Treaty 6 anniversary events will mark 150 years since the 1876 agreement across Alberta and Saskatchewan, starting August 17. Programmes include ceremonies, performances, cultural teachings, a unity ride and historic exhibits.
CBC News published the regional schedule on August 14. Edmonton’s opening programme will run from 9 am to 7 pm at City Hall and Sir Winston Churchill Square. It includes a Grand Entry, Honour Song, proclamation, reception and free afternoon activities.
That day, Wanuskewin Heritage Park near Saskatoon will host treaty talks, fiddle music, hoop dancing and an Indigenous market. Community programmes coordinator Jessie Muhlbach said admission would be by donation.
Seventeen riders will leave James Smith Cree Nation on August 17 and reach Fort Carlton on August 20. Organiser Cierra Twist said the four-day journey would promote awareness of Treaty 6.
The Treaty 6 anniversary programme at Fort Carlton Provincial Historic Park will run from August 20 to 23. It will feature ceremonies, storytelling and dialogue. The original 1876 treaty parchment is scheduled to return there, curator Kevin Seesequasis told CBC.
Fort Edmonton Park will stage a signing reenactment on August 19, with powwow performances and a market. Enoch Cree Nation will host a free commemorative powwow on August 20.
Prince Albert will dedicate Saulteaux artist Mary Longman Askipiyesiwiskwew’s “Passage Home” sculpture and healing garden on August 22.
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The Confederacy says Treaty 6 territory spans western Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The territory includes 50 First Nations.
First Nations and the Crown entered into Treaty 6 at Fort Carlton on August 23, 1876. The Office of the Treaty Commissioner says further gatherings followed on August 28 and September 9.
Onion Lake Cree Nation will host another Treaty 6 gathering at Fort Pitt from September 6 to 11.
