Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 10-15-2015 12:00 AM Searching for Sakitawak: Place and People in Northern Saskatchewan's Île-à-la-Crosse Signa A. K. Daum Shanks The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Roger Hall The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in History A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Signa A. K. Daum Shanks 2015 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Canadian History Commons Recommended Citation Daum Shanks, Signa A. K., "Searching for Sakitawak: Place and People in Northern Saskatchewan's Île-à- la-Crosse" (2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 3328. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/3328 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]. ii ABSTRACT This presentation is a history of a small community, Île-à-la-Crosse, located in an area now part of Saskatchewan, Canada. With an historic reputation for cooperation and enviable trading circumstances, its residents traditionally have determined that protection of the community ensured the best opportunities for the advancement and security of individuals. As a result of this belief, residents reinforced their own understandings of sustainability as a means to ensure personal success. The community’s fame for hosting such a set of norms grew, particularly from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, and outsiders often visited to improve their own efforts as a result of this reputation. Given the belief that community longevity assured individual concerns, many visitors quickly decided to adopt local processes even if those functions contrasted sharply from their own original beliefs. Based on these decisions, the visitors’ institutions experienced changes as well. Through this social cooperation to better ensure personal success, a culture began to develop, and so the village’s distinctive administrative and economic processes were continued through family, neighbourly, and kinship ties. Some characteristics, such as multiculturalism, shared land use, complex trading activities, and sustainability, further distinguished Île-à-la-Crosse as a result. Though well aware of the village a number of parties (such as the Hudson’s Bay Company and the Canadian government), still regularly excluded the community from their deliberations because of its unique ability to supposedly need less intervention considered necessary elsewhere. These various corporate and political authorities, concerned with their own existence, instead emphasised the conditions of communities that demonstrated social hostility, monetary difficulties, and other forms of disparity. As these historic parties failing to appreciate the village’s positive components in their fullest form, historians also did not integrate the village into their narratives since they almost always focused on conflict and change in their investigations. Because of this missing analysis about Île-à-la-Crosse, historical iii accounts have created lacunae in our understanding and awareness not just of local but also of provincial and national issues pertaining to “development.” Today, the lack of historic and historical awareness has as well directly impacted a modern day Indigenous “land claim”. Particularly when examining “absence” and “overlap” in a space’s natural and social form, Île-à-la-Crosse’s story from its earliest existence to its present shape can finally remind us how local conditions –even before humans started living in those circumstances – can teach us about how to survive and succeed today as individuals and as part of a larger community and country. It also reminds us how we should pay more attention to peace, cooperation and interaction in both intellectual and social circles. Key words: sustainability; Métis history (Saskatchewan); Churchill River; microhistory; economic rights; overlap; historical absence; community history; land claim; Indigenous history. iv Dedicated to Hazel Daum and Margaret Shanks Very different backgrounds overlapping lives faith in what cooperation could bring v “MARSHI”:1 I have many places that deserve my thanks. At the University of Saskatchewan, Brent Cotter was a great boss and super strategizer. Paul Hackett got me excited about mapmaking and “sites”. Marie-Ann Bowden ensured I did not make more mistakes by her instructions that started “Look, kiddo”. Winona Wheeler, first at First Nations University, provided work for me that led to so many other opportunities. Felix Hoehn and Sarah Buhler were the best next-door neighbours at work I could have. Doug Surtees became a quick good friend and stellar role model. When I moved to Osgoode Hall Law School for work, so many people kept saying “welcome back home.” Sonia Lawrence, Amar Bhatia, Ruth Buchanan, Janet Mosher, Kate Sutherland and Dayna Nadine Scott have reassured me that I can run into their offices, close the door behind me and pester them about what is ever on my mind. The same is true with Shin Imai and Kent McNeil. Lorne Sossin, my boss-boss also told me “everyone expects you to be yourself”. What a relief. At Western University, Brenda Hutcheson and Chris Speed were administrative geniuses at numerous important moments. Bill Turkel let me brainstormed about microhistory repeatedly and deeply. Jonathan Vance and Margaret Kellow let me write about what recharged me the most. Financial assistance has helped the journey less burdensome at very pivotal moments. The Social Sciences and Humanties Research Council, Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History, Society for American Ethnohistory, Western’s Department of History, all had faith in what I wanted to do. In addition, two deans’ offices provided extra funding so I could meet and work with Aaron Starr, Sara-jane Nussbaum, Brittany Hazell, Kelsey Burke, Sabrina Molinar, Kurtis Macdonald and Nancy Carlson and get the gift of time for this project. Specific people have helped with specific things: A long time ago, Brenda Macdougall befriended me. Or took pity on me. Maria Campbell kept her eagle eyes on me. Michael Trebilcock told me I was writing about law and economics. Bob Cooter (UC Berkeley) told me to go to the board, do the math and just plain admit I’ve been fascinated by deadweight loss and reverse induction all my life. Jeffery Hewitt, Margaret Froh and Rachel Osborne ensured I didn’t become Ontario’s version of a ‘road allowance’ person. Some individuals have helped me think carefully about communities in history and how learning isn’t done in the archives alone. Leanne Laprise and Jenny Kyplain, both students along the way, helped me get to know the “West Side” even better and have fun playing tv bingo, going to the Chicken Shack and seeing mother loons with four babies. Allan Blakeney found me as soon at I arrived to work at University of Saskatchewan’s law school and subsequently came by my office for tea every day he was in. As his eyes got yellower, I found myself 1 A Michif word for expressing thanks. vi feeling like a library was about to burn down and I needed to learn as much as I could from him. Thankfully, he let me. Rita Bouvier, Marilyn Poitras and Tim Foran have provided such wonderful insight on some matters that impacted me greatly while organizing my research. Jean Teillet helped me get my head around 1906 scrip matters. Craig Scott, Gordon Christie and Wes Pue all looked out for me at a very crucial moment in 2005 and then Roger Hall made my writing life shift to Western. To all of you: thanks for telling me it was okay to believe it isn’t very fun to talk about history, economics, law, and culture at Bloor and University. Roger, I am in incredible debt for your eagle eye, patience and foresight. It’s been a hoot. My dissertation committee challenged, supported, and recharged me. Rick Fehr made me slow down and consider how much maps mattered. Katherine McKenna challenged me to think about my place in writing about “place”. Jim Miller showed up ready to wrestle and expected me to wrestle right back. I am so priviledged to have learned the skills I did from these people. Ben Forster was an eager and incredibly helpful “Second Reader”. My Great Aunt Beatrice Annetts (Muscowpetung First Nation): you ensured I remembered things about family, stories about the land and self-awareness. I’ve had to be a little prodigal about stuff, and and I’m thankful you forgive me for that. I hope I’m getting “there”. Jaclyn Shanks: Thank you for saying “nothing you do ever surprises me”and “you’re always looking for the five-legged cow.” Thank you for letting me learn how to pick myself up- best skill a grade one teacher could teach anyone – including her daughter. And thank you for acting like whatever story I believed I simply must tell you was the most important thing you needed to hear. I hope all that practice of recalling tales can serve me well and I hope, as you always remind me to hope, that my skills serve others as well as they serve me. vii SEARCHING FOR SAKITAWAK: PLACE AND PEOPLE IN NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN ÎLE-À-LA-CROSSE TITLE PAGE i ABSTRACT AND KEYWORDS ii DEDICATION iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS/MARSHI v TABLE OF CONTENTS vii LIST OF IMAGES ix LIST OF FIGURES x LIST OF APPENDICES xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xii PREFACING QUOTES xiii PART I: HISTORIC EVENTS AND HISTORICAL VALUE 1. Seeing Absence and Calculating Presence 1 2. Earlier Trails 8 3. A Path from Here 25 4. Before Setting Out: Tools, Terms and Starting Points 37 PART II: THE SITE 1.