what was the outcome of chief sweetgrass signing treaty 6

Despite it being a highly valuable horse Sweetgrass traded it for an inferior one, understanding the importance of the group over the individual. There were many subsequent adhesions to the treaty by . (, 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. For example, some regard the medicine chest clause as a promise for equal and full access to health care. This made the Plains Cree very nervous and they confronted the surveyors and warned them to stop what they were doing because the government had not met with them to discuss their concerns. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Make provision for us against years of starvation. The Indigenous peoples retained the right to pursue hunting, trapping and fishing on reserve lands. The disagreement on Treaty 6 stems from three major issues; language barriers, verbal agreements made during the negotiation, and the rights for chiefs to sign the agreement. Indigenous people relinquishing titles and privileges to land. Included would be a medicine chest kept at the Indian Agents homes for the use of the First Nations but at the discretion of the Indian Agent. One of the requests that Sweet Grass made to the government was to teach the Cree better farming techniques. Thanks for contributing to The Canadian Encyclopedia. He reminded them that the buffalo were disappearing and that they would have to learn to farm to feed themselves. 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. Morris reassured the terms of the treaty, I want the Indians to understand that all that has been offered is a gift, and they still have the same mode of living as before (Christensen 268). Cree Tribes would move according to their migration habits. 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. By this time, the only known buffalo herds left were located in the Cypress Hills. [33] This land was not the HBC's to sell which is a problem that would occur several times to indigenous groups all over Canada. Claiming lands for the sake of the tribe b. Indigenous peoples are subject to the same tax rules as any other resident in Canada unless their income is eligible for the tax exemption under section 87 of the Indian Act. It remained to be seen whether it was a bad omen. Governor Morris addressed the crowd and asked Erasmus to interpret for him, Erasmus answered back, I act on behalf of the Chiefs; I am not employed by the government. McKay translated but was stopped when Chief Mistawasis stood up and said We are Plains Cree and demand to be spoken to in our language. Then Ballenden proceeded to translate, however, people in the back of the crowd complained they could not hear him, he tried to speak louder, choked and then sat down (Ray, Miller, and Tough 134). That is all.. However, they are still not recognized collectively as an Indian band with Indigenous and treaty rights. First Nations started hearing rumors that their lands were being sold without their consent. He suggested to Morris that the government needed to preserve what buffalo herds were left, so that they could all share equally. John A. Macdonald did not want to go to war with the First Nations as the Americans were in the south to attain lands. The Plains Cree were not always the victims of this conflict. It is considered in present day that the medicine chest led to the concept of free health care. 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. This might be because he thought it was obvious that signing the treaty relinquished Indigenous title to the land, or because he did not think that he and his translators could convey the message to them clearly. [24] The Cree relied on the buffalo so heavily that they were pushed to a point of starvation. They believed that the land was sacred. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. While the following is not a definitive list, adhesions were signed by Indigenous bands at: Fort Edmonton (August 1877); Blackfoot Crossing (September 1877); Carlton and Battleford (AugustSeptember 1878); Fort Walsh (July 1879 and December 1882) and Montreal Lake (1889). What was the outcome of Chief Sweetgrass signing Treaty 6? His goal was to spread the Roman Catholic faith to the Western parts of Canada. Medals, flags, and uniforms were presented as well as treaty payments. The fort was heavily stocked with provisions, which angered the staving Cree. Other members of the negotiating team included treaty commissioners William Joseph Christie (an HBC officer) and. Signing up enhances your TCE experience with the ability to save items to your personal reading list, and access the interactive map. Governor Morris considered the provisions the leaders had asked for and was willing to make some concessions, but he would not agree to all of them. Prime Minister John A. Macdonald wantedto expand the new Dominion west to the Pacific Ocean (Dodson 17). [4] His tribe was presented with a collection of grass dipped in the blood of the man he had killed. He was succeeded by his son, Apseenes (Young Sweet Grass); he was unable to hold the band together, which began to splinter. He worked with other chiefs and bands to participate in raids with enemy tribes. Mistawasis further said, The prairies have not been darkened by the blood of our white brothers in our time, let this always be so. He was succeeded by his son, Apseenes (Young Sweet Grass). 6 between the Plains, Wood Cree, Nakota, Saulteaux, and Dene people and the Crown at Fort Carlton on August 23, 1876. Are catch-up contributions subject to ADP testing. [4] Warriors consistently taunted him due to his stature within the village. It is the unique collective right to use of, and jurisdiction over, ancestral territory and is separate from the rights of non-Aboriginal Canadian citizens under common law. In 150 we had entered into the Robinson Huron Treaty to protect. One of the main questions is whether the signatories truly understood the concept of land cession. 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. On 23 August, the chiefs and commissioners negotiated the terms of the treaty. Currently the band controls 20,573.80 hectares of land, the largest block of which is located 26 kms west of North Battleford. When Sweet Grass became Chief, his tribe had already been in an uneasy peace with the Blackfoot (Milloy 1988, 111). On the afternoon of July 27, 1876, the Honourable Alexander Morris and his treaty party left Fort Garry (present day Winnipeg) and headed northwest along Carlton trail to the Hudsons Bay Company trading post Fort Carlton (Stonechild and Waiser 10). Schools were to be established on reserves. There was much discussion around the term of calamity and pestilence. By the early 1870s, the plains First Nations were suffering. Many Chiefs anticipated the arrival of the Queens treaty commissioners. Chief Sweetgrass, a well respected leader was chosen to be the spokesman for the meeting with Christie (Christensen 148). On the Sweetgrass reserve, the mortality rates would grow after 1885 to 185 per every 1000 people on the reserve. Death. Due to missionaries moving into the interior, there was more significant pressure to convert to European religions, which many Cree did. They were unaware of the negotiations at Fort Carlton and thought they would not be coming for another month or so. Although, the Chiefs were waiting for the government for some years now to address them, they were still uneasy of what the future held for their people as they were about to embark on a new way of living. [52] In Cree cultural the chiefs do not always hold the legal right to make choices for the entire band. He ventured into the Blackfoot territory, completely alone with the goal of capturing a herd of horses. Christie, the officer in charge of the Hudsons Bay Company for the Saskatchewan District. [3] Big Bear admired Sweet Grass for his bravery and guidance that he would often receive from his spiritual helper. In another instance, Sweet Grass had invited the Blackfoot into his camp in an attempt to begin a long-standing peace with them. The band had instead sent a messenger to attend the negotiations. Indigenous people were forced to choose between living on reserves, receiving a fixed amount of money every year for the rest of their lives and trying to assimilate and lose their status. Interpreter, Peter Erasmus, now employed with the government and travelling with the Treaty party translated the terms of the Treaty signed. (Ray, Miller and Tough 133). [29] Sweet Grass hope to work with the federal government was challenged by other prominent Cree leaders. Treaty 6 included terms that had not been incorporated into Treaties 1 to 5, including a medicine chest at the house of the Indian agent on the reserve, protection from famine and pestilence, more agricultural implements, and on-reserve education. The ceremony ended with dancing, drums, and singing of the men and women in the background (Christensen 235). Sweet Grass himself killed a Blackfoot Chief who had been using a hollow tree as a shield by shooting through it and piercing his heart. [3] After being forced to set up camp along a river due to a snow storm, a member of their war party left to collect food and spotted a lone member of the Blackfoot on foot rounding up horses. 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. [3] Sweet Grass was ten years older, so Big Bear recognized him as the superior chief. From here the group made income from farming and lumber sale, supplemented with traditional methods as much as possible. The legacy of Treaty 6 continues to affect the Cree till the modern day. Both of these issues became an extremely important topic discussed in treaty negotiations which Sweet Grass was heavily involved in. He also agreed to give agricultural implements. Sweet Grass believed that working alongside the government was one of the only solutions to the daily hardship the Cree were faced with. In Morris address he described the governments genuine concern for the welfare of their Indian brothers and sisters and asked them to take his words with much thought and to look to the future, what I will promise, and what I believe and hope you will take, is to last as long as the sun shines and yonder rivers flow. (, During discussions, Gov. [54] There was limited understanding on the level of Canadian settlement that was going to happen, and limited knowledge on how indigenous people would be restricted from the land. State delegations met for the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Treaty 45 and Treaty 72 The SON are signatories to various. Chief Sweetgrass and Ki-he-win sent this letter to Lieutenant-Governor Archibald: Great Father, I shake hands with you, and bid you welcome. We had entered into the Robinson Huron treaty to protect reserve, the do. The largest block of which is located 26 kms west of North Battleford that Sweet made! With them the negotiating team included treaty commissioners as the superior chief ] Sweet Grass had the. Catholic faith to the concept of land, the mortality rates would grow after 1885 to per! John A. Macdonald wantedto expand the new Dominion west to the daily hardship the Cree till the modern day killed! 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