Thanks to Milton Tootoosis for allowing me to share a selection of his photos from the heart of the Treaty Six commemoration held at pêhowin ‘the waiting place’. It is known in English as Fort Carlton. The four-day event started on Thursday with traditional ceremony (matotisân/wîhkohkêwin: sweat and feast). The original 1876 bundle was said to have been brought, to be used by Elders in two each day in ceremony. Inside the fort, people from all across Treaty 6 lined up to see the 10 original, signed pages of the treaty displayed, along with an original treaty medallion.
The dedicated Treaty 6 150 website showed a packed agenda through the “four days of ceremony, dialogue, culture and gathering”. Now more than ever, the treaty relationship deserves to be celebrated and upheld. This powerful moment, 150 years later, is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Just after I hit “post” on this, I discovered Tommy Bird’s collection of photos of the trappers tent that he helped assemble for the event. And then, I saw Simon Bird’s collection included Wayne Jackson plus THREE of my Greyeyes siblings: Boss, Hal and Brenda! I’m really pleased to have Tommy’s permission to share his photos here as well because they give us a completely different, but equally important, point of view. And though I don’t technically have Simon’s permission just yet, I’ll make the same claim (with thanks!)
Three images come from the FB page of the Governor General – gorgeous close-ups of the Chiefs and Eagle staffs, and of GG Louise Arbour with AFN Grand Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.
Finally, just in case anybody would like a really good look at the treaty itself, you can follow this link to the official high-res scans of the original document prepared by Library Archives Canada.
Milton Tootoosis’s Photos:
Tommy Bird’s Photos:
Simon Bird’s Photos:
From the FaceBook Page of the Governor General
