William Apsis (Chief of English River Band)

Williams Apsis was the chief of the English River Band who agreed to Treaty 10 on August 28, 1906. The Treaty Commissioner JAJ McKenna met with Chief Apsis and his band at Ile a la Crosse in 1906. The original meeting was supposed to be at Portage La Loche at a later date but Chief Apsis and his people did not want to be held up in negotiations because hunting season was upon them.

When negotiations began, Chief Apsis made it clear to McKenna that he wanted assurances that his people's traditional hunting and gathering practices would not be interfered with by the government. McKenna told Chief Apsis that they would not, at any time, prevent his people from hunting or fishing. Chief Apsis also asked McKenna for a doctor to live full time with his band, a request McKenna denied, and some food and clothing for the elderly members of his band. Chief Apsis also asked that the government not interfere with the education his people were receiving from the missionaries in the area. As well, Chief Apsis made the unusual request of asking for his people to be paid annuities in arrear, from the first time the Treaties were signed in Western Canada. McKenna denied Chief Apsis' request.

When Chief Apsis met with Thomas Borthwick, who took over from McKenna as Indian Commissioner, in 1907, he claimed that the government was using the Treaty he signed, as well as other pieces of legislation, to prevent his people from hunting and trapping. Chief Apsis asked Borthwick again in 1908, to ensure that his people's way of life would not be interfered upon. Both times, Borthwick assured Chief Apsis that the government would not interfere in any way with their hunting and fishing rights.

Sources: Anthony Gulig. "Yesterday's Promises: The Negotiations of Treaty Ten." In Saskatchewan History 50 (1). Saskatoon: Saskatchewan Archives Board, 1998.