Native History

    Many native people lived in this area of Alberta, Canada and archaeological digs have uncovered the remains of campfires about six thousand years old. Not vary much is known about them. This webpage will concentrate on the Cree and the Blackfeet, the main two groups which were around the area at the time of the first Methodist Missionaries.

     Horses were introduced to the Blackfoot's territory by their enemies and around 1730 the Blackfoot turned to the Cree for help, as the Cree had acquired guns from the Hudson's Bay Company. But the relationship between the two groups was not always good.

    Notes about the first missionaries, and their interactions with the natives can be found on the Missionary Menu. There was a fair amount of fighting between the Blackfoot and the Crees at the time when the Missionaries came.  George McDougall describes some of the conflict in his letters. The fighting may have been partly over the ability to hunt buffalo, although horses probably played a larger part in in. The McDougall's worked with some of the natives, particularly the Cree chief Maskepetoon, to try and create peace between the groups.

     There were many different changes that came to the plains leading up to the time in 1870 when the people of the plains heard that their land had been sold by the Hudson's Bay Company. The natives were upset about that and worried about their future. Some natives had learned a bit of agriculture, others were hoping that the government could limit the hunting of buffalo to the native people only, and that by having that done they would be able to survive in their traditional way. Meanwhile, they were determined not to allow the settlement of the area without some sort of treaty.

    Treaty #6 was signed in 1876. The natives were promised land reserves, with sizes marked according to the number of people who would be living on them. Other promises included farm equipment, and schools on the reserves. Chief Pakan, of Whitefish Lake, asked for a larger reserve so as to be able to provide a home for those natives not included otherwise in the treaty, with the idea that the natives would still be able to maintain some independence by living together. Peter Erasmus, also of Whitefish Lake, was one of the interpreters. Big Bear showed up late to the meeting, after the treaty had been signed, because he had gone out to consult first with those people who were off on a hunt. Big Bear refused to sign.

    The bands were not required to move instantly to a reserve, but could choose their own when they wanted. At first, many continued to follow the buffalo. A number of them went south into the USA for a while, and then after gathered around the Cypress Hills. Big Bear attempted to encourage the native groups to band together, and present a united front to the government, to force better political action. But lack of organization and control got in the way. Warriors continued to raid other groups, so co-operation with the Blackfoot failed.

     Around 1880 twelve Cree chiefs requested that their reserves be one next to the other near the Cypress Hills. In this way they hoped to secure a large enough area of land to create an Indian Territory. However, the government, realizing what the natives were doing, turned down the requests.

     The 1885 Rebellion was used as an excuse for the government to enforce stronger rules.

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