History
The Sweetgrass First Nation ( cr, ᐑᐦᑲᓱᑭᓭᔨᐣ, wîhkaso-kisêyin) is a
Cree First Nation
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
reserve
Reserve or reserves may refer to:
Places
* Reserve, Kansas, a US city
* Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish
* Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County
* Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...
in
Cut Knife, Saskatchewan
Cut Knife is a town located in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan on Highway 40, northwest of Saskatoon and 55 km (34 miles) west of North Battleford. The population of Cut Knife in 2011 was 517.
Nearby are Poundmaker Cree Nation and Li ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. Their territory is located 35 kilometers west of
Battleford
Battleford ( 2011 population 4,065) is a small town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the City of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords" b ...
. The reserve was established when Chief Sweetgrass signed
Treaty 6
Treaty 6 is the sixth of the numbered treaties that were signed by the Canadian Crown and various First Nations between 1871 and 1877. It is one of a total of 11 numbered treaties signed between the Canadian Crown and First Nations. Specif ...
on September 9, 1876 with the Fort Pitt Indians.
Chief Sweetgrass was killed six months after signing Treaty 6, after which Sweetgrass's son, Apseenes (Young Sweet Grass), succeeded him. Apseenes was unsuccessful in leading the band so chiefdom was handed over to Wah-wee-kah-oo-tah-mah-hote (Strikes him on the back) after he signed Treaty 6 in 1876 at Fort Carlton.
Wah-wee-kah-oo-tah-mah-hote served as chief between 1876-1883 but was deposed and Apseenes took over chiefdom.
History of the Cree
The Cree (''nêhiyawak'') occupy Saskatchewan from the northern woodlands to the southern plains. Southern Cree groups moved onto the prairies in 1740 and became middlemen in the Fur Trade, forming an alliance with the
Saulteaux
The Saulteaux (pronounced , or in imitation of the French pronunciation , also written Salteaux, Saulteau and other variants), otherwise known as the Plains Ojibwe, are a First Nations band government in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, A ...
and
Assiniboine
The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakod ...
in the
Iron Confederacy
The Iron Confederacy or Iron Confederation (also known as Cree-Assiniboine in English or cr, script=Latn, Nehiyaw-Pwat, label=none in Cree) was a political and military alliance of Plains Indians of what is now Western Canada and the northern Un ...
. After the Cree maintained positive relations with European traders and held their trading advantage through the late 1800s, they became the dominant indigenous group in the northern section of North America.
Cree culture
The
Cree believe that humans have an intimate relationship with their environment. For example, hunters have ''pawâkanak'' (dream helpers) which lead them to game. The Cree also valued oral story telling and ''wâhkotowin'' (kinship) which is important for growing the connection with the Spirit of ''Nêhiyawêwin.'' Cree elders have found that their environment is capable of healing the mind and spirit.
Sweetgrass First Nation's Elder, Archie Weenie, believes that land and plants have the power and energy to communicate with people which serves as a means of survival.
Population
As of December 31, 2019, the Sweetgrass First Nation consists of 2051 registered band members. 749 people, including non-first nation people and people from other first nations, currently live on the reserve. The nation is currently led by Chief Lori Whitecalf.
Lands
After Wah-wee-kah-oo-tah-mah-hote signed Treaty 6 at Fort Carlton on August 28, 1876, a reserve was established west of Battleford in 1884. Here, melded band members maintained crops and livestock while selling wood and hay to support their economy. The band currently controls 20,573.80 hectares of land with the largest block being 26 kilometers west of North Battleford.
Land Use
38% of Sweetgrass First Nation land is used for cropland, 21% is native grassland, 34% is tree cover, and 2% constitutes small bodies of water and marshes. Other classes of land include forage and treed areas and other uses include residential areas.
Reserves
The Sweetgrass Nation currently controls the following reserves:
*
Sweetgrass 113
Sweetgrass 113 is an Indian reserve of the Sweetgrass First Nation in Saskatchewan. It is 26 kilometres west of North Battleford
North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province ...
*
Sweetgrass 113A
*
Sweetgrass 113B
*
Sweetgrass 113-C7
*
Sweetgrass 113-C19
*
Sweetgrass 113-D12
*
Sweetgrass 113-E22
*
Sweetgrass 113-F16
*
Sweetgrass 113-G7
*
Sweetgrass 113-H1
*
Sweetgrass 113-I4
*
Sweetgrass 113-J3
*
Sweetgrass 113-K32
*
Sweetgrass 113-L6
*
Sweetgrass 113-M16
*
Sweetgrass 113-N27
*
Sweetgrass 113-P2
*
Sweetgrass 113-S6
Government
The Sweetgrass First Nation is governed by the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs (BATC
). The Sweetgrass First Nation BATC committee is currently represented by Chief Lori Whitecalf and Councillors Trina Albert, Donovan Arcand, Rod Atcheynum, Ray Fox, Hazen Paskimin, and Isaac Thomas.
Chiefs
List of historic chiefs:
* Sweetgrass (1876)
* Wah-wee-kah-oo-tah-mah-hote (1876-1883)
* Apseenes (1884-1886)
* Harry Atcheynum (1920-1924)
* Sam Swimmer (1925-1964)
* Andrew Swimmer (1956-1957)
* Ben Atcheynum (1957-1958)
* James Favel (1958-1959)
* Solomon Albert (1959-1960)
* John Weenie (1961-1962)
* Adam Paskemin (1963-1964)
* Ben Atcheynum (1965-1966)
* Joseph Weenie (1967-1970)
* Ben Atcheynum (1971-1972)
* Stephen Pooyak (1972-1973)
* Ben Weenie (1973-1974)
* Stephen Pooyak (1974-1979)
* Gordon Albert (1979-1982)
* Roderick Atcheynum (1983-1984)
* Don Pooyak (1985-1988)
* Edward Wayne Standinghorn (1989-1999)
* Tommy Whitecalf (2000-2003)
* Rod Atcheynum Jr. (2003-2005)
* Edward Wayne Standinghorn (2005-2011)
* Lori Whitecalf (2011-2017)
* Laurence Paskemin (2017-2019)
* Lori Whitecalf (2019-present)
Economic Development
According to the Sweetgrass First Nation 2020-2021 Annual Report, the band has planned to increase source revenues, focusing on urban reserve. The band was approved for $160,000 in funding from the Indigenous Services Canada to be used for site infrastructure.
The band also increased employment by partnering with the BATC Atoskewin Success Centre to build two tiny homes which are now being occupied by tenants.
References
Division No. 13, Saskatchewan
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