Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lays tobacco on the grave of Chief Poundmaker in May after fully exonerating him of any wrongdoing during the NorthWest Rebellion of 1885. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Year of Progress

Year in Review: First Nations achieve many successes

Dec 27, 2019 | 12:00 PM

It has been a proud year for many First Nations in the Battlefords area, with a visit from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a ceremony to formally exonerate Chief Poundmaker among some of the highlights.

Many Indigenous communities enjoyed newfound successes in 2019, including Red Pheasant Cree Nation; Mosquito, Grizzly Bear’s Head and The Lean Man First Nation (MGBHLM); and Poundmaker Cree Nation.

In May, the nation looked on as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Poundmaker Cree Nation for a ceremony to formally exonerate Chief Poundmaker who was wrongfully convicted of treason-felony in 1885.

Following the Battle of Cut Knife Hill with members of the North West Mounted Police on May 2, 1885, Poundmaker turned himself in and was charged with treason-felony. He was sentenced to three years in prison, despite advising his warriors during the fight to stop pursuing retreating officers who had attacked their camp. Due to poor health, he was released from prison in 1886 and died a short time later.

After years of collective efforts from the Cree Nation, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau fully exonerated Poundmaker, and added a new chapter in First Nations and Canadian history.

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“I am here today on behalf of the government of Canada to confirm without reservation that Chief Poundmaker is fully exonerated of any crime or wrong doing,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau said the chief was a diplomat and peacekeeper who stood up for his people in the face of persecution. The prime minister added Poundmaker was not treated justly nor shown the respect he deserved as a leader during his lifetime.

In July it was a celebratory time for Red Pheasant Cree Nation. The Indigenous community held a formal ceremony to commemorate the repatriation of former Chief Red Pheasant’s Treaty Medal.

After it had been missing for 134 years, the Treaty Medal was symbolically reunited with Chief Red Pheasant at his gravesite in a private ceremony this past summer when it was returned to the Cree Nation.

The Medal was given to Chief Red Pheasant in 1876 when Treaty 6 was signed, but in 1885 it is said it was removed from his body by an Indian Agent who attended his funeral. It was later sold to a merchant in England. The Hudson’s Bay Company acquired it in around 1952. In 2002, the Manitoba Museum noticed the medal in a collection it received in a donation. Then, in 2018, Red Pheasant formally made a request to have the medal returned.

“It was very emotional and surreal… to think about what that Treaty meant to Chief Red Pheasant back in 1876,” Chief Clint Wuttunee said upon first seeing the medal.

He described the repatriation as a good sign for the future, and a type of “reset” for Indigenous people’s relationship with Canada.

During the public ceremony, Mary Culbertson from the Office of the Treaty Commissioner congratulated the Cree Nation saying, “You have got your heart back.”

On a warm and windy day in June, many Indigenous communities gathered with government officials for a ceremony to recognize the renaming of a group of lakes near Unity to Kikiskitotawânawak Iskêwak Lakes – which means ‘We Remember the Women’ or ‘We Honour the Women’ in Cree. After previously discovering the lakes were named Killsquaw, Indigenous lawyer Kellie Wuttunee took steps to formally have the name changed.

She learned the lake was given the original name through an oral narrative detailing a massacre of Cree women by the Black Feet in the 1800s, and said the new name better reflects Indigenous history without forgetting the story of the women.

The province formally approved changing the name of the lakes in November 2018.

In August 2019, Mosquito, Grizzly Bear’s Head and The Lean Man First Nation (MGBHLM) announced it was embarking on three new economic developments as a boost to the community.

They planned to start a home builders and construction company; a security company; and open the Three Nations Gas Bar and Convenience Store.

The construction initiative was to begin by building 20 new homes on the reserve.

In total, the three companies were expected to create about 35 jobs.

In September, it was reported Red Pheasant Cree Nation (RPCN) was starting to build a commercial urban development on land it owned on the outskirts of North Battleford, on the east side of Territorial Drive near 15 Avenue, as part of its plans to develop a new urban reserve.

The project includes building a Petro-Canada service station, fully funded, and owned and operated by the First Nation.

Underground infrastructure was being installed as well as an approach to the property from 15 Ave.

About 10 to 15 acres was set aside for development in the months ahead.

Red Pheasant has established a general concept plan for the entire 350-acre property that has reserve status.

The project’s goal is to create commercial developments and eventually residential development which will generate more revenue and jobs and stimulate the economy in the entire region, in an update from the First Nation’s Christmas newsletter.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW