Treaty 6 bands remember 125 years of promises

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It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

A private communion with the ancestors and the viewing of sacred bundles unopened for 125 years, a time for tears, reflection and giving of offerings by men, women and children from the Treaty 6 nations in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

It was a solemn occasion, in which the voices of the Elders and Grandfathers were heard once again, speaking through ancient ceremony and ritual, what they had perceived the true meaning of the treaty to be. It was a day to share in the sacred pipe ceremonies with praying, honor and respect paid to the pipe stems used 125 years ago to seal an agreement between the newcomers and the original inhabitants of this land.

It was also the culmination of five days of intense discussion and presentations by members of the Treaty 6 nations, chiefs, Elders and representatives from provincial and federal governments. This occurred Sept. 5 through 9 at Onion Lake First Nation.

On Sept. 9, 125 years ago, historic Fort Pitt was the final site of negotiations between the Crown and members of the Treaty 6 nations. That is when the forefathers of the current Treaty 6 members committed to the Article of Treaty No. 6, which had already been signed near Fort Carlton on Aug. 23 and 28, 1876.

The sealing of an agreement in ancient times, explained host chief Henry Lewis to the large crowd, was done by prayers and pipe smoking.

All the remarks in this story attributed to speakers have been translated from Cree.

What it is for, that we are gathering, is to remember the past, our ancestors. What we have seen today is heavy. Sometimes I think I am a strong man, but tears filled my eyes as I entered the lodge. I felt the pain and suffering of our people in the past. I felt more than ever that we must band together. As I have become a grandfather, now I am worried about the future of my grandchildren. The grandfathers were strong. When they signed this paper, when they left this world, they left it behind for our security, said Lewis.

He went on: We welcome everybody to this memorial event. It is not a celebration. Maybe if we move as one unified body, in the future our children and grandchildren can celebrate, but the onus is on us to make that a reality. Every chief that joins us, that is the strength. To unite all Treaty 6 nations under one umbrella, and all Cree nations united. Then there will be no government that can stop us coming together, and they can say 'no' to us no more.

Chief Al Layman shared his feelings on the meanings of the sacred bundles:

Greetings - this is the land where a great gathering took place. They signed the paper and we were promised many things. The pipe stem that was unwrapped today, I was there, helping at the unwrapping, the first time I have ever seen them. The Elders that led us before used to smoke with the Creator, ask for blessings to guide them, before they signed the paper. There was much prayer there, in those pipe stems, four days of prayers before they signed. They thought about us here today, even though we were not yet alive-they thought of us. Now it is our responsibility to look after what they gave us, said Chief Layman.

Chief Eric Gadwa gave a tribute to the Elders, many of whom have been waiting a long time for promises to be kept.

I wanted to thank the Elders a lot. They are always there to help us. They talk for us, they pray for us and we should be thankful for that. Like Chief Lewis said, we all have to help each other. Five years I have been a chief and seen much meetings of chiefs and Elders, but it seems that, that is where it ends, when the meeting is over. Today, this is not how I want to see it; we have to keep talking with each other, with the federal government, sit with them in a friendly way and make them understand what we want, sit down at the same table, the chief said.

The 125 years commemoration of the signing of Treaty 6 was part of a vision to educate First Nation people and other Canadians abot the legacy and intent of the treaty and the need to pass this on to future generations, said Chief Lewis.

It was time to share lessons from the past, strengthen the bond among Treaty 6 members and ensure that the treaty remains "as long as the sun shines, the rivers flow and the grass grows."