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Using funds from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) the Office of the Treaty Commissioner created an Elders Council to promote and protect Treaty oral histories. The OTC has a large collection of recorded Treaty oral histories currently undergoing a process of digitization to ensure their preservation. Once digitized, the Elders Council will review which oral histories can be shared with a larger audience.

Most of the Treaty oral histories in our collection were recorded to be shared, but some contain information on ceremonies or family histories. Many of these will have restrictions on viewing, but the restrictions will be defined by the Elders Council. The Elders Council (in collaboration with the Treaty Commissioner) will also define their role with the OTC toward implementing the spirit and intent of Treaties Four, Five, Six, Eight and Ten.

The OTC Elders council was selected by Treaty Commissioner Mary Culbertson and includes 14 Elders and two youth members from all five Treaty Areas in Saskatchewan. The Elders Council meets 4 times a year with the first meeting held at Wanuskewin Heritage Park on Sept. 29.

Although newly added to the Council, many these Elders have long standing relationships with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner.

Elder Jacob Bill advised the Treaty Table in the 1990s and 2000s and contributed to the Treaty Elders of Saskatchewan book: Our Dream That We May One Day Be Clearly Recognized as Nations.

“I am happy to share my teachings, but I am also happy to take the teachings from these Elders back to my home community*” he said, emphasizing that by coming together, Elders also return to their home Indigenous Nations to share knowledge and teachings.

“When you take a single blade of sweetgrass and pull from each end, it breaks. But if you braid sweetgrass it cannot be broken.” Elder Wapass Greyeyes said at the end of the first meeting. She said she was happy that Elders from all the Treaty areas are coming together to make Treaties stronger.

The Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan attended the installation of the new boundary signs marking Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 along Highway 11.  These signs are part of the ongoing work by Office of the Treaty Commissioner to increase awareness and knowledge of Treaties and the Treaty relationship in Saskatchewan.

“A sign seems like a small action, but it represents something significant. It is common sense to acknowledge the Treaty boundaries, these Treaties were here before the province was created and before roads were here,” said Treaty Commissioner Mary Culbertson.

The location of the signs, near Bladworth, was selected by Culbertson based on oral history descriptions contained within the OTC archives, Treaty text, local practicalities, information from ISC Canada and Saskatchewan Registry, and Geographic Information System for Treaty areas of Canada.

People travelling the highway towards Saskatoon will see the Treaty 6 sign, and those driving towards Regina will see the Treaty 4 sign. Each sign has an image of the Treaty medal, wording from the Treaties, and a welcome in the Indigenous languages of the respective Treaty areas. Ensuring the inclusion of Indigenous language was an important part of the sign, as Indigenous languages were here long before the two official languages of Canada.

The Government of Saskatchewan funded these signs as well as coordinated their production and installation.

“It is so important to see this project underway, we are starting with one sign, but hope to see this for all our Treaty boundaries,” Culbertson said. “There are Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10. We will work with our knowledge keepers and the Elders Advisory Council to ensure that other Treaty boundaries that cross provincial highways will be marked with signs in the coming years.”

Sept. 15, 1974 marked the anniversary of the signing Treaty 4 and the Treaty 4 Gathering celebrates that annually ever since. Many children, students, teachers, parents and grandparents take part in the daily activities and events organized by Treaty 4, including the Office of the Treaty Commissioner team.

Events have been running all week and included a Dry Dance, Elder’s Forum, Powwow, Parade, and so much more.

The OTC is there with our booth, sharing information, and happily taking part in all of the activities.

A big thank you to Wade BigEagle, Cadence Mosquito and Dale Johnson who helped Speakers Bureau member Lorne Kequahtooway put up the tipi.

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner recognizes the passing of Queen Elizabeth II today. We offer condolences to the Royal family and those around the world who held the Queen close.

As the head of the Crown, Queen Elizabeth II represented the Treaty relationship her grandmother Queen Victoria directed her officers to create. This was to be a direct relationship between First Nations and the Crown through Treaty.

Indigenous peoples have long had a complex relationship with the Crown. It was the monarchy that colonized what is now known as Canada, but it was also the crown that negotiated Treaties with Indigenous Nations. Those Treaties promised that the Crown would honour Treaty rights and Indigenous ways of life would be protected. We know this did not happen.

Queen Elizabeth II commemorated Treaties 6 and 7 on their centenaries by holding a reception at Buckingham Palace.

In 1987 I met the Queen during a cross-country Royal Visit when she, with Prince Philip, made a stop in Veregin, Saskatchewan. I was struck by her strength and dignity.

For the first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada in 2021, the Queen sent a statement saying she joined with Canadians “to reflect on the painful history that Indigenous peoples endured in residential schools in Canada, and on the work that remains to heal and to continue to build an inclusive society.”

In March this year, Queen Elizabeth met with the first Indigenous Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, hosting her for tea at Windsor Castle.

Queen Elizabeth II listened during visits to Canada about Treaties not being honoured, and recognized the destructive role colonization played in Canada. Today on the passing of the longest reigning monarch as she reached the Platinum Jubilee year we honour the Crowns role in the Treaty relationship, and look to the next monarch, King Charles to do the work towards Treaty understanding and implementation, reconciliation of the genocide that colonization created and nation-to-nation relations.

Yours in service,
Treaty Commissioner Mary Culbertson

The Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan is calling on the Government of Saskatchewan to ensure there is meaningful participation in their First Nation and Métis Consultation Policy Framework (CPF), especially as it relates to Treaty and Aboriginal Rights, and Traditional uses of Land and Resources.

• Treaty and Aboriginal rights, such as the right to hunt, fish and trap for food on unoccupied Crown lands and other lands to which First Nations and Métis have a right of access for these purposes; and

• Traditional uses of land and resources, such as the gathering of plants for food and medicinal purposes and the carrying out of ceremonial and spiritual observances and practices on unoccupied Crown lands and other lands to which First Nations and Métis have a right of access for these purposes.

On Sept. 1, the Government of Saskatchewan announced they were looking for feedback on future revisions and not current policy, which negatively impacts the ability of First Nation and Métis communities to participate in Saskatchewan’s economy and contribute to the GDP.

“The Office of the Treaty Commissioner’s mandate is to educate and inform all people of the issues and matters that impact, in particular, the Treaty rights of First Nations Treaty people,” said Treaty Commissioner Mary Culbertson.

“It is up to the OTC to speak out on this critical matter and we are requesting a formal discussion with the First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs Ministry. We want to see full engagement as laid out in the numbered Treaties, the UNDRIP Articles, and the TRC Calls to Action.”

The day the request for feedback was made, the OTC team was meeting with Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation on the very issue of consultation as failed Duty to Consult policies along with industry and proponent actions have been continuously affecting their stewardship and participation in the economy.

The Government of Saskatchewan needs to be setting the bar for consultation by having true and meaningful engagement with First Nation and Métis communities, and holding others as accountable.

Our team at the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, like everyone in this province, is shocked and devastated by the tragedy that is unfolding in Saskatchewan. We are thinking of those families and communities who have lost loved ones and of those who were injured in these horrific acts of violence.

We offer our condolences to the people and loved ones of James Smith Cree Nation, Chakastaypasin and Peter Chapman Cree Nation and the town of Weldon.

We call on governments and people across the province to work together to ensure that the people of James Smith Cree Nation – James Smith Cree Nation, Chakastaypasin Band, and Peter Chapman Band – are supported and their resilience strengthened during this tragedy.

We ask that the state of emergency is respected as the community responds to his critical incident.

Our hearts break with those who are affected and we will support all those affected in any way we can.

Today when Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin takes her seat on the Supreme Court of Canada bench, she is making history.

She is the first Indigenous Supreme Court justice. Not only is she experienced in human right, privacy, labour and employment law, O’Bonsawin has worked with how these relate to criminal and Indigenous law, including her PhD, which focused on Gladue principles.

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner celebrates this appointment and the example O’Bonsawin is setting for Indigenous women today and for future generations. It is so important that we see the ongoing engagement of Indigenous women in our society.

This appointment is particularly meaningful to the Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan, who was the first member of the Keeseekoose First Nation to earn a Juris Doctor from University of Saskatchewan Law and practice law in Saskatchewan. Commissioner Mary Culbertson has had the honour of being legal counsel for Indian residential school survivors and knows the tremendous amount of work and sacrifice that goes into to being a lawyer.

Each Indigenous person who sits in a leadership role is an incredible example of what is possible, especially when those people sit in what are traditionally colonial systems.

The Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan, Mary Culbertson, was honoured to attend the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs Inc. Powwow at Sweetgrass First Nation for a Grand Entry and the Buffalo Treaty signing on Wednesday.

During the Powwow, First Nations leadership signed this Treaty document during a special ceremony. The signing represents First Nation communities coming together to work collectively, live and nurture each other, and provide a safe space for buffalo across their territories. Learn more about the Buffalo Treaty here

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner shared information about the work of our office, Treaty Education, and more, at a display booth set up at the powwow grounds. We were pleased to have OTC team members there to answer questions and experience the events.

More about the Powwow
BATC Powwow at Sweetgrass brings nations together

The United Nations declared the day at Aug. 9, marking the first UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations 40 years ago in 1982. This year the theme is The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge.

This day and this theme resonates with the work of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner.

We know that Indigenous women, especially Elders and Knowledge Keepers, are key in preserving and sharing traditional knowledge. However, despite their important role with knowledge, in leadership, and as caretakers, too often they are impacted by discrimination based on gender, class and ethnicity. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2 Spirit People are still a significant issue in Canada.

This International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, we ask people to take time to learn about the issues facing Indigenous women, but also celebrate some of the incredible stories of Indigenous women in leadership, activism, arts, and more.

Violence rooted in racism and hatred continues in this province. It was again shown in a video shared on social media this week, when an Indigenous man was attacked in the backyard of his friend’s house, his young daughter in the nearby truck.

The friend is Office of the Treaty Commissioner Speaker Bureau member lawyer Eleanore Sunchild, who circulated the footage and shared it with RCMP. We are grateful she had those cameras to catch on video what often goes ignored.

According to RCMP one man has been charged with assault and the investigation is continuing.

We struggled with this statement, it’s so frustrating, we make the same statements over and over and it can feel like nothing changes.

This isn’t enough. We need to do more to prevent this kind of violence and to make our cities and towns safe for all. Our communities need to come together. It is only by calling out racism and by acting to stop the racist actions of others that we can start to work towards reconciliation. We need a society where no Indigenous person will have to worry about what road they stop on, what street or neighborhood they are in, or if they’re going to be accused because of how they look and who they are. If this incident hadn’t happened around our advocate, who knows what to do and who has support, would this have gone unnoticed and not talked about?

We know that these incidents of violence and hate cause further division and fear. It shows the ugliness of racism. There must be zero tolerance for racism or discrimination in any form. No child should have to witness their parent being assaulted, by someone who think they have a right.

Have difficult conversations, be an ally, educate yourself and those around you, don’t ignore the discriminatory words and actions of others, and be a good human being.

We live in times that are better than what our parents and grandparents went through, but we will keep seeing these acts of violence again and again unless we do the work now that will make a better future for our children and grandchildren. What are we leaving them? Do we want it to be a land of hate and violence or a legacy that reflects how hard we worked for generations to make their own land safe for them to walk on?