Documentary Review of Traditional Land Use in the Pasquia Bogs Area
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Documentary Review of Traditional Land Use in the Pasquia Bogs Area Prepared for PremierTech Horticulture October 2012 Pasquia Bog Historical Traditional Land Use Review Stantec Consulting Ltd. Executive Summary Stantec Consulting Ltd. was contracted by Premier Tech Horticulture to conduct documentary research concerning the history of Traditional Land Use of their proposed peat harvest in a cluster of peat bogs approximately 55 km northeast of Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan. The bogs are in Townships 49 and 50, Ranges 30 and 31, West of the Prime Meridian 21.6 km east of Highway 9 about 150 m north of the Otosquen River crossing. This project is in response to the following request from Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment: Since this project will affect a large area of crown land, the government has a duty to consult with potentially affected First Nations and Métis people who may have a history of exercising treaty and aboriginal rights for hunting, fishing or other traditional uses in the project study area. While it is recognized that Premier Horticulture made substantial efforts to contact aboriginal communities to obtain traditional use information, the EIS should contain a better and more detailed description of traditional use of the area, using information from other sources, such as historical records, government reports, statistics, academic literature or interviews with local residents. In response to the request for research into Traditional Land Use and Occupancy of the project area by First Nations and Métis we compiled data from the following documentary sources for presentation herein. • Academic Dissertations • Provincial Game Management Records • Provincial Furbearer and Trapping Management Records • Local Histories of Surrounding Communities • Ethnographic Monographs • Archaeological Reports and Inventories • Saskatchewan Archives Board (historic records, maps and photos) • University of Saskatchewan Special Collections (historic maps and government studies) • The Hudson Bay Archives and Province of Manitoba Archives • Consultant Reports • Interviews with Conservation Officers and recreational users of the study area These data are dispersed as no specific study has ever been done regarding the area within which the footprint of the harvest area occurs. Without the direct approach of interviewing traditional harvesters we accessed to a variety of sources in various locations. To narrow our scope we concentrated only on those Aboriginal stakeholders that expressed an interest in being consulted earlier in the EA process and within a 100 km radius of the peat harvest area. bja w:\active\113253562\tlu_o_backgrounder\research_report_draft_rev5 1.docx E.1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY October 20, 2012 Most of these data were accessible through online catalogues and databases and much of the archival information and academic references are at the University of Saskatchewan. In – person visits were made to the Conservation Officer Field Stations in Hudson Bay. We also interviewed former resource managers for the Hudson Bay area and the Town Administrator. We visited the local history room in the Saskatoon public library and interviewed the librarian and a museum board member in Hudson Bay. Information from the Manitoba Government Archives, Hudson Bay Archives and universities were gathered by our staff in Winnipeg. From the documents we have reviewed we can report that there is well documented evidence of a long history of traditional resource use in the region. We have, however found no specific reference to the precise footprint of the peat harvest area. Fur trade journals record that area First Nations harvested meat (moose and elk), fish and medicinal and food plants for their subsistence beyond commercial trapping. Twentieth century archival records hint at traditional gathering activities, First Nations encampments, fire-fighting and haying, but again, without specific locational information. Our interviews with modern resource managers suggest that, at least in recent times, that the bog east of the railway is essentially a “no-man’s-land”. It is described as too swampy (dangerously so) in the summer and lacking sufficient resources to be attractive in the winter, as well as being quite featureless and, therefore, a place to get easily lost in fog and snow without the convenience of modern navigation equipment. With the construction of a road, however, it is the considered opinion of resource managers that the new access may make it more feasible for traditional harvesters to venture into the bog. E.2 bja w:\active\113253562\tlu_o_backgrounder\research_report_draft_rev5 1.docx Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................1.1 1.1 TRADITIONAL LAND USE ................................................................................................1.1 1.2 STUDY AREA ...................................................................................................................1.2 1.3 ABORIGINAL GROUPS THAT SELF IDENTIFY AS STAKEHOLDERS AND/OR WITHIN A 100 KM RADIUS OF THE PROPOSED HARVEST AREA ................................................1.3 1.3.1 First Nations .......................................................................................................1.4 1.3.1.1 Red Earth Number 356.......................................................................................1.4 1.3.1.2 Shoal Lake Cree Nation Number 357 ................................................................. 1.4 1.3.1.3 Cumberland House Cree Nation Number 350 ....................................................1.4 1.3.1.4 Yellow Quill Number 376 ....................................................................................1.5 1.3.1.5 Opaskwayak Cree Nation Number 315 ..............................................................1.5 1.3.1.6 Mosakahiken Cree Nation Number 312 ..............................................................1.5 1.3.1.7 Sapotaweyak Cree Nation Number 314 .............................................................1.6 1.3.1.8 Wuskwi Siphik First Nation Number 324 .............................................................1.6 1.3.1.9 Chakastaypasin First Nation (James Smith Cree Nation) Number 370 ............... 1.7 1.3.2 Métis ..................................................................................................................1.7 1.3.2.1 Métis Nation – Saskatchewan Eastern Region I .................................................1.7 1.3.2.2 Métis Nation – Saskatchewan Eastern Region II ................................................1.7 1.3.2.3 Manitoba Métis Federation Inc.; the Pas Region Inc. ..........................................1.7 1.4 PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT AREAS IN THE STUDY AREA ....................................1.7 1.5 LOCAL COMMUNITIES ....................................................................................................1.8 1.5.1.1 Hudson Bay ........................................................................................................1.8 1.5.1.2 Ceba ..................................................................................................................1.8 1.5.1.3 Chemong............................................................................................................1.8 1.5.1.4 Otosquen ...........................................................................................................1.8 1.5.1.5 Cantyre ..............................................................................................................1.8 2.0 METHODS ........................................................................................................................2.9 2.1 SOURCES ........................................................................................................................2.9 2.1.1 Academic Dissertations ......................................................................................2.9 2.1.2 Government Publications ...................................................................................2.9 2.1.2.1 Treaties ..............................................................................................................2.9 2.1.2.2 Online Resources .............................................................................................2.10 2.1.3 University of Saskatchewan Archives (Maps, Photographs and Documents) ... 2.10 2.1.4 Hudson Bay Company Archives (Winnipeg) ..................................................... 2.10 2.1.5 Saskatchewan Archives Board .........................................................................2.11 2.1.6 Libraries (Reference Books and Local Histories) .............................................. 2.11 2.1.7 Archaeological Resources ................................................................................2.11 2.1.8 Conservation Officer Interviews ........................................................................2.12 2.1.9 Forestry Industry Reports and Interviews .........................................................2 .12 3.0 RESULTS .......................................................................................................................3.13 3.1 ACADEMIC DISSERTATIONS FIRST NATIONS ............................................................3.13 bja w:\active\113253562\tlu_o_backgrounder\research_report_draft_rev5 1.docx i 3.1.1 Red Earth Number 356.....................................................................................3.13