By TERRY PUGH
A century and a half after it was signed on August 23, 1876, the original Treaty 6 document is returning to Fort Carlton.
The historic document will be on display at the 150th anniversary of the agreement reached between the British Crown and area First Nations. The event is being celebrated August 20-23 at Fort Carlton, a national historic site.
The four-day celebration, organized by Pemiska Tourism (a wholly-owned company of Beardy’s & Okemasis Cree Nation) will highlight First Nations culture and focus on the importance of treaties. It is a free event and open to the general public. Details are available online at treaty6150.ca.
Colin Alexander, marketing officer with Pemiska Tourism, said this is the first time the original Treaty 6 document will be back in Saskatchewan since it was signed. The document has been safely stored in special environmentally-controlled archives in Ottawa for the past 150 years, and is rarely seen outside that space.
“The original document has notes in the margins that were written in by the negotiators for the Crown as a result of discussions with the First Nations,” said Alexander. “Things like the Medicine Chest Clause, which provided for health care for the people, were added during negotiations at Fort Carlton.”
Last March, a delegation of First Nations Chiefs went to England to invite King Charles III to the ceremony. While the King is unable to attend, the Governor-General, the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, will be among the dignitaries, including Lieutenant-Governor Bernadette McIntyre and Premier Scott Moe, at the event on Sunday, August 23.
An estimated 2,000 to 2,500 people from First Nations communities across Treaty 6 and beyond are expected at the ‘Village of Nations’, making it the largest gathering at Fort Carlton since the original signing in 1876, when about 2,000 First Nations people camped at the site during negotiations.
The event begins Thursday, August 20 with ceremonial pipe events. Friday and Saturday feature full days of education, entertainment, food and cultural activities, with main-stage performances by First Nations artists and dancers.