Chiefs gather in Fort Qu'Appelle, commemorate 150th anniversary of Treaty 4

Chiefs from across Treaty 4 lands gathered in southern Saskatchewan on Friday for a forum that covered a variety of topics, including an exploration of the history of the first gathering. 

Among the speakers in Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask., which is about 65 kilometres northeast of Regina. was former Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde, who spoke of the origins of the gatherings.

"In 1874, there were 13 chiefs on September 15th, 1874," said Bellegarde. "Thirteen chiefs met on that land at Fort Qu'Appelle and each of those chiefs was promised 100 acres."

The lands that they were promised was an area of 1,300 acres where Fort Qu'Appelle is located. It was the land where people would gather to meet with Crown officials annually and receive their treaty annuity payments. 

"It was a reserve from 1874 until 1881," Bellegarde said. "Then at that time the railway was going to come to Fort Qu'Appelle, not Regina. So the land became very valuable." 

Bellegarde said it only took seven years for the Crown to breach the first article of the treaty, which reserved lands would be kept for First Nations. It was at that time Fort Qu'Appelle was developed over the reserved lands.

In 1985, when the town was making plans to build a condominium where the Fort Qu'Appelle used to be located, elders started to voice their concerns over the redevelopment of the land. 

"Right in the middle of Fort Qu'Appelle were the burial grounds," said Bellegarde. "That was the catalyst that woke everybody up." 

In 1986 and 1987, Chiefs, elders and citizens came together, and they were able to stop the development of the condominium. A monument at the burial grounds is there now.

During that same time, Chiefs in the Treaty 4 area came together and started a land claim for the reserve land that was taken from them.

"Our claim was rejected three times," he said. "We said we're not gonna give up. This is our land. This is a treaty promise. We want what's left of the original reserve back."

Bellegarde said the Crown finally agreed to the special claim put forward by the 34 Chiefs in Treaty 4. In the years that followed, they were able to purchase some of the original reserve land back with money that they got compensated with.

Pasqua First Nation Chief Matthew Todd Peigan said it was elders who are no longer with us that really started that fight. 

"Their direction still lives on because we're gathered here today in this beautiful place," Peigan said.  

"The beautiful facility behind me, the elders asked for a place to gather and they built the facility. The elders said, 'now we need a place to dance to have our powwows.' So then they built the powwow grounds." 

Peigan said the two main reasons the annual gathering of Treaty 4 chiefs continues is to discuss the treaty — and talk with the elders, citizens and the other leaders — and have the powwow and ceremony.  

"We have the powwow where everyone comes together. Not to celebrate the treaties and the downfalls of those, but to celebrate because we survived all the governmental assimilation policies," he said.  

"We're here 150 years later, and we're going to be here well into the future."