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74-636: The Michel Band was also referred to as the Michel Caillehoo, Michel Caillehouis, Michel Caillehow, Michel Calihoo, Michel Calistrois, or Michel Calliho Band, referring to the name of their chief at the time that they signed Treaty 6 with the Canadian Crown by adhesion on September 3, 1878. In 1880, a 40-square-mile (100 km) Indian reserve was surveyed as "Michel I.R. 132" on the Sturgeon River, about 8 miles (13 km) from

148-787: A First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group in the Northern Interior of British Columbia . Their territory includes the Finlay and Parsnip River drainages of the Rocky Mountain Trench . The neighbours of the Sekani are the Babine to the west, Dakelh to the south, Dunneza (Beaver) to the east, and Kaska and Tahltan , to the north, all Athabaskan peoples. In addition, due to

222-539: A band as defined under the act. This definition needs to be expanded to include the Michel First Nation, which would be a first nation if not for Canada's breach of lawful obligation, because Canada's breach goes directly to the status of the Michel First Nation. The Indian Claims Commission did note that Canada should not benefit because of a technicality. In our case, Canada is still benefiting from its own wrongful act; it points to its own discrimination as

296-559: A broader range of medical care and this is a symbol for that. The interpretation of that clause is very different for the federal government employees or bureaucrats and the Indian leadership because to us and to our elders and leaders who negotiated and signed that treaty, it refers to health care and health benefits for our people. And because our traditional way of healing is still present and alive but we recognized that we would need that assistance. Sekani Sekani or Tse’khene are

370-603: A chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company. Chief Mistawasis and Chief Ahtahkakoop represented the Carlton Cree. 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 area agreed upon by the Plains and Woods Cree represents most of

444-480: A cow for each family, assistance for the poor and those unable to work, the ban of alcohol in the province of Saskatchewan, and education to be provided for each reserve. In addition, the Indigenous peoples asked to be able to change the location of their settlement before the land was surveyed, ability to take resources from Crown lands such as timber, cooking stoves, medicine, a hand mill, access to bridges, and in

518-478: A cross-cut saw, a hand saw, and a pit-saw, files, a grindstone, an auger, and a trunk of carpenter's tools. Additionally, they were to receive wheat, barley, potatoes, oats, as well as four oxen, a bull, six cows, two sows, and a hand-mill. These were all included in Treaty ;6 so that the Indigenous peoples would use these tools to create a living for themselves. Religious practices are just as important to

592-578: A jockey cherishes his horse and shepherd his dog, so do they care for their canoe." The NWC undoubtedly hired Iroquois from Caughnawaga not only for their experience, but also their familiarity with the Catholic clergy and the habitant seigneuries who had land holdings in the Missions. The Regardless, the bark longhouses still resembled those of in Mohawk Valley, and traditional agriculture

666-591: A large group of descendants, many of which live in Alberta today. In 1998, there were over 700 registered descendants. The Michel band, composed of Iroquois and their leader, called "Yellowhead", travelled from the east to avoid assassination because of a bounty offered by the American government for provable deaths of Iroquois people. Iroquois Yellowhead was rumoured to be a descendant of the French Crown from

740-611: A mixed Cree-French language, was used by the Michel Band. Michel Band’s descendants still live across Canada. Descendants such as bassist, filmmaker, and photographer Tegan Armstrong number among them. The Michel Band emerged as a distinct cultural and kinship group during the Canadian fur trade . Louis Kwarakwante ("The Sun Traveller") was born in 1782 near the Catholic Mission of Saul St. Louis of Caughnawaga . It

814-451: A more important role than men. This belief is implemented into Indigenous people's political roles which is the reason why women do not negotiate as the land is seen as the women's, therefore if women do not negotiate then the land can never fully be surrendered. The reoccurring image of the Queen and her children was a main reason for the Indigenous peoples to sign Treaty 6. They believed

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888-657: A name used by people who could not spell his Iroquois name. He was called "Yellowhead" and known as Kara Komptee, Kwarakwante. He was Mohawk (Mohawks are part of the Iroquois confederacy), born in 1782, Sault St. Louis, in what is now called Kahnawake , Quebec. He was known as "Le Soleil Voyageur", which may be a reference to the rumored relationship to the French aristocracy; the French king, Louis XIV , known as "the Sun King". In 1800, Louis Kwarkwante, Yellowhead, signed on as

962-668: A period when the Iroquois were invited and visited the French King. He, Yellowhead, believed he had to leave the east to avoid being assassinated during the French Revolution, because of his rumored connection to the French aristocracy. Michel and his band came to St. Albert, in Alberta, and he appealed to Father Lacombe , who had come to Alberta in 1852, to arrange a home for himself and his people, his family. Michel Reserve, north of St. Albert, became their land base. In 1880 Michel Calihoo (spelling differs), as leader of

1036-427: A salary of $ 25 per year plus one horse, one harness, and one wagon or two carts. The Indigenous peoples also received a $ 1500 grant every year to spend on ammunition and twine in order to make fish nets. As well, each family was to be given an entire suite of agricultural tools including spades, harrows, scythes, whetstones, hay forks, reaping hooks, ploughs, axes, hoes, and several bags of seed. They were also to acquire

1110-533: A voyageur with the North West Company (a clerk changed his name to Caliheue) and travelled west from Montreal to Northern Alberta to work as a fur trader. He married three local women (a Sekani Native and two French-Cree Métis sisters). Mohawk, an Iroquois language , may at one time have been the language of the band, but by the late 19th Century Father Albert Lacombe wrote that most band members spoke Cree or French. It seems likely that Michif ,

1184-594: A war would certainly halt settlement. Thus began the negotiations for Treaty 6 at Fort Carlton. Morris advised the government in 1872 to negotiate a treaty with the Indigenous peoples in the North-West. Many years later, he received authorization from the government to send the Reverend George McDougall to inform the Cree that a treaty would be negotiated at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt during

1258-559: Is one of a total of 11 numbered treaties signed between the Canadian Crown and First Nations. Specifically, Treaty 6 is an agreement between the Crown and the Plains and Woods Cree , Assiniboine , and other band governments at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt . Key figures, representing the Crown, involved in the negotiations were Alexander Morris , Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and The North-West Territories; James McKay , The Minister of Agriculture for Manitoba; and William J. Christie ,

1332-498: Is radically different from the British version; in the oral histories, translations (for example there is no concept of "land ownership" or "cede", which follows from the concept of land ownership, in the Cree language ), and British customs, there continues to be controversy as to possible different understandings of the terms as they were used at the time of the treaty signings. The Plain and Wood Cree Tribes of Indians, and all other

1406-479: Is speculated that Louis was Mohawk . The name Kwarakwante appears to be an incorrect translation of Garakontie. Records list his surname variously as "Karaconti. Karaquienthe, Caraquanti." Louis also went by the surname of Callihoo, which derived from "Karhioo" meaning "Tall Forest" in Iroquois. Many members of his family, especially those who went west with the Fur Trade, had the name Karakontie bestowed on them by

1480-458: Is summarized though testimony at the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on April 9, 2008, by Chief Rosalind Callihoo: I am the great-great-granddaughter of Michel Callihoo, who signed treaty in 1878 by an adhesion to Treaty No. 6. I'm here today on behalf of over 700 members of the Michel First Nation who were reinstated under Bill C-31. I would like to present to the committee today

1554-665: Is within Treaty 6 territory and has the second-largest Indigenous population of any municipality in Canada. The Confederacy signed a protocol agreement with the Government of Alberta and the Alberta-Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations Relationship Agreement in July 2022 which provides for quarterly meetings with the minister of Indigenous relations and yearly meetings with the premier of Alberta . As of 2022

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1628-656: The Indian Act on March 31, 1958, by Order in Council P.C. 375. The Michel Band was the only one in Canada to be enfranchised during the twentieth century. The people of the modern-day Michel First Nation have ancestry primarily from the Iroquois , Cree and Métis ethnic groups. An Iroquois (Mohawk) man by the name of Louis Callihoo, born in 1782, came west in 1800 to work for the Northwest Company, spawning

1702-600: The Assembly of First Nations considers the funding of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program as one aspect of this responsibility. At the time Treaty 6 was signed, the famous medicine chest clause was inserted at Indian insistence that the Indian agent should keep a medicine chest at his house for use. Today Indian thinking is this means medical care, in general terms, the medicine chest may be all they had at that time and place but today we have

1776-843: The Bear Clan . The first references to Garakontié reveal him struggling to preserve the general peace of 1653. While in Quebec Garakontie proclaimed his faith in Christianity. Garakontié was baptized in the Cathedral of Quebec. He announced he would no longer sponsor dream feasts and declared the Iroquois cosmology was a fable. Traditionalist Iroquois headmen maintained that Garakontie had become French and untrustworthy The Jesuits had not only created Catholic converts, but also strong Christian and Traditionalist factions that brought unprecedented disquiet to Iroquois communities. By

1850-612: The Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations to be the "united political voice" of the Treaty 6 First Nations. The confederacy does not contain any bands from outside of Alberta. On 6 July 2012, the City of Edmonton , represented by Mayor Stephen Mandel , signed a partnership agreement with the Confederacy. This believed to be the first such agreement between a city in Alberta and a group of First Nations governments. Edmonton

1924-510: The Edmonton area, the Michel Band members came under government and settler pressure to surrender their agricultural land. Land sales marked by government corruption steadily eroded their land base through the next half-century. In 1959 the entire band was "enfranchised"—removed from status as Indians in exchange for the right to vote in Canadian elections and removal from the strictures of

1998-702: The Frenchmen of Trois-Rivières , the Hurons , and Algonquins . In their dealings with the French, Iroquois diplomats adapted the language and rituals of the Great Law of Peace to create the protocol for intercultural diplomacy. In 1654, Daniel Garakontie or "The Moving Sun" was the Great Sachem of the Iroquois Confederacy. "Five whole Nations address thee through my mouth. I have in my heart

2072-514: The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Chief Mistawasis and Chief Ahtahkakoop represented the Carlton Cree. Colonel James Walker had also been instrumental in negotiating the treaty. Prior to the near extinction of the American bison or buffalo in the late nineteenth century as waves of non-Indigenous immigrants arrived on the American frontier , traditional bison hunting was the way of life of

2146-696: The Plains Indians peoples, whose traditional lands spanned the North American great bison belt . Bison were the cultural symbol of these tribes—providing food, clothing and shelter. By 1871, the Indigenous peoples from the northern plains of the North-West Territories (NWT), the Cree , Ojibwa and Assiniboine , considered negotiating a treaty with the government to protect their traditional lands from settlers and HBC surveyors. By

2220-651: The Roman Catholic mission at St. Albert , northwest of Edmonton near the present-day town site of Villeneuve . The reserve was described and surveyed in September 1880 by G.A. Simpsona as "to a post on the right bank of the Sturgeon River and thence easterly along the said bank of the river to the point of beginning, containing an area of forty square miles more or less." and formalized by Order in Council PC 1151 on May 17, 1889. Like all First Nations in

2294-581: The clergy . Louis Kwarakwante was likely a grandson of Daniel Garakontie . As early as 1800, the North West Company began to employ Iroquois voyagers . Colin Robertson said he preferred the Iroquois voyageurs to French-Canadians in a rapid or dangerous river crossing "for their calmness and presence of mind which never forsakes them in the greatest danger." This was still a common trend even up until 1872, when George Grant remarked: "Our crews were chiefly Iroquois Indians from Caugh-naw-aga, near Montreal,

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2368-704: The 17 member nations; however, Littlechild was an exception, as he was not the chief of his own band at the time he was grand chief. Treaty 6 was signed in August 1876 as an agreement between the Canadian Crown and the Plains and Woods Cree , Assiniboine , and other band governments at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt . Signatories included Alexander Morris , Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories , James McKay , Manitoba 's Minister of Agriculture, and W.J. Christie , Chief Factor of

2442-404: The 1870s, the population of the once-plentiful bison had decreased to the point that tribal chiefs , elders, and many of the people sought the Crown's protection to ward off starvation. They believed that a treaty with the government would guarantee assistance and prevent starvation. The fear of smallpox, which had spread to the northern plains tribes during the smallpox pandemic of 1870–1874 ,

2516-631: The Confederacy includes 16 member bands, including all bands party to Treaty 6 with reserves in Alberta but two (the exceptions being the Saddle Lake Cree and the Onion Lake Cree Nation). The grand chief is the primary spokesperson for the Confederacy in the media and represents the member nations in certain political fora. Grand chiefs serve a one-year term roughly corresponding to the calendar year, and can be re-appointed. They are generally already serving as chief of one of

2590-440: The Crown did not want to buy their land, but instead borrow it. Another understanding was that the Indigenous peoples could choose the amount of land they wanted to retain, but surveyors came to set per person perimeters on the reserves which was seen as a violation of the treaty. Indigenous peoples thought the treaty would adapt due to the changing conditions such as the amount of currency, the drastic change in health services, and

2664-640: The Duck Lake Indigenous peoples in the treaty. The government used the Robinson Treaties as an outline for Treaty 6 and all the numbered treaties. The Indigenous peoples involved in the Robinson Treaties were given money plus additional annual payments. Reserves were identified and indigenous people were given the right to hunt and fish on the land they used to own unless the land was sold or occupied. However, despite

2738-482: The Europeans lived, and to use their ways of living to help the Indigenous population thrive. However, education was optional on reserves for the beginning of the treaty. The federal government offered education if the Indigenous peoples should desire it, but it was not mandatory. Nevertheless, not long after the treaty was signed, Indigenous children were being forced to attend school despite the treaty stating that it

2812-528: The French Sékanais . The traditional Sekani way of life was based on hunting and gathering. Although fish formed part of the diet, the Sekani relied more heavily on game, in contrast to their Carrier and Babine neighbors. Plant food consisted largely of berries, especially of blueberries. The Sekani traditionally cremated their deceased. After cremation was discontinued, the Sekani revived an old custom, probably never entirely abandoned, of covering

2886-551: The Indians inhabiting the district hereinafter described and defined, do hereby cede, release, surrender and yield up to the Government of the Dominion of Canada, for Her Majesty the Queen and Her successors forever, all their rights, titles and privileges, whatsoever, to the lands included within the following limits... During the treaty negotiations, the Indigenous peoples requested for agricultural tools, animals such as an ox and

2960-492: The Indigenous people as the serious discussions and decisions made. The pipe ceremony in the Indigenous community is something of sacred significance. It is associated with honour and pride and is conducted for both parties involved in an agreement to keep to their word. It is believed that only the truth must be told when the pipe is in attendance. The smoking of the pipe was conducted at the negotiations of Treaty 6 to symbolize that this treaty would be honoured forever by both

3034-426: The Indigenous peoples and the Crown. It was also to indicate that anything said between the Crown's negotiators and the Indigenous peoples would be honoured as well. A pipe was used at the beginning of the treaty negotiations as it was passed to Lieutenant Governor Alexander Morris, who rubbed it a few times before passing it to other agents of the Crown. This ceremony was to display that the Crown's negotiators accepted

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3108-455: The Indigenous peoples, they have a different understanding of the treaty terms. Although there were three interpreters presents at the negotiations for Treaty 6, two from the Crown and one from the Indigenous peoples, direct translation of words between English and Cree was not possible. Certain words in either language did not have a corresponding word in the opposite language. This meant that both groups did not understand each other fully as

3182-688: The Minister of Indian Affairs of the day refused to give us that special standing, and the recommendation was not adopted. Our sole recommendation here today to this committee is to propose an amendment to the definition of first nation in Bill C-30. In order to bring a claim before the Specific Claims Tribunal, a first nation must meet the first nation definition under section 2 of the Indian Act . This defines first nation to mean

3256-409: The Queen, as a woman, was not taking away their land but only sharing it. The phrase "for as long as the sun shines and the waters flow" was used in ensuring that this treaty would last forever. The Crown interpreted the water to be the rivers and lakes, however the Indigenous peoples saw the water to mean the birth of a child and as long as children were being born then the treaty would remain. One of

3330-414: The Robinson Treaties serving as an outline, the Indigenous peoples of Treaty 6 negotiated additional terms into their treaty which the government did not intend to include. According to the settler version of history and the terms of treaty making, First Nations gave up their customary title to the land under common law in exchange for provisions from the government. The First Nations understanding

3404-509: The band enfranchisement. Bill C-31 did not address that. They only addressed individual enfranchisement. My third comment regarding discrimination is the specific claims policy and access to it. In 1998 we had concluded an inquiry from the Indian Claims Commission. That inquiry made a recommendation to Canada that Canada should grant the Michel First Nation special standing to file a specific claim. In 2002, after four years,

3478-462: The band, signed treaty and the band settled on the "Michel Indian Reserve." In 1958, almost the entire band gave up their Reserve and Treaty rights and were enfranchised. As Iroquois, their style of government was based on voting, (American democracy is based on the Iroquois style of government, each individual having the right to vote) and British colonial government policy was that Indians on reserves, Indigenous people who signed treaties, did not have

3552-476: The benefits of Bill C-30, as it is currently drafted, exclude us because of the catch-22 position we are in. We are not recognized as a band, but we say we should be a band. We can't argue that we should be a band. The basic principles and values of Canadian society are reflected in the constitutional provisions designed to protect the rights of aboriginal peoples, to abolish discrimination. These basic principles and values need to be applied to our situation. We have

3626-460: The best voyagers known, according to the testimony of everyone who has tried them. The Iroquois made the engagement for the trip, and hired a few Ojibways bear the Shebandowan and Fort Francis to make up the necessary number. They were as fine-looking, clean-limbed men as one's eye could desire to rest on, punctual, diligent, uncomplaining, and reserving their chief affection for their canoes. As

3700-552: The central area of the current provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta . The treaty signings began on 18 August 1876 and ran until 9 September 1876. Additional adhesions, when bands within the Treaty area signed on, were signed later, including a Manitoba band in 1898, and, later that year, the last was signed in the Montreal Lake area. Since Treaty 6 has been signed, there have been many claims over miscommunication of

3774-508: The communities of Caughnawaga and St.Regis . Generations of Iroquois had been trapping furs for a living and had become proficient in the trading of goods to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in the St.Lawrence River and Great Lakes regions . The Iroquois were politically governed by the traditional customs and governance of the Great Law of Peace . In 1645 Iroquois headmen began treating

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3848-511: The concepts were changed due to the word changes between the languages. The Indigenous peoples had to especially rely on their interpreter because the document they were to sign was solely in English, giving them the disadvantage as the interpreter had to explain the words, meanings and concepts of the treaty text because the Cree could not speak or read English. The Indigenous peoples claim they accepted Treaty 6 because they were informed that

3922-598: The dead man with the brush hut that had sheltered him during his last days and then deserting the locality for a period. Persons of influence were buried in coffins raised on platforms or trees. They were said to have practiced polyandry before large scale conversion to Catholicism . Three bands identify as Sekani: Kwadacha, McLeod Lake, and Tsay-Keh Dene. In addition, the Takla Lake First Nation, which identifies as Carrier, includes many people of Sekani descent and until recently many of its members spoke

3996-571: The emigrants to America included the 1837 Great Plains smallpox epidemic that killed thousands of indigenous people along the Missouri River. Considering the sale of the NWT to Canada from the HBC, the Indigenous peoples were concerned about entering into a treaty with the Canadian government as they did not want their land to be taken over. As treaties made their way slowly towards the North-West,

4070-410: The event of war the ability to refuse to serve. In exchange, for Indigenous lands, the federal government agreed to set up certain areas as "reserves" (i.e. protected from encroachment by white settlers). These lands no longer belong to the Indigenous peoples despite them living on it. The lands on which the Indigenous peoples lived, can be taken or sold by the government, but only with the consent of

4144-418: The friendship of the Indigenous peoples, which signalled the start of the negotiations. It is also the Indigenous way to signal the completion of an agreement between parties to guarantee each other's words. Due to the contrast of beliefs between the Indigenous and the Crown, the Crown did not see this ceremony as significant as the Indigenous people did. The Crown's negotiators did not realize that this ceremony

4218-415: The issue of discrimination throughout the Michel history. The whole band was enfranchised in 1958 under section 112 of the Indian Act , which was later repealed because it was deemed to be discriminatory. Bill C-31 was also discriminatory. I stated that 700-plus members have been reinstated. However, there are probably approximately the same number who were not reinstated because they were enfranchised under

4292-433: The justification for not granting us status as standing under the policy. Parliament would continue this wrong by enacting Bill C-30 without the requested amendment. One of the purposes of Bill C-30, and the reason why it was endorsed by the Assembly of First Nations, is that it removes the non-binding status of recommendations under the former Indian Claims Commission. Bill C-30 is a positive step, and we endorse it. However,

4366-427: The late 1660s Jesuit missionaries encouraged increasing numbers of Catholic Iroquois to desert their homes for the mission villages in Canada; by the mid 1670s over two-hundred had departed. The lack of pelts to trade and warfare created serious economic hardship in Iroquoia. In 1700, over 500 of their 2000 warriors had been killed, captured, or had deserted to Catholic missions. The Michel First Nation's position

4440-562: The more efficient agricultural tools which have been invented or modified to better suit the conditions of farming. However, the treaty terms have remained the same which have caused Indigenous peoples to believe the treaty terms should be re-evaluated to better suit the needs of Indigenous people today. Alexander Morris emphasized that the Queen had sent him as she wanted peace within Canada, and for all her children to be happy and well taken care of. The Indigenous peoples were affected by this statement as women in their culture are seen as having

4514-427: The natives peoples, or with compensation. In addition, the government promised to open schools for Indigenous children. Each reserve was to receive a school house, which would be built by the government. The idea of giving the Indigenous peoples an education was an attempt to help them become more successful in terms of communication with the settlers. It was also an attempt to help the Indigenous community understand how

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4588-414: The pressures of the Indigenous peoples on the government to make treaties increased. Lieutenant Governor Alexander Morris proposed the government make a treaty in the west in 1872, but the suggestion was dismissed. The Cree were told by traders each year that a treaty would be made with them soon to discuss their concerns, but years passed, and the government made no effort to create a treaty. The government

4662-440: The same issues before us as all the other first nations in Canada; however, we have no platform to bring them forward. We respectfully urge the committee to recommend that Bill C-30 be amended so we may have equal access to the legal processes that Bill C-30 set out. Treaty 6 Treaty 6 is the sixth of the numbered treaties that were signed by the Canadian Crown and various First Nations between 1871 and 1877. It

4736-448: The selling points of the treaty was that a medicine chest would be kept at the home of the Indian agent for use by the people. Another of the selling points was the guarantee of assistance for famine or pestilence relief. The "medicine chest clause" has been interpreted by native leaders to mean that the federal government has an obligation to provide all forms of healthcare to First Nations people on an ongoing basis. In particular,

4810-401: The sentiments of all the Iroquois Nations - and my tongue is faithful to my heart." -Garakontie Garakontie was known as Sagochiendagehte ("the name bearer") the Council name of the Onondaga - a status he occupied as its principal speaker. Garakontie was his family name and not his hereditary title, thus his status as speaker and chief diplomat was achieved, not ascribed by his membership into

4884-431: The summer of 1876. Morris was at Fort Garry and left on 27 July 1876 to make his way to Fort Carlton to negotiate a treaty with the Cree peoples. Morris was joined by W.J. Christie, Dr. Jackes, and was to meet James McKay at Fort Carlton. Morris and his team arrived at Fort Carlton on 15 August, and met with the chiefs of the Carlton Cree, Mistawasis and Ahtukukoop. On 18 August, negotiations began after attempting to include

4958-454: The treaty terms from the Indigenous and the Crown's perspective. This misunderstanding has led to disagreements between the Indigenous peoples and the government over the different interpretations of the treaty terms. Treaty 6 is still active today, and a Treaty 6 Recognition Day has been celebrated in Edmonton each August since 2013 to remember the signing in 1876. In the spring of 1993, 17 Treaty 6 band governments in Alberta formed

5032-546: The vote. So most of the Michel Band gave up their reserve and their treaty rights and moved into St. Albert, so that they could vote. The Michel Band is the only First Nation in Canada in the 20th century to enfranchise as a group. In 1985 many descendants of the historic Michel Band regained Indian status through Bill C-31 . They have since that time lobbied the federal government to once again recognize them as an Indian band with Aboriginal and treaty rights . Many Michel Band members trace their ancestry to Louis Callihoo,

5106-430: The westward spread of the Plains Cree in recent centuries, their neighbours to the east now include Cree communities. Sekani people call their language [tsekʼene] or [tθekʼene] depending on dialect, which appended with Dene (meaning people), means "people on the rocks". Sekani is an anglicization of this term. Other forms occasionally found, especially in older sources, are Secunnie , Siccanie , Sikani , and

5180-460: Was another motivation for the chiefs to consider entering into a treaty with the Crown. The epidemic spread to the northern plains tribes, killing many of the Cree who had no immunity to this new disease. Because of emigration, smallpox had been introduced to America over the centuries. By 1873, thousands had caught the disease, hundreds, in eastern cities, such as Boston and New York and it had spread into Canada. Previous smallpox epidemics brought by

5254-411: Was of sacred importance to the Indigenous population which made their words and agreements mean much more to the Indigenous peoples than it did to the negotiators and the Crown. Spoken agreements to the Indigenous peoples have the same importance as written agreements do. The Government of Canada believes the terms of the treaty were written down clearly within the document, but in the oral traditions of

5328-404: Was optional for children to attend. The sale of alcohol was also restricted on reserves. The terms of Treaty 6 gave every family of five living on the reserve one square mile. Smaller families received land according to the size of their family. Each person immediately received CA$ 12 and an additional $ 5 a year. A maximum of four chiefs and other officers per band would receive $ 15 each and

5402-535: Was still practiced. In this Mission, Louis Callihoo learned his catechism and his prayers in his native tongue . He spoke French and later many other languages as well, which no doubt made his commercial dealings easier. He was contracted as a canoemen on November 23, 1800 by McTavish, Frobisher & Company, agents of the NWC. Daniel Garacontié (also spelled Garagonthie, Garakontie, and Garakontié) an Onondaga sachem , chief and orator, first travelled northwest from

5476-414: Was uninterested in negotiating a treaty with the Indigenous peoples at the time, but as a result, the Cree stopped letting surveyors onto their territory and stopped telegraph workers from creating a line from Winnipeg to Fort Edmonton . The events eventually caught the attention of the government, which did not want a war with the Indigenous peoples. It wanted immigration to the North-West to continue, and

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