Reclaiming Nêhiyaw Governance in the Territory of Maskwacîs Through Wâhkôtowin (Kinship)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Reclaiming Nêhiyaw Governance in the Territory of Maskwacîs Through Wâhkôtowin (Kinship) Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 4-24-2017 12:00 AM E-kawôtiniket 1876: Reclaiming Nêhiyaw Governance in the Territory of Maskwacîs through Wâhkôtowin (Kinship) Paulina R. Johnson The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Regna Darnell The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Anthropology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Paulina R. Johnson 2017 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Recommended Citation Johnson, Paulina R., "E-kawôtiniket 1876: Reclaiming Nêhiyaw Governance in the Territory of Maskwacîs through Wâhkôtowin (Kinship)" (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4492. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4492 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract The Nêhiyawak, Four-Body People, known as the Plains Cree, reside in the territory of Maskwacîs. Of the Four Nations that encompass Maskwacis, this study focuses on Nipisihkopahk, also known as Samson Cree Nation and is located 70km south of the city of Edmonton in Alberta. Governance for the Nêhiyawak lies in the philosophical and spiritual teachings passed down through generations of ancestral knowledge especially in discussions relating to wâhkôtowin, kinship, ohtaskanesowin, origin, and the teachings from Wîsahêcâhk, Elder Brother, who taught the Nêhiyawak about morality and self through oral narratives. As relationships between the settler state of Canada and Indigenous Nations create dialogue concerning authority and autonomy, this study discusses the methods utilized through community collaboration for the process of enacting traditional governance. As it stands, Samson Cree Nation follows the band council system that was enforced by The Indian Act. Forwarding the collective memory of the Nêhiyawak through their cultural knowledge, this study follows the journey of Nipisihkopahk as they forward the resurgence of traditional governance through their own laws rooted in the idea that we are all related, and this extends not only to the human world. Kisê-manitow, Creator, gave the Nêhiyawak wiyasiwêwina, laws, of how to conduct our self morally and ethically, revealing further the mindset of the people. Insights into the Creation story allow this study to delve deeper into the philosophical and spiritual values aligned within ceremony. Through this understanding of what it means to be Nêhiyaw, the study will also reveal key philosophical insights into Treaty and how better understandings can shape the diplomatic discussions between Indigenous Nations and the settler-state. Concepts of miyo-pimâtisiwin, the good life, and pimâcihowin, livelihood, allow for the ability to understand how the Nêhiyawak connect to land, culture, and family. The Elders agreed that already published oral narratives and teachings would be utilized, since the intellectual property and ownership belongs to the Nêhiyawak Nation. The significance of this study is to allow Nêhiyaw indigeneity to come forward and allow for the well being of the citizens of Samson Cree Nation outside of the domination of colonial policies to occur. This study presents the process in how meaningful relationships should occur between researcher and community. Keywords Governance, Maskwacîs, Nipisihkopahk, Nêhiyaw, Nêhiyawak, Plains Cree, Indian Act, Band Councils, Mental Health, Elders, Elder Brother, Wîsahêcâhk, Oral Narratives, Relationality, Law, Legal Studies, Indigenous Law, Treaty, Relationships, Indigeneity, Indigenous, Resurgence, Colonization, Decolonization, Liberation, Kinship, Family, Collaboration. ii Acknowledgments My dear friend, Bronson Wilson, I am forever grateful to have known you. You are the very reason I have entered this path. Words cannot express how much you mean to so many. It is with the deepest and heartfelt gratitude that I acknowledge those that made this study possible. To the Elders I have come to know and learn from: Nohkôm Cecilia Saddleback, Nimosôm Victor and Nohkôm Sophie Bruno, Nimosôm George and Nohkôm Celina Saddleback, and Nimosôm Jerry Saddleback, and Derwin Okeynan. Grandpa Chris, I love you so much. To all of you, for all that you have given me and the support and wisdom you have shared I can never repay what you have taught me, and how you have guided me. Your words echo within my daily thoughts and how I treat and revere our world. To Mr. Joseph (Joey) Deschamps you have been part of my learning for over a decade and it is with your encouragement that I find myself here. To Mr. Clarence Whitstone, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with me, and thank you and the Elders at the Treaty 6 Governance office in Onion Lake. To my father, Paul, I am nothing without you. To my mother, Luci, thank you for the support and guidance. Paula, you have been my best friend for so long, thank you for continuing to be my defender as my older sister. Pauline, never settle for less than what you deserve. Paul II, it will always be worth the risk. To Pam and Josh, thank you for encouraging me throughout my life. For protecting under my desk as I wrote, thank you Okimâw. To Jordon Munizzi, thank you for always listening, and giving me advice as I ask you the most off handed questions. Maybe one day I will be Prime Minister. To Natahnee Winder, thank you for reflecting home. Megan Caldwell, Lacey Fleming, Diana Moreiras, Bimadoshka (Annya) Pucan, Laura Kelvin, Jordon Brant, Molly Sparhawk, and Victoria Skelton, my dear friends, you are amazing. My friend, Dr. Michael Polushin, I gave it the college try. To my advisor, Dr. Regna Darnell, you are my protection, my role model, and my friend; I have the utmost admiration for you and will always remember that you took on iii so many battles for me but you never once let me think I was worth any less. You are part of my Nation forever. To Dr. Susan Hill you are so kind and brilliant. I am so very lucky to have met you in my first graduate course. To learn from you has been an honour and a privilege. For your support in every facet of my life, I am thankful. To Dr. Andrew Walsh thank you for allowing me to learn through new perspectives that enhanced my understanding of self. To my uncle Brian Lightning for assisting me with Nêhiyawêwin, ay ay. To Samson Cree Nation, thank you for the opportunity to enact change for our own good and well-being. Special thanks Samson Cree Nation, and the Justice and Legal Department, and councilors Kirk Buffalo and Patrick Buffalo. For the generous funding to bring forward this study: I thank the American Philosophical Society and the Phillips Fund for Native American Research, The University of Western Ontario Regna Darnell Graduate Award for Fieldwork in Sociocultural Anthropology, and the National Indian Brotherhood. Special thanks to Nipisihkopahk Education Authority and Indspire for ten years of support. To the University of Western Ontario’s Anthropology department, thank you for letting me share my knowledge and insights to those who listened. To the Franz Boas Project for letting me expand outside the framework of the project. Special thank you to Dr. Heidi Stark, Dr. Gerald McKinley, Dr. Cathy Chovaz, and Dr. Michael Coyle for their insights during the thesis examination. To those that I often see; I hear you, I feel you, and I thank you. To those that walked this earth before me, I am here because of you. Creator, you have given me opportunities and support throughout my life, I look to you for guidance wisdom and sight. iv Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix List of Appendices .............................................................................................................. x Preface................................................................................................................................ xi Chapter One ........................................................................................................................ 1 1 The Nêhiyaw Search for Truth and Justice .................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Pakoseyimowin ekwa Ahyaminawin: Hope and Prayer ....................................... 10 1.3 Mihchetoskan ekwa Wahkohtahew: Blood Lines and New Ties ......................... 17 1.3.1 The Kêhtê-ayak: The Old Ones ................................................................ 26 1.4 Nêhiyawîhtwâwin, the Four-Body Culture, is Intergenerational, Collective, and Lived .............................................................................................................. 28 1.5 Nêhiyawêwin ekwa cahkipewasinahikewin: Respecting the Four Body Language and Syllabic Text.................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Key Terms and Concepts for Exploring Nîhiyaw Tâpisinowin the Cree Worldview
    Key Terms and Concepts for Exploring Nîhiyaw Tâpisinowin the Cree Worldview by Art Napoleon A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics and Faculty of Education, Indigenous Education Art Napoleon, 2014 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Key Terms and Concepts for Exploring Nîhiyaw Tâpisinowin the Cree Worldview by Art Napoleon Supervisory Committee Dr. Leslie Saxon, Department of Linguistics Supervisor Dr. Peter Jacob, Department of Linguistics Departmental Member iii ABstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Leslie Saxon, Department of Linguistics Supervisor Dr. Peter Jacob, Department of Linguistics Departmental MemBer Through a review of literature and a qualitative inquiry of Cree language practitioners and knowledge keepers, this study explores traditional concepts related to Cree worldview specifically through the lens of nîhiyawîwin, the Cree language. Avoiding standard dictionary approaches to translations, it provides inside views and perspectives to provide broader translations of key terms related to Cree values and principles, Cree philosophy, Cree cosmology, Cree spirituality, and Cree ceremonialism. It argues the importance of providing connotative, denotative, implied meanings and etymology of key terms to broaden the understanding of nîhiyaw tâpisinowin and the need
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to Indigenous Organizations and Services in Alberta (July 2019)
    frog Guide to Indigenous Organizations and Services in Alberta Page 2 For additional copies of the Community Profiles, please contact: Indigenous Relations First Nations and Metis Relations 10155–102 Street NW Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4G8 Phone: 780-644-4989 Fax: 780-415-9548 Website: www.indigenous.alberta.ca To call toll-free from anywhere in Alberta, dial 310-0000. To request that an organization be added or deleted or to update information, please fill out the Guide Update Form included in the publication and send it to Indigenous Relations. You may also complete and submit this form online. Go to www.indigenous.alberta.ca and look under Resources for the correct link. This publication is also available online as a PDF document at www.indigenous.alberta.ca. The Resources section of the website also provides links to the other Ministry publications. ISBN 978-0-7785-9868-8 PRINT ISBN 978-0-7785-9870-8 WEB ISSN 1925-5179 PRINT ISSN 1925-5287 WEB Guide to Indigenous Organizations and Services in Alberta Page 3 INTRODUCTORY NOTE This Guide provides a list of Indigenous organizations and services in Alberta. Also included are national and umbrella organizations with offices located elsewhere. The Guide is compiled and produced by the Ministry of Indigenous Relations in order to provide contact information for these Indigenous organizations and services. Listings are restricted to not-for-profit organizations and services. The information provided in the Guide is current at the time of printing. Information is subject to change. You are encouraged to confirm the information with additional resources or with the organization.
    [Show full text]
  • The “Nanfan Treaty” – Legal Considerations
    Part 3 The “Nanfan Treaty” – Legal Considerations Is the “Nanfan Treaty” legally valid? Does the 1701 “Conveyance of lands by the Native American Chiefs of the Five Nations ” constitute a valid treaty between the Crown and the Indians? Do the Haudenosaunee have a valid case to claim hunting rights in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area? Does the Hamilton Conservation Authority have the right to enter into relevant Protocol Agreements with the Haudenosaunee, based on alleged “treaty rights”? Were the Ontario learned justices in R. v. Ireland and Jamieson [1990] and R. v. Barberstock [2003] wrong? Is the Ontario government wrong? On June 6, 2011, the Hamilton Spectator published an article, “Treaty covers HCA lands: Bentley”, in which it reported: “Ontario's attorney general and minister of aboriginal affairs says Six Nations' hunting and fishing treaty rights apply in lands owned by the Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA).” “In a letter received by the authority last month, Chris Bentley said the 1701 Treaty of Albany (or Nanfan Treaty) provides for the continuation of Six Nations “hunting and fishing activities on the lands subject to the treaty. The lands owned by the Hamilton Conservation Authority are within this treaty territory. /…/ "HCA general manager Steve Miazga said the letter, which was accepted at the board of directors' annual general meeting Thursday, “builds on” the recommendations they received from police and the Ministry of Natural Resources' enforcement branch to “build the relationship with the Haudenosaunee regarding environment matters. /…/ “Bentley wrote that he “fully support(s)” an agreement that was reached to respect the treaty rights of Six Nations people to hunt deer in the area for food.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rose Collection of Moccasins in the Canadian Museum of Civilization : Transitional Woodland/Grassl and Footwear
    THE ROSE COLLECTION OF MOCCASINS IN THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION : TRANSITIONAL WOODLAND/GRASSL AND FOOTWEAR David Sager 3636 Denburn Place Mississauga, Ontario Canada, L4X 2R2 Abstract/Resume Many specialists assign the attribution of "Plains Cree" or "Plains Ojibway" to material culture from parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In fact, only a small part of this area was Grasslands. Several bands of Cree and Ojibway (Saulteaux) became permanent residents of the Grasslands bor- ders when Reserves were established in the 19th century. They rapidly absorbed aspects of Plains material culture, a process started earlier farther west. This paper examines one such case as revealed by footwear. Beaucoup de spécialistes attribuent aux Plains Cree ou aux Plains Ojibway des objets matériels de culture des régions du Manitoba ou de la Saskatch- ewan. En fait, il n'y a qu'une petite partie de cette région ait été prairie. Plusieurs bandes de Cree et d'Ojibway (Saulteaux) sont devenus habitants permanents des limites de la prairie quand les réserves ont été établies au XIXe siècle. Ils ont rapidement absorbé des aspects de la culture matérielle des prairies, un processus qu'on a commencé plus tôt plus loin à l'ouest. Cet article examine un tel cas comme il est révélé par des chaussures. The Canadian Journal of Native Studies XIV, 2(1 994):273-304. 274 David Sager The Rose Moccasin Collection: Problems in Attribution This paper focuses on a unique group of eight pair of moccasins from southern Saskatchewan made in the mid 1880s. They were collected by Robert Jeans Rose between 1883 and 1887.
    [Show full text]
  • Thistle Indian-Trader.Pdf
    THE UNIVERS]TY OF MANITOBA INDIAN--TRADER RELATIONS: AN ETHNOH]STORY OF WESTERN WOODS CREE.-HUDSONIS BAY COMPANY TRADER CONTACT IN THE CUMBERLAND HOUSE--THE PAS REGION TO 1840 A thesis subnitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirenents for the degree of Master of Art s in the Indívidual Tnterdisciplinary Programne (Anthropology, History, Educat i on) by Paul Clifford Thistle .Tu 1v 19 8 3 INDIAN--TRADDR REI-ATIONS: AN ETHNOII ISTORY 0F I¡]ESTERN WOODS CREE--HUDSONTS BAY COMPANY TRADER CONTACT IN THE CUMBERLAND HOUSE--THE PAS REGION TO I84O by PauI Cl ifford Thistle A tlìesis submitted to the Faculty of G¡aduate Studies ol the University of Manitobâ in partial fulfillment of the requirenìer.ìts of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS @ 1983 Pe¡missjon has been granted to the LIBRARY OF THE UNIVER- SITY OF MANITOBA to lend or sell copies of this thesis. to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA to microfilnr this thesis and to lend or sell copies of the film, and UNIVERSITy MICROFILMS to publish an abstract of this thesis. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither the thesis nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or other- wise reproduced without the autho¡'s w¡ittelr perurissiotr. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABSTRACT vl1 CHAPTER I ]NTRODUCT ION 1 The Prob 1em 1 Purpose 3 Scope 4 S igni ficance 5 Method 11 The o ry T4 (i) Ethnic/Race Relations Theory 16 (ii) Ethnicity Theory 19 (iii) Culture Change and Acculturat i on Theory 22 Sumrnary Discussion 26 II ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE RELATION z8 Introduction .
    [Show full text]
  • TRIBAL COUNCIL REPORT COVID-19 TESTING and DISEASE in FIRST NATIONS on RESERVE JULY 26, 2021 *The Reports Covers COVID-19 Testing Since the First Reported Case
    TRIBAL COUNCIL REPORT COVID-19 TESTING AND DISEASE IN FIRST NATIONS ON RESERVE JULY 26, 2021 *The reports covers COVID-19 testing since the first reported case. The last TC report provided was on Monday July 19, 2021. DOTC Total Cases 252 Recovered Cases 240 New Cases 1 Active Cases 4 Total Deaths 8 FARHA Total Cases 1833 Recovered Cases 1814 New Cases 1 Active Cases 8 Total Deaths 11 Independent-North Total Cases 991 Recovered Cases 977 New Cases 0 Active Cases 4 Total Deaths 10 This summary report is intended to provide high-level analysis of COVID-19 testing and disease in First Nations on reserve by Tribal Council Region since first case until date noted above. JULY 26, 2021 Independent- South Total Cases 425 Recovered Cases 348 New Cases 36 Active Cases 74 Total Deaths 3 IRTC Total Cases 651 Recovered Cases 601 New Cases 11 Active Cases 38 Total Deaths 12 KTC Total Cases 1306 Recovered Cases 1281 New Cases 1 Active Cases 15 Total Deaths 10 This summary report is intended to provide high-level analysis of COVID-19 testing and disease in First Nations on reserve by Tribal Council Region since first case until date noted above. JULY 26, 2021 SERDC Total Cases 737 Recovered Cases 697 New Cases 14 Active Cases 31 Total Deaths 9 SCTC Total Cases 1989 Recovered Cases 1940 New Cases 11 Active Cases 31 Total Deaths 18 WRTC Total Cases 377 Recovered Cases 348 New Cases 2 Active Cases 25 Total Deaths 4 This summary report is intended to provide high-level analysis of COVID-19 testing and disease in First Nations on reserve by Tribal Council Region since first case until date noted above.
    [Show full text]
  • Toronto Has No History!’
    ‘TORONTO HAS NO HISTORY!’ INDIGENEITY, SETTLER COLONIALISM AND HISTORICAL MEMORY IN CANADA’S LARGEST CITY By Victoria Jane Freeman A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History University of Toronto ©Copyright by Victoria Jane Freeman 2010 ABSTRACT ‘TORONTO HAS NO HISTORY!’ ABSTRACT ‘TORONTO HAS NO HISTORY!’ INDIGENEITY, SETTLER COLONIALISM AND HISTORICAL MEMORY IN CANADA’S LARGEST CITY Doctor of Philosophy 2010 Victoria Jane Freeman Graduate Department of History University of Toronto The Indigenous past is largely absent from settler representations of the history of the city of Toronto, Canada. Nineteenth and twentieth century historical chroniclers often downplayed the historic presence of the Mississaugas and their Indigenous predecessors by drawing on doctrines of terra nullius , ignoring the significance of the Toronto Purchase, and changing the city’s foundational story from the establishment of York in 1793 to the incorporation of the City of Toronto in 1834. These chroniclers usually assumed that “real Indians” and urban life were inimical. Often their representations implied that local Indigenous peoples had no significant history and thus the region had little or no history before the arrival of Europeans. Alternatively, narratives of ethical settler indigenization positioned the Indigenous past as the uncivilized starting point in a monological European theory of historical development. i i iii In many civic discourses, the city stood in for the nation as a symbol of its future, and national history stood in for the region’s local history. The national replaced ‘the Indigenous’ in an ideological process that peaked between the 1880s and the 1930s.
    [Show full text]
  • The North-West Rebellion 1885 Riel on Trial
    182-199 120820 11/1/04 2:57 PM Page 182 Chapter 13 The North-West Rebellion 1885 Riel on Trial It is the summer of 1885. The small courtroom The case against Riel is being heard by in Regina is jammed with reporters and curi- Judge Hugh Richardson and a jury of six ous spectators. Louis Riel is on trial. He is English-speaking men. The tiny courtroom is charged with treason for leading an armed sweltering in the heat of a prairie summer. For rebellion against the Queen and her Canadian days, Riel’s lawyers argue that he is insane government. If he is found guilty, the punish- and cannot tell right from wrong. Then it is ment could be death by hanging. Riel’s turn to speak. The photograph shows What has happened over the past 15 years Riel in the witness box telling his story. What to bring Louis Riel to this moment? This is the will he say in his own defence? Will the jury same Louis Riel who led the Red River decide he is innocent or guilty? All Canada is Resistance in 1869-70. This is the Riel who waiting to hear what the outcome of the trial was called the “Father of Manitoba.” He is will be! back in Canada. Reflecting/Predicting 1. Why do you think Louis Riel is back in Canada after fleeing to the United States following the Red River Resistance in 1870? 2. What do you think could have happened to bring Louis Riel to this trial? 3.
    [Show full text]
  • 25140 Applications 25140-A001 to 25140-A004
    Notice of applications Transmission lines 80L and 716L decommission and salvage AltaLink Management Ltd. has filed applications to decommission and salvage transmission lines 80L and 716L in the Lacombe, Ponoka and Wetaskiwin areas Proceeding 25140 Applications 25140-A001 to 25140-A004 The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), the independent utilities regulator, will be considering the decommissioning and salvage applications in Proceeding 25140. If you feel you may be affected by these applications you can provide input to the AUC to review before it makes its decision. Written submissions are due January 24, 2020. AltaLink Management Ltd. has applied to decommission and salvage all of the remaining portions of transmission lines 80L and 716L between the West Lacombe 958S Substation and the Wetaskiwin 40S Substation located in Lacombe County, Ponoka County, the County of Wetaskiwin, the city of Wetaskiwin, Indian Reserve No. 138 (Ermineskin Cree Nation) and Indian Reserve No. 137 (Samson Cree Nation). AltaLink has also applied to alter the existing Wetaskiwin 40S Substation. The need for the decommission and salvage was approved by the Commission in Decision 2012-098, for the Red Deer Region Transmission Development. The West Lacombe 958S Substation was approved for salvage in Decision 23599-D01-2018, for the West Lacombe 958S Substation Salvage. The attached map identifies the affected sections of transmission lines 80L and 716L and the location of the substations. The applications have been filed under Section 21 of the Hydro and Electric Energy Act. - 2 - Additional information about the applications The applications and any associated documents are publicly available and can be accessed from the eFiling System on the AUC website www.auc.ab.ca.
    [Show full text]
  • Edmund Morris Among the Saskatchewan Indians and the Fort Qu'appelle Monument
    EDMUND MORRIS AMONG THE SASKATCHEWAN INDIANS AND THE FORT QU'APPELLE MONUMENT By Jean McGill n 1872 the government of Canada appointed Alexander Morris the first Chief Justice of Manitoba. The same year he succeeded A. G. Archibald as Lieu­ I tenant-Governor of Manitoba and the North-West Territories. Archibald had already acted as a commissioner of the federal government in negotiating Treaties Nos. 1 and 2 with the Indians of Manitoba. Morris was com­ missioned in 1873 to carry on negotiations with Indians of the western plains and some Manitoba Indians not present at the first two treaties. By the time Alexander Morris's term of office had expired in 1877 he had negotiated the signing of Treaties No. 3 (North-West Angle), 4 (Fort Qu'Appelle), 5 (Lake Winnipeg), 6 (Forts Carlton and Pitt), and the Revision of Treaties Nos. 1 and 2. Morris later documented the meetings, negotiations, and wording of all of the treaties completed prior to 1900 in a book entitled The Treaties of Canada with the Indians ofManitoba and the North­ west Territories which was published in 1888. He returned to Toronto with his family and later was persuaded to run for office in the Ontario legislature where he represented Toronto for a number of years. Edmund Morris, youngest of a family of eleven, was born two years before the family went to Manitoba. Indian chiefs and headmen in colourful regalia frequently came to call on the Governor and as a child at Government House in Winnipeg, Edmund was exposed to Indian culture for the Indians invariably brought gifts, often for Mrs.
    [Show full text]
  • An Indian Chief, an English Tourist, a Doctor, a Reverend, and a Member of Ppparliament: the Journeys of Pasqua’S’S’S Pictographs and the Meaning of Treaty Four
    The Journeys of Pasqua’s Pictographs 109 AN INDIAN CHIEF, AN ENGLISH TOURIST, A DOCTOR, A REVEREND, AND A MEMBER OF PPPARLIAMENT: THE JOURNEYS OF PASQUA’S’S’S PICTOGRAPHS AND THE MEANING OF TREATY FOUR Bob Beal 7204 76 Street Edmonton, Alberta Canada, T6C 2J5 [email protected] Abstract / Résumé Indian treaties of western Canada are contentious among historians, First Nations, governments, and courts. The contemporary written docu- mentation about them has come from one side of the treaty process. Historians add information from such disciplines as First Nations Tradi- tional Knowledge and Oral History to draw as complete a picture as possible. Now, we have an additional source of written contemporary information, Chief Pasqua’s recently rediscovered pictographs showing the nature of Treaty Four and its initial implementation. Pasqua’s ac- count, as contextualized here, adds significantly to our knowledge of the western numbered treaty process. The pictographs give voice to Chief Pasqua’s knowledge. Les traités conclus avec les Indiens de l’Ouest canadien demeurent liti- gieux pour les historiens, les Premières nations, les gouvernements et les tribunaux. Les documents contemporains qui discutent des traités ne proviennent que d’une seule vision du processus des traités. Les historiens ajoutent des renseignements provenant de disciplines telles que les connaissances traditionnelles et l’histoire orale des Autochto- nes. Ils bénéficient désormais d’une nouvelle source écrite contempo- raine, les pictogrammes récemment redécouverts du chef Pasqua, qui illustrent la nature du Traité n° 4 et les débuts de son application. Le compte rendu du chef, tel que replacé dans son contexte, est un ajout important à notre connaissance du processus des traités numérotés dans l’Ouest canadien.
    [Show full text]
  • Refusing to Hyphenate: Doukhobor Autobiographical Discourse
    REFUSING TO HYPHENATE: DOUKHOBOR AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL DISCOURSE By JULIE RAK, M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School ofGraduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment ofthe Requirements for the Degree Doctorate McMaster University © Copyright by Julie Rak, June 1998 DOCTORATE (1998) (English) McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Refusing to Hyphenate: Doukhobor Autobiographical Discourse AUTHOR: Julie Rak, B.A. (McMaster University), M.A. (Carleton University) SUPERVISOR: Professor Lorraine M. York NUMBER OF PAGES: vi,256 (ii) Abstract My thesis, Refusing to Hyphenate: Doukhobor Autobiographical Discourse brings together recent theories ofautobiography with a consideration ofalternative autobiographical writing and speaking made by a Russian-speaking migrant group, the Doukhobors ofCanada. The situation ofthe Doukhobors is ideal for a consideration of alternate autobiographical forms, since Doukhobors have fallen outside liberal democratic discourses ofCanadian nationalism, land use and religion ever since their arrival in Canada in 1899. They have turned to alternate strategies to retell their own histories against the grain ofthe sensationalist image ofDoukhobors propagated by government commissions and by the Canadian media. My study is the first to recover archived autobiographical material by Doukhobors for analysis. It also breaks new ground by linking new developments in autobiography theory with other developments in diaspora theory, orality and literacy and theories ofperformativity, as well as criticism that takes issues about identity and its relationship to power into account. When they had to partially assimilate by the 1950s, some Doukhobors made autobiographical writings, translations and recordings that included interviews, older autobiographical accounts and oral histories about their identity as a migratory, persecuted people who resist State control. Others recorded their protests against the British Columbian government from the 1930s to the 1960s in collective prison diaries and legal documents.
    [Show full text]