135th year of Piapot treaty signing

A celebration in early September brought together people of different backgrounds to commemorate the 135th anniversary of a treaty four signing between Chief Payepot (Piapot) and the Queen’s representative.
“The celebration provided an opportunity for non-Aboriginal society to learn about who we are and the treaties,” said Jeremy Fourhorns, current Chief of the Piapot First Nation. “I was very proud to do something like that for Chief Payepot and to honour him in that way.”

One of the organizers, Dinesh Kayshap, said bringing people of all different backgrounds together to honour the Chief from September 1-3 was a dream for him.
“This was a chance to build bridges with the different parts of society,” he said. “People came and connected — not with the negative — but with the positive side of Aboriginal culture.”

Like many non-Aboriginal people, Kayshap admited he didn’t know much about Chief Payepot before the project. He began talking to Elders and reading books to find out more about the man.

“He was not only a soldier, a negotiator, and a politician,” he said. “He was a remarkable leader of his people with all his different skills.”

Payepot, who was born of a Cree mother and an Assiniboine father, was known as a warrior. However, he believed in peaceful negotiations and is known for standing up for the rights of his people.

The three-day celebration began on the Piapot First Nation where a statue of Chief Payepot was unveiled. A similar ceremony took place in front of City Hall in Regina where a second monument of the chief will stand.
The final component of the celebration was a special multi-media performance by the Regina Symphony Orchestra that incorporated Aboriginal musicians and dancers, led by Aboriginal conductor Andrew Balfour of Winnipeg who also composed the piece. A large screen served as the backdrop to the symphony, which featured images of the Qu’appelle Valley and a short narrative about Chief Payepot.

Kayshap, who is of East Indian Descent, has been part of the classical music community for years. For him, it was especially important to bring the Aboriginal people and his musical community together.

“Two cultures came together and this is how Chief Payepot would have wanted it,” he said.

“My wife saw an 11-year-old boy outside of the auditorium who said to her, ‘I’m so proud to be an Indian right now.’ That one little sentence summed up everything I had been dreaming of.”

“The two cultures can come together in a beautiful way when it comes to the arts,” added Chief Fourhorns.
Special guest Buffy Sainte-Marie, who is a direct descendent of Chief Payepot, sang an honour song at all three gatherings.

“She was literally crying when she was singing, said Kashyap. “It meant so much because it was about her great grandfather.

Chief Fourhorns reiterated the statement that we are all treaty people and added the celebrations were of particular importance to the young people in the community.

“Now the kids know what it means to be a member of Piapot and who we are. Now they will have a little more knowledge about the legacy and the reputation we have to live up to,” he said.