🔴Chief Bobtail Treaty Day: Maskwacis Cree High School hosted a flag raising ceremony in honor of Treaty Day this morning. Today, September 25th is recognized as Bobtail Day, and is celebrated annually in Ermineskin and Maskwacîs to honor Chief Bobtail & the signing of Treaty No. 6. The ceremony began with a prayer by Elder Verna Littlepoplar. The school drum group led by Steve Wood, sang an honor song while the flag’s were being raised by MCHS Staff Parnelli Cutknife, Gordon Naylor, and Brayden Omeasoo-Steinhauer. Special guests Marvin Littlechild and Samson Cree Nation Councillor Izaiah Swampy-Omeasoo, MCHS Staff Steve Wood and Dale Simon addressed the students and provided some words of wisdom and inspiration to the MCHS Kiskinwahamawâkanak(students):
“A Cree person who speaks Cree is POWERFUL! You are capable, you can speak Cree if you give effort. You have the power to speak your language. You have the power to be one of those people that goes around making people aware that we are still here. As Native people, we have always been here. Our Treaty rights are so important. You are exercising that treaty right to education everyday when you come to school. Aspire to something great in your community and move forward in your life.” -Steve Wood
“You young people that are going to school, are going to use that pen and paper to protect us and our Treaty rights.” – Dale Simon
“We are here to discuss the importance of our treaty and why we are here today. Aya, it is important you know the treaty was signed back in the day, kayas. When they signed the treaty, they used our ceremonies because at the time we didn’t understand mooniyawak and the way they did their documents, and the way they ran their policy and government. Our system was different. We didn’t understand English, we needed to understand what that document was, so they called upon our ancestors, our grandfathers, and grandmothers to understand what that document meant for our people. They had told our ancestors through ceremony, that it was the way forward, that’s what gave birth to the state of Canada that we see here today. That’s what gave birth to Alberta. I know there is a lot of resentment between our people and the RCMP. We have to understand that even during those times when we were going through tough times and our people were being killed off by starvation, our ancestors still approached our white skin brothers and sisters with respect. Not because they had to or they were forced to, but because we made that commitment with our ceremonies and our pipe, to always be respectful and practice kindness and humility. I ask all of our youth here today to remember that. Even though you might dislike them, we have that spiritual commitment as Treaty people to respect that relationship with the RCMP because of that Treaty. That’s what the Treaty represents.” – Izaiah Swampy-Omeasoo
Treaty No. 6 was first signed at Fort Carlton 1876, in Prince Albert Saskatchewan by Plain and Wood Cree, Assiniboine, and other tribes. However, some nation members from Treaty No. 6 were absent for the 1876 signing because they were off hunting at the time, so an adhesion was signed by Chief Bobtail of Maskwacis on September 25th, in 1877 at Blackfoot Crossing at the Bow River on Siksika Nation. This year will mark 147 years to the day that the treaty was signed. Ay hay nanâskomowin to the staff at MCHS for bringing these teachings today for the Oskayak students. We are grateful for the Kehtehyak and leaders for sharing their knowledge today. Miywasin!
