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Treaty 6
Similar to the negotiations of Treaty Four and Five, the Crown representatives and First Nations leaders (including the Cree, Saulteaux, and Assiniboine) participated in the treaty making process, using their own distinct customs and protocols for Treaty making. The Crown presented the written articles of Treaty and the Chiefs presented the pipe - symbolizing the solemnity of the Treaty agreement. By participating in the pipe ceremony, the Commissioners were viewed as accepting the friendship of the Cree Nation. In return, many Chiefs touched the pen to the written articles of Treaty to signify their acceptance of the Treaty agreement At this time, the buffalo were in serious decline and the Cree were recovering from a smallpox epidemic a few years earlier. First Nations stressed the need for livelihood, and accepted the Crown’s offers for education and agriculture. However, they also negotiated for relief in times of ‘pestilence and famine’, and a medicine chest, the best medical care available, at the house of each Indian agent. The Cree and Saulteaux leaders were looking for a partnership with Canada to obtain the Queen’s ‘benevolence and protection. |
