she said. “A lot of our population used to live . . . in Bala, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Orillia or Barrie because that was where they worked. Now that we have good roads, a lot of people are coming home because they can have good jobs in Bala, Gravenhurst or Bracebridge and it’s not a big deal to get there.”

Nearly half of Canada’s aboriginal population is under the age of 25, according to the census, and the median age is 27, compared to 40 among non-aboriginals.

“That wasn’t a surprise to me,” said Commandant. “The last two censuses have shown a trend toward dramatically increased numbers of younger people.”

Nonetheless, Commandant, who has lived in Wahta for 40 years, said the age demographics there reflect most other towns in Muskoka.