News

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner is pleased to be part of a podcast, The Story of a National Crime, created to mark 100th anniversary of a publication by the same name.

The document was written by Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce and contained evidence of neglect, negligence and harm to First Nations children and their communities. It was designed to appeal for justice and his condemnation of federal inaction.

The podcast looks at the practices, policies, and official correspondence to reveal the intentional actions and acts of indifference that contributed to poor health and lethal outcomes.

In the final episode about how people and organizations are supporting survivors and families find out what happened in sanatoria and segregated hospitals in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, OTC Executive Director Angie Merasty and Director of Archives Sheldon Krasowski describe barriers to accessing records and how knowing what happened and sharing experiences contribute to Survivors’ healing

“If the Office of the Treaty Commissioner can make it easier for any First Nations person looking for any kind of a record of their loved ones, whether it be in the sanatoriums or the Residential Schools, then we are here to help,” Merasty said.

Listen to the entire podcast here, and then do more download the listening guide, and use the discussion questions to have conversations with family, friends and colleagues.

Trigger Warning: The podcast contains material that some listeners could find triggering. If you are a Residential School Survivor or Intergenerational Survivor, you can access support through the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.

The team at the Office of the Treaty Commissioner is horrified as we watch the news out of Ukraine.

To see a country under siege, to witness the violence, displacement, and fear, from a distance is heartbreaking. We denounce the military actions of Russia and stand with Ukraine.

We hope that the resilience and strength of the Ukrainian people will guide them through this difficult time.

Ukrainian immigrants have been our Treaty partners and neighbours to our communities across Saskatchewan since they arrived in the late 1800s. We have long-standing relationships across the Treaty territories.

We share some stories, and like Indigenous People, Ukrainians living in Saskatchewan have rich culture and history. Our Kookum scarves, which were originally gifted from Ukrainian people have become iconic in many Indigenous nations across the Prairies. Many Indigenous people are wearing those scarves now in a show of solidary with Ukraine.

We see this and other acts of unity happening across the province, from people attending rallies, to Nestors Bakery, a Ukrainian bakery in Saskatoon, repeatedly selling out of their Ukrainian Flag donuts. People are supporting relief efforts.

We encourage people to stand in together during this time. Let’s support each other.

We Are All Treaty People.

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner congratulates the Holy Trinity Catholic School in Warman for their installation of a Treaty medal.

The celebration, held as a combination online and in-person event, included performances from students – kindergarten kids recited a Treaty poem, Grade 5/6 students presented on the TRC Calls to Action and there were Tipi Teachings by Grade 4 students, among other thoughtful presentations, and the blessing of the medal.

Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan Mary Culbertson joined remotely, and spoke about a lack of Treaty knowledge in schools when she was growing up, and how happy she is to see that change that is happening.

“Having a medal to look at as a symbol of a relationship that was a framework for building Canada is a very significant step in being good Treaty partners,” she said.

You are enriched through your school environment and you can take that home and teach your families about the Treaty relationship, she said.

On Feb. 15 came the announcement that confirmed what everyone from the Keeseekoose First Nation already knew to be true. There were unmarked graves. Ground-penetrating radar revealed 54 graves at the sites of Fort Pelly and St. Philip’s Residential schools.

I come from this community; I grew up with these institutions casting a terrible legacy on our nation. I grew up hearing the stories, the oral history. We didn’t look outside at night; we didn’t play near those areas because we knew that bad things were there. The fear was instilled in us and we didn’t go there.

We knew that children died, we knew that children were killed, that there were graves, that children never were seen again. The technology is just helping us to show the rest of Canada what Indigenous people already know.

According to official records, there were two student deaths at St. Philip’s and two at Fort Pelly. The radar found 12 and 42 respectively. Official records also talk about widespread abuse at the former schools, and mistreatment of students at these institutions.

The TRC reported that approximately 3,200 children died in the residential schools. We know as Indigenous people this was not all. Now the rest of the world knows too; it is the truth.

Canadians need to face what has happened in the history of the country. We need to come together and keep speaking and exposing the truth. For reconciliation to happen we must understand the truth.

Our community is now working to identify who are in those graves, and will maintain the site. The goal is to create a virtual museum to house these records and educate.

For the children who never came home, for our children yet to come, may this never happen again.

Mary Culbertson, Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan

In honour of Indigenous Storytelling Month, the Office of the Treaty Commissioner has been hosting events throughout the month of February, with hundreds of people in attendance.

Storytelling is a time-honoured tradition in Indigenous culture. It’s valued because it passes on traditional knowledge, but also entertains, and shares memories. Oral history shares information from generation-to-generation.

On Feb. 7 we were joined by Fawn Wood for her session on Storytelling through music and culture, and Aarron Tootoosis for a session on The Story of the Medicine Chest Clause.

On Feb. 14, Joely Kequahtooway deepened our knowledge with her session Buffalo Resilience: Storytelling through the Arts, and Chris Scribe made us laugh and feel love as he shared stores of Indigenous knowledge.

“If you have a belly button and you were brought to this earth by a mother then you can always connect to this sacred hoop of knowledge,” he said, explaining Indigenous ways of knowing.

He spoke to how information shared through beauty and power is something you always remember and this beauty exists within Indigenous knowledge.

The OTC offers these sessions for free to help people have the opportunity to learn and experience culture through storytelling.

The Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan hosted an event Feb. 9 bringing together people to speak about the legacy of the Gerald Stanley verdict.

On Feb. 9, 2018 Gerald Stanley, a white Saskatchewan farmer was acquitted of killing of 22-year-old Colten Boushie.

The event started with the viewing of We Will Stand Up, a film by Tasha Hubbard looking at the death, the acquittal and the impact of colonialism and racism on the prairies.

Hubbard joined Treaty Commissioner Culbertson, along with Colten’s mother Debbie Baptiste, his uncle Alvin Baptiste, Elder Jenny Spyglass, lawyer Eleanore Sunchild, Treaty Land Sharing Network member Mary Smilie, and FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron for a panel discussion.

About 70 people joined the event online.

Debbie and Alvin spoke about missing their family member, the mistreatment of family by the RCMP, and their upset and anger at a lack of inquest or apology.

“Colten may be gone, but he’s not forgotten, he’s still in our heart,” Alvin said.

Mary Smilie spoke about the creation of the Treaty Land Sharing Network as a response to the verdict.

“To bring landholders together to honour the idea of treaties,” she said, emphasizing that there needs to be land sharing as part of reconciliation.

“Our way forward is through the land, with the land, and understanding the land in a brand-new way.”

During the event Hubbard talked about the launch of a new resource developed to support Indigenous families so they can be more informed about the legal system.

There was important discussion on rights, changes to policing, and the importance of standing together, speaking up.

“We need to heal from the generations and generations of trauma,” said the Treaty Commissioner. “If we do not heal our nations, communities and people, then our treaties mean nothing. That is the work we have to do, and we have to do it together.”

See more news coverage on the event here:
Film screening and panel discussion mark four years since Gerald Stanley acquitted in killing of Colten Boushie – MBC Radio News

Four Year Anniversary Of Gerald Stanley’s Acquittal In Death Of Colten Boushie – CJWW

New Year, New Us

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner is making a move to a bigger home. As our programs and the importance of our work continues to grow, we have gotten larger than the space we are in.

We are moving the OTC Library and Archives, speakers bureau, Teaching Treaties in the Classroom, and reconciliation team across the parking lot to our new location in the English River Business Complex.

We looking forward to the new space and working next to our neighbours including the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre.

The move is happening Jan. 24-28 and we will be set up at our new office by Feb. 1, 2022.

Please update your records with our new address 303-2555 Grasswood Road East, Corman Park, SK, S7T 0K1. Our emails and phone numbers remain the same.

(Released by the Government of Saskatchewan)

The Government of Saskatchewan is supporting the Office of the Treaty Commissioner’s application for official Treaty boundary signage in the province.

“The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to work in partnership with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner to support and invest in this first-in-Canada initiative,” Minister Responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs Don McMorris said. “The treaty boundary signage will help further treaty awareness and education in our province, and support our work toward reconciliation.”

Currently, the Ministry of Government Relations and the Ministry of Highways are coordinating the work, hand-in-hand with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner. The signage will follow provincial highway standards, with the final design being overseen by the Treaty Commissioner. The Ministry of Highways will then co-ordinate the manufacturing and installation of the first sign, planned for winter-spring 2022.

“This is the start of a much-needed public recognition of the Treaty Territories in Saskatchewan,” Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan Mary Culbertson said. “The path to reach this point was long and involved conversations about our history and the desire of our Knowledge Keepers, who wanted to see these signs. It marks the beginning of a process being undertaken to one day ensure every border driven past in these territories will have a demarcation. We want everyone to know they are here because of Treaty.

“Acknowledging the territories that we are on and accepting they are the foundation of Saskatchewan and Canada is so important to the Treaty relationship and reconciliation. It may be a small step, but the signs will be here for a long time. The people who worked on this are looking forward to the Government of Saskatchewan support. This action will start conversations and these discussions lead to education, knowledge and change.”

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The Office of the Treaty Commissioner congratulates the six people to be invested into the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, this November.

Among them are professor Solomon Ratt, who teaches Department of Indigenous Languages, Arts, and Cultures at the First Nations University of Canada, and Chief Marie-Anne DayWalker-Pelletier, C.M., the longest serving female chief in Saskatchewan, and Dr. Michael Bishop (who as a long-serving physician in Kamsack delivered Treaty Commissioner Mary Culbertson).

Commissioner Culbertson was pleased to see these individuals recognized for their contributions to the province and reflected on their role in her life.

“I took a class with Solomon Ratt, and Chief Marie-Anne, she has been an inspiration and role model,” she said.

The commissioner works to share the influences of these individuals with others, championing women in leadership and encouraging the importance of Indigenous languages.

The Saskatchewan Order of Merit was established in 1985 to recognize excellence and achievement from outstanding Saskatchewan citizens.

The Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan, Mary Culbertson, was honoured to speak at the opening of the exhibit Bi-Giwen: Coming Home – Truth Telling from the Sixties Scoop in Saskatoon.

The Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta (SSISA), in partnership with the Western Development Museum – Saskatoon and the Legacy of Hope Foundation, is bringing the Bi-Giwen: Coming Home – Truth Telling from the Sixties Scoop exhibition to various Saskatchewan locations. The first of its kind exhibit shares the experiences of survivors, including twelve personal testimonials of strength and resilience.

The exhibit is traveling to Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, North Battleford, Yorkton and Swift Current.