First Nations of the Qu’Appelle Valley

The Qu’Appelle Valley today is home to the Plains Cree, Saulteaux and Dakota; up to the mid-1700s, it was also occupied by the Gros Ventres (Atsina).

The Valley, called Katepwe-Cipi (Calling River) by the Cree, was an attraction for a variety of reasons. Its coulees and escarpments were ideal places to hunt buffalo in the summer, and the valley provided a winter shelter. Richness of fish in the spring and of waterfowl in the fall ensured the location of the Qu’Appelle Valley as a favoured camping site.

By 1864, the Hudson’s Bay Company became aware of the strategic location of the valley and established a trading post at what is today Fort Qu’Appelle. By the 1860s, the Metis, as they followed the dwindling herds of buffalo, began settling in the Qu’Appelle Valley. Canada annexed the region in 1870, and the strategic location of the Qu’Appelle Valley was once again recognized when negotiations to surrender 195,000 square kilometres of land under Treaty Four took place at Fort Qu’Appelle.

Between 1896 and 1911, the federal government embarked on a major initiative to obtain surrenders of Indian Reserve lands. As a consequence, close to half of the original land base of the Qu’Appelle reserves was lost, generally under questionable circumstances.

Treaty Ground Reserve

Since the 1880s there has been no specified location where Treaty Four First Nations could conduct treaty business, contrary to the statement in the treaty that, “Her Majesty shall . . . annually afterwards forever, cause to be paid in cash at some season to be duly notified to the Indians, and at a place or places to be appointed for that purpose.”

In 1874, when Treaty Number Four was negotiated, the First Nations insisted on having land set aside on which to conduct treaty business. When settlers began to occupy the area near the Treaty Ground, the First Nations applied to the government for assurance that the site would be safeguarded. As Indian Agent Allan Macdonald advised the Deputy Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, “this site . . . represents the place on which the Treaty was signed, also where the Indians have assembled to receive their annuities ever since, and they feel a strong attachment to it.” Thus, in the summer of 1879 the Deputy Minister of the Department of the Interior concurred, and a 1300 acre site was surveyed and “reserved as a camping place for Indians while being paid their annuities.”

Treaty Ground map
Treaty Four Archives

Carte des terres du Traité

The outbreak of the North West Resistance in 1885 brought about the imposition of the pass system that forbade First Nations from leaving their reserves without permission. Treaty payments were then made on reserves, leaving the Treaty Ground in disuse. In 1894, after seeking clearance from the Department of Justice, Indian Affairs informed the Department of the Interior that the Treaty Ground “was no longer required for the purpose for which it was set apart . . . it is handed over to your department.”

In 1995, the bid to reclaim the Treaty Ground Reserve at Fort Qu’Appelle was successful. The claim settlement has enabled the 35 member First Nations to purchase land and to construct the Treaty Four Governance Center. The facility includes the Chiefs’ Legislative Assembly which, at 120' high, is the world’s largest inhabited tipi. Apart from offices, the facility will also house the Treaty Four Keeping House and Archives for the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of treaty heritage. The centre is rapidly becoming a venue for meetings and a destination point for tourists.

Treaty Four Governance Centre, Fort Qu’Appelle

Le Centre de Gouvernance du Traité Quatre : Fort Qu’appelle.com

Next: North West Resistance of 1885