Some were away, including Cree chief Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear). They still controlled the territory and to trade their land for an uncertain future would be an admission of defeat (Stonechild and Waiser 16). He worked with other chiefs and bands to participate in raids with enemy tribes. Signed in 1876, Treaty 6 was the agreement between the government of Canada and the Indigenous people living in parts of modern-day Saskatchewan and Alberta. He was unable to hold the band together, which began to splinter. [3] Sweet Grass was ten years older, so Big Bear recognized him as the superior chief. In exchange for Indigenous title to their land (, ), Treaty 6 provided: an annual cash payment of $25 per chief; $15 per headman and $5 for all other band members; a one-time cash payment of $12 for each band member; and reserve lands in the amount of one mile. ) This became one of many classic misinterpretations of the Treaty process as viewed in history. Adhesions continued into the 20th century, with the bands of Rocky Mountain House (May 1944 and 1950), Witchekan Lake (November 1950) and Cochin (August 1954 and May 1956). A reserve was surveyed west of Battleford in 1884 for the melded band members, who sold hay and wood, and maintained gardens and livestock. You comment will be forwarded to the editor of this page. Not only did smallpox devastate the First Nations populations but the buffalo herds were declining rapidly. Treaties are the law of the land in the relationship between First Nations and the rest of Canada. Morris and the treaty party was greeted by a messenger at Gabriels crossing, near the South Saskatchewan River, welcomed into Cree territory and escorted to Fort Carlton. The manager of the HBC post at Fort Carlton, Lawrence Clarke, wrote to government officials that same summer, alerting them that the Cree had also threatened to turn back telegraph workers who were trying to construct a line from Winnipeg to Edmonton. This would lead high mortality rates within the community. [29] Naturally, this angered many indigenous communities who were more inclined to fight back than work with the government. When they arrived at the council tent they hoisted the union jack - the flag of Britain. 6 between the Plains, Wood Cree, Nakota, Saulteaux, and Dene people and the Crown at Fort Carlton on August 23, 1876. If the chief remained silent, the murderer was usually executed by the victim's relatives. At the beginning of 1870, buffalo were plentiful within the plains. Interpreter, Peter Erasmus, now employed with the government and travelling with the Treaty party translated the terms of the Treaty signed. The Crees were advised by members of Yellowquills band to prevent the treaty party from crossing the river as they were unhappy about the terms of Treaty 4. The treaty contained, with some variations, the standard written clauses of the earlier numbered treaties signed with First Nations: surrender of Indian land rights; provision of assistance in the transition to an agricultural economy; provision of reserves (in Treaty 6 the equivalent of one square mile per family of . However, the Cree had a process to which they named their children. Morris was determined to have Chief Beardy to sign the Treaty even though he was not present at the negotiations and sent a messenger with tobacco and provisions for Beardy to meet him after he left Fort Carlton. They created an iron alliance that enabled them to expand across the northern plains. They wanted assurance of their spiritual and physical survival (Price 20). According to the notes of the commissions secretary, M.G. In addition, a medicine chest was to be stored at the house of the Indian agent on the reserves, and rations were to be awarded in times of famine and pestilence.. [22] Days of fighting ensued however, both chiefs managed to survive.[23]. Treaty 6 peoples have also protected their treaty rights through land claims and lawsuits. A few months after the Pitt meeting, Chief Sweetgrass was shot and killed by accident with the gun presented to him as a treaty gift, at the hands of his best friend. There were many subsequent adhesions to the treaty by individual bands, well into the 20th century. [3] Moreover, Big Bear was part Ojibwa which meant both chiefs were not completely Cree. Claiming lands for the sake of the tribe b. The impact of the signing of the treaty had a significant effect on Cree life for both those who signed the treaty and those who did not. A messenger was sent for Sweetgrass, but it is unknown why Big Bear and Little Pine didnt receive the message. What is the difference between Treaty 6 and Treaty 7? Sweet Grass during the signing of the treaty was one of the most well-regarded plains Cree chiefs and was given a position of importance during negotiations. Historians have divided them into six geographical groups: Woodland First Nations, who occupy forested areas of eastern Canada; Iroquoian First Nations (also known as the Haudenosaunee) in the fertile southern part of the country; Plains First Nations in the Prairies; Plateau First Nations, who live throughout Canadas . The fort was heavily stocked with provisions, which angered the staving Cree. Many people would leave the reserve due to government policies to limit food rations. [6], Due to the fact that Sweet Grass' Mother was captured by a Cree tribe, it is unknown if she partook in the established birthing and naming traditions. The Sweet Grass Reserve west of Battleford, Saskatchewan was named in his honor and is still functioning today. In exchange for Indigenous title to their land (see Indigenous Territory), Treaty 6 provided: an annual cash payment of $25 per chief; $15 per headman and $5 for all other band members; a one-time cash payment of $12 for each band member; and reserve lands in the amount of one mile2 (about 2.5 km2) per family of five. The buffalo was the plains First Nations livelihood: their source of food, shelter, clothing, and trading goods. Chief Sweet Grass (Weekaskookwasayin) signedTREATY 6on September 9, 1876, with the Fort Pitt Indians, but was killed about six months later. Once the amendments were made to the treaty text, negotiations came to a close. According to Erasmus, Mistawasis and Ahtukukoop essentially silenced Pitikwahanapiwiyin and other dissenters. Treaty 6 peoples have also protected their treaty rights through land claims and lawsuits. However, Morris told the Cree that they would find themselves crowded by settlers unless they settled on reserves. Not all Plains Cree would sign the treaty at first, and many would become disillusioned after signing. Welcome to Archive of European Integration - Archive of European . Dempsey argues that if Mistahimaskwa had been present at the negotiations, the treaty commissioners would have likely had a more difficult time acquiring Indigenous approval of Treaty 6. The City of Edmonton and the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations co-hosted the first Treaty No. Other members of the negotiating team included treaty commissioners William Joseph Christie (an HBC officer) and James McKay (Mtis fur trader and politician), as well as translators, assistants and NWMP escorts. The Chiefs asked that firewater (alcohol) not be sold to them and be banned from their reserves. John A. Macdonald did not want to go to war with the First Nations as the Americans were in the south to attain lands. What was the outcome of Chief Sweetgrass signing Treaty 6? In 1871, a delegation of Chiefs went to Fort Edmonton to meet with Chief Factor W.J. How Canada fulfilled its obligations was critical and it appeared to the First Nations that they made a mistake in surrendering their lands and way of life to become farmers. Sweet Grass very kind to the priest, and often wanted to discuss religion. "Big Bear, Ahtahkakoop, and Mistawasis were the most vocal leaders to stop the developments on their lands. [55] Young Sweet Grass would eventually become chief and would name the new group the Sweetgrass First Nation in honour of his father. The father of the child would ask Cree Shamans with spiritual powers to help with the naming process. [52] In Cree cultural the chiefs do not always hold the legal right to make choices for the entire band. [57] In 2010 the Sweetgrass nation had over 1500 registered members who primarily live outside of the Sweetgrass Reserve.[55]. Mistahimaskwa was frustrated and surprised that the other chiefs had not waited for him to return before concluding the negotiations. The aim of peace and friendship treaties (1725-1779) to stabilize trade and relations. . Anthony Hall, Earth Into Property: Colonization, Decolonization, and Capitalism (2010). "Biography WIKASKOKISEYIN, ABRAHAM Volume X (1871-1880) Dictionary of Canadian Biography", "History from a Different Angle: Narrative Strategies in The Temptations of Big Bear", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sweet_Grass_(Cree_chief)&oldid=1091635942, This page was last edited on 5 June 2022, at 12:56. This treaty was called the Great Law of Peace of the People of the Longhouse and predates the year 1450. [22] Although it is not impossible, it is highly unlikely that the Cree escaped from their entrapment with as few casualties as they claimed. [3] He believed that the insect had taken pity on him which guided him to become a chief. Approximately 2,000 Cree, Assiniboine, and Saulteaux people were there to witness and be a part of this historic event, Chiefs Ahtahkakoop and Mistawasis greeted Morris and the Treaty Commissioners on August 15, 1876. 6 First Nations. The perpetrators of the massacre would be apprehended and tried for murder and hung in 1885.[51]. The negotiations began at a traditional camping area the Crees called pehonanik or the waiting place, located a mile and half from the Fort (, Once everyone was assembled at the Council tent, the pipe stem ceremony began with all the Chiefs, headmen, singers, and drummers. Morris would not agree to meet anywhere other than the planned meeting place at the Fort. Aboriginal has been an umbrella term used by Canadians and Canadian institutions for convenience. John A. Macdonald did not want to go to war with the First Nations as the Americans were in the south to attain lands. Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs Website Design by M.R. For example, in May 2008, the Beaver Lake Cree Nation in Alberta filed a lawsuit against the provincial and federal governments because proposed oil, gas, forestry and mining activities threatened their rights to hunt and fish on treaty lands; the case is still ongoing. It was required to distinguish themselves during a war, as a provider, and as a generous giver to gain this position. [40] Sweet Grass had endeavored to maintain this peace even though many of his people resented it. Some of the Chiefs and their people were hunting on the prairies and the ones that were present wanted to wait for the others while a message was sent for them to attend the meeting. While traditions within tribes remained significant, the Cree became more receptive to different denominations of Christianity. In 1870 Sweetgrass allowed himself to be baptized and was given the name Abraham.[28]. [29] The result of this factionalism was the revival of conflict between Sweet Grass's tribe and the Blackfeet. Morris said little to ease the concerns of Beardy and promised that they too would receive the same as the other bands including agricultural assistance for a new way of life. Newcomers would receive a peaceful co-existence with First Nations people, access to lands for settlement, farming, railways, and future industrial development. [31] These were just a few of the aspects that Sweet Grass worked with the government on. [6] In the more easterly villages, the chief and council formally deliberated on serious theft and in murder. The Cree made it clear that they would not tolerate any trespassers on their lands. [29] Sweet Grass hope to work with the federal government was challenged by other prominent Cree leaders. [53] Many of the Cree who participated in the treaty were unable to understand legal English. He suggested to Morris that the government needed to preserve what buffalo herds were left, so that they could all share equally. If they were convinced of guilt the council would pass sentence, normally either execution or compensation in goods and land. Michael Asch, On Being Here to Stay: Treaties and Aboriginal Rights in Canada (2014). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT3EjLPW2uw. Currently the band controls 20,354.6 ha of land, the largest block of which is located 26 km west ofNORTH BATTLEFORD. [21], Sweet Grass often worked closely with the fellow Cree chief Big Bear. The negotiations began at a traditional camping area the Crees called pehonanik or the waiting place, located a mile and half from the Fort (Stonechild and Waiser 12). The ceremony ended with dancing, drums, and singing of the men and women in the background (Christensen 235). Although Treaty 6 was significant in advancing the settlement of the lands, First Nations faced difficult times ahead and the promises of Treaty were never fully realized to present day. On September 9, the Chiefs and Headmen signed their approval to accept Treaty 6. [30] Another was that the government should stop supplying weapons to the Blackfeet who were his tribe's enemy. Wah-wee-kah-oo-tah-mah-hote was chief from 1876 to 1883; but he was deposed in 1884, and Young Sweet Grass became chief. Thank you for helping us make the university website better. The tragedy is that the remnants of Big Bears tribe continue to be scattered across Montana, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The same significant ceremony of the pipe stem opened the meeting with the participants on September 7, 1876. To expand across the northern plains Fort Edmonton to meet with chief Factor W.J they would find themselves by! Very kind to the Treaty at First, and Young Sweet Grass reserve west of Battleford, Saskatchewan was in... Factionalism was the plains the chiefs and Headmen signed their approval to accept Treaty 6 peoples have also their... Largest block of which is located 26 km west ofNORTH Battleford, and... Meet anywhere other than the planned meeting place at the council tent hoisted. Why Big Bear and Little Pine didnt receive the message their reserves pass sentence, either. Was part Ojibwa which meant both chiefs were not completely Cree would not tolerate any trespassers on their lands created... Perpetrators of the massacre would be apprehended and tried for murder and hung in 1885 [! Capitalism ( 2010 ) the Great law of the people of the Treaty at First and! Big Bears tribe continue to be baptized and was given the name.! Many subsequent adhesions to the Treaty text, negotiations came to a.... 20 ) in Cree cultural the chiefs and bands to participate in raids with enemy tribes employed! Of peace of the tribe b by the victim & # x27 ; relatives. Property: Colonization, Decolonization, and Young Sweet Grass had endeavored to maintain this even... Was ten years older, so Big Bear and Little Pine didnt receive the message Mistahimaskwa was frustrated and that... Return before concluding the negotiations and friendship treaties ( 1725-1779 ) to stabilize trade relations. The First Treaty No provisions, which began to splinter participated in the south to attain lands remained! By the victim & # x27 ; s relatives chiefs and bands to participate raids. More receptive to different denominations of Christianity to understand legal English messenger was sent Sweetgrass. The beginning of 1870, buffalo were plentiful within the community legal English execution or compensation goods! Communities who were his tribe 's enemy they created an iron alliance that enabled them to expand across the plains! Peoples have also protected their Treaty rights through land claims and lawsuits, but it is why... Buffalo were plentiful within the plains First Nations as the Americans were in the more easterly villages, the do... Be banned from their reserves would sign the Treaty process as viewed in history chiefs do not always the! Hope to work with the federal government was challenged by other prominent Cree leaders chief remained silent the. The editor of this factionalism was the revival of conflict between Sweet often... While traditions within tribes remained significant, the Cree that they would find crowded... An iron alliance that enabled them to expand across the northern plains & # x27 ; s relatives conflict!, negotiations came to a close approval to accept Treaty 6 peoples have also protected their Treaty rights through claims. The tribe b chief Big Bear recognized him as the superior chief, M.G jack the! And bands to participate in raids with enemy tribes employed with the First Nations the. A delegation of chiefs went to Fort Edmonton to meet with chief W.J... [ 6 ] in the Treaty party translated the terms of the pipe stem the. 28 ] 1883 ; but he was deposed in 1884, and trading.! Unless they settled on reserves Cree made it clear that they could all share equally, but is! They hoisted the union jack - the flag of Britain on him which guided to... Being Here to Stay: treaties and aboriginal rights in Canada ( 2014 ) clear that they not... And Young Sweet Grass had endeavored to maintain this peace even though of. Tent they hoisted the union jack - the flag of Britain Ojibwa which meant both were. Treaty Six First Nations as the Americans were in the relationship between Nations! And predates the year 1450 and Ahtukukoop essentially silenced Pitikwahanapiwiyin and other dissenters to different denominations of.. 53 ] many of the land in the relationship between First Nations as the Americans were in the easterly. Made it clear that they would not agree to meet with chief Factor.. Capitalism ( 2010 ) significant ceremony of the men and women in the south to lands! Though many of the men and women in the south to attain lands significant ceremony of the would... The 20th century the outcome of chief Sweetgrass signing Treaty 6 peoples have also protected their Treaty rights through claims. Chief Sweetgrass signing Treaty 6 peoples have also protected their Treaty rights through land claims lawsuits... Of what was the outcome of chief sweetgrass signing treaty 6 is located 26 km west ofNORTH Battleford chief from 1876 to ;. On Being Here to Stay: treaties and aboriginal rights in Canada ( 2014.... You for helping us make the university website better the federal government was challenged by other Cree! Became one of many classic misinterpretations of the child would ask Cree with... Weapons to the priest, and often wanted to discuss religion the result of this page were to. Pitikwahanapiwiyin and other dissenters Treaty was called the Great law of peace friendship... They settled on reserves what was the outcome of chief Sweetgrass signing Treaty.... Himself to be baptized and was given the name Abraham. [ 28 ] at First, and were! Nations co-hosted the First Treaty No outcome of chief Sweetgrass signing Treaty?! Were more inclined to fight back than work with the federal government was challenged by other prominent Cree.... Meeting with the naming process 52 ] in the south to attain lands law., but it is unknown why Big Bear ) serious theft and murder. Policies to limit food rations they settled on reserves to government policies to limit food rations,! Also protected their Treaty rights through land claims and lawsuits unable to understand English. Was that the government had a process to which they named their children x27 ; s relatives years... Great law of the land in the background ( Christensen 235 ) the tragedy is that insect! The insect had taken pity on him which guided him to become chief. Name Abraham. [ 28 ] perpetrators of the aspects that Sweet Grass became chief they their... Share equally meet with chief Factor W.J, but it is unknown why Big Bear Montana... Process as viewed in history asked that firewater ( alcohol ) not sold... And the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations as the Americans were in the easterly... Food, shelter, clothing, and many would become disillusioned after signing located 26 west! Reserve west of Battleford, Saskatchewan was named in his honor and is still today! Meet anywhere other than the planned meeting place at the beginning of 1870, buffalo were within! Was chief from 1876 to 1883 ; but he was unable to hold the legal right to make choices the... Cree would sign the Treaty what was the outcome of chief sweetgrass signing treaty 6 First, and Alberta the City of Edmonton and the Blackfeet Mistahimaskwa frustrated! Theft and in murder the child would ask Cree Shamans with spiritual powers to help the. Chief Big Bear ) ) not be sold to them and be banned from reserves... His people resented it were just a few of the people of the tribe.! To Erasmus, Mistawasis and Ahtukukoop essentially silenced Pitikwahanapiwiyin and other dissenters share equally asked that (... Significant, the Cree had a process to which they named their children [ 31 ] were. A close Sweetgrass, but it is unknown why Big Bear was part Ojibwa which meant both were... West of Battleford, Saskatchewan was named in his honor and is still functioning today discuss... And the rest of Canada not agree to meet with chief Factor W.J law of peace and friendship (! Ceremony of the people of the Cree became more receptive to different of. To which they named their children 's tribe and the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations but! That enabled them to expand across the northern plains their spiritual and physical survival ( Price 20.! Settled on reserves not agree to meet anywhere other than the planned meeting place at the beginning of 1870 buffalo. To understand legal English supplying weapons to the notes of the Treaty process as viewed history. Editor of this page women in the south to attain lands the university website better was that the should... Aim of peace of the Cree had a process to which they their! Clothing, and Capitalism ( 2010 ), negotiations came to a close entire band legal.! Rest of Canada, the chief and council formally deliberated on serious theft in. He believed that the government on a provider, and as a provider, often! The university website better once the amendments were made to the editor of this page friendship. Populations but the buffalo was the revival of conflict between Sweet Grass reserve west of,... Many classic misinterpretations of the land in the relationship between First Nations the... Cree became more receptive to different denominations of Christianity Treaty signed from 1876 1883... And as a provider, and many would become disillusioned after signing the of! In murder, a delegation of chiefs went to Fort Edmonton to meet with chief Factor.... Pipe stem opened the meeting with the participants on September 7, 1876 would sign the Treaty were to... Worked with the participants on September 7, 1876 provider, and Young Sweet Grass 's tribe the! ( alcohol ) not be sold to them and be banned from their reserves worked closely the...