Mistawasis facts for kids
Mistawasis (whose name means "Big Child" in Cree) was an important leader of the Plains Cree people. He is famous for being the first person to sign Treaty 6 in 1876. At that time, the number of buffalo was rapidly decreasing due to too much hunting. This made Mistawasis look for new ways to help his people survive and keep their culture alive. He believed that talking with the Canadian Government was the only solution. Because he had a lot of influence among the Cree, he and his close friend Ahtahkakoop successfully convinced other Cree leaders to agree to Treaty 6. After the treaty was signed, Mistawasis remained a friend of the Canadian government until he passed away.
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Early Life of Chief Mistawasis
We don't know the exact year Mistawasis was born, but it was likely between 1796 and 1813. His birth name was Pierre Belanger. His father was French, named Bernard Belanger, and his mother was a Nakoda woman named Kakakewachin. Even though his birth name was Pierre, he was mostly known by his Cree name, Mistawasis, as an adult. He had five brothers and sisters.
Mistawasis married Iskwesis Sitipinatowe and they had at least two children. Later, he married Ann Awasis Mashe Nah Sho Wishk and they had five more children.
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) often traded with Mistawasis because he was a skilled hunter and provider. They would trade other goods for buffalo meat. He also worked for the HBC as a freighter, moving goods. Some people called him Piwapiskomostos, which means "Iron Buffalo." He got this name after a hunting accident where he was thrown from his horse onto a buffalo's horns but wasn't hurt. The well-known Cree chief Poundmaker was his nephew through his mother's side of the family.
The Disappearance of Buffalo
Long ago, American buffalo lived across a huge area, from the eastern United States all the way to Mexico and north to Canada's Northwest Territories. They are the biggest land mammals in North America. Europeans probably first saw buffalo in the 1500s when Spanish explorers spotted them. At that time, there were an estimated 25 to 30 million wild buffalo in North America.
However, this number dropped sharply. By the 1880s, there were fewer than 100 buffalo left in the American Great Plains. About 10 to 15 million buffalo died over just ten years. In Canada, buffalo were mainly hunted for their skins or to make pemmican, a preserved meat.
Why Buffalo Numbers Dropped
The fur trade was very harmful to buffalo populations. Hunters often preferred female buffalo furs because they were lighter and easier to prepare. Most hunting happened in winter when buffalo hair was thicker. Winter was also the buffalo's breeding season, meaning many killed buffalo were pregnant. Since buffalo usually have only one calf per year, killing many pregnant females greatly reduced their ability to have more babies and grow their population naturally.
Importance of Buffalo to the Cree
The buffalo were central to the Cree way of life. They used buffalo for many things. The meat was food for their families and also traded with the Hudson's Bay Company. Buffalo skins were used to build homes and make clothing. Each person needed about two buffalo skins per year for new clothes. The bones were often used to create tools.
Trading buffalo products with the Hudson's Bay Company was the only way the Cree could get useful items like guns and ammunition. The Cree often hunted buffalo without horses. To make this easier, they would herd the animals into corrals, which made hunting them more manageable.
Buffalo Conflicts
The sudden drop in buffalo numbers caused problems between different Indigenous groups. The Cree sometimes had to go into Blackfoot territory to find buffalo. This often led to fights, and people on both sides were killed. Many Cree warriors died in these battles.
The Cree and Blackfoot made peace in 1857, but it didn't last long, and fighting started again in 1860. The Cree continued to move west, looking for buffalo that were no longer in their own lands. The fighting continued on and off until a lasting peace was finally signed in 1871. This war caused many deaths for the Cree and didn't help them expand their territory to areas with more buffalo.
Treaty 6 Negotiations
The rapid loss of buffalo caused fear among Indigenous communities in the 1870s. Because of this fear and a hope for a better future, Mistawasis began to think about what his people's future should look like. He and other Cree leaders started to believe that talking with the Canadian Crown Authorities was their best option.
Mistawasis's Goals for His People
One important thing Mistawasis wanted for his people was access to education. He felt that a European-style education was important for his people's future survival. He tried to get this through the Canadian government. He wanted to make sure his people would have not only school buildings but also teachers to work in them.
Because he believed his people's way of life was disappearing and he hoped for a better future, he attended the negotiations at Fort Carlton in late August 1876. The British Crown was represented by several men, with British Treaty Commissioner Alexander Morris leading the discussions.
Mistawasis argued that the treaty was necessary for getting food. He said, "Our way of living is gone, there are no more buffalo, we have to find a new way to feed our people." During much of the treaty talks, Mistawasis's ideas were supported by his friend and ally Ahtahkakoop. Like Mistawasis, Ahtahkakoop was also worried about the decreasing buffalo. Ahtahkakoop was also very interested in getting education for his people and help with farming to replace the food lost from the buffalo's disappearance.
Debates Among Chiefs
Mistawasis and Ahtahkakoop faced opposition from other Cree Chiefs. Chief Poundmaker disagreed with Mistawasis's ideas. Other chiefs, like Young Chipewyan and The Badger, supported Poundmaker. Poundmaker's main argument against signing the treaty was his belief that the Canadian government would only meet the Cree's demands if they gained control over all Cree lands, which he didn't want to give up.
Mistawasis challenged the chiefs who shared Poundmaker's view. He asked them to suggest a better solution than what the Canadians were offering. Mistawasis argued that the "Great White Queen Mother" (Queen Victoria) had offered them a way of life now that the buffalo were almost gone. He said the buffalo would be gone before many more winters. He also argued that the Queen would "stop the senseless wars among our people, against the Blackfoot, Peigans, and Bloods." He also believed that by working with the Queen, he could limit the sale of alcohol to his people, which was something he cared deeply about. On top of all this, he argued that none of them could survive alone against the increasing number of settlers coming from the east. Mistawasis ended his argument by saying, "I for one will take the hand that is offered." Ahtahkakoop felt the same way as Mistawasis.
After presenting his points to the other Chiefs, Mistawasis became the first person to sign Treaty 6. The other Cree Chiefs were convinced by Mistawasis and Ahtahkakoop and agreed to sign the treaty, which became known as Treaty 6. Other members of the Cree nation later added to Treaty 6 at Fort Pitt in September 1876.
What Treaty 6 Provided
When the first part of Treaty 6 was finished, it included many benefits for the Cree people. It included all the rights and protections given in earlier Treaties One through Five. This meant the Cree were entitled to:
- Money or help from the government.
- The creation of reserve lands that were off-limits to outsiders.
- They would be fully provided with farming equipment.
- Their Chiefs would receive uniforms and medals to show their important positions.
In addition to these basic points, Treaty 6 also had some new agreements. Because the buffalo numbers were dropping, the Cree were promised protection if they faced famine while learning to farm. This meant the Canadian Government agreed to send food if needed. Another major promise added to Treaty 6 was that each Indian agent would keep a fully stocked medicine chest for the Cree to use if there were any disease outbreaks.
Later Life and Legacy
After signing Treaty 6, Mistawasis kept a close relationship with the government authorities. He used his influence to try and stop alcohol from coming into his people's territory. His efforts were one reason the Canadian Government created the Northwest Mounted Police, to help with this goal.
He is also responsible for the establishment of Mistawasis First Nation, which was named after him. Mistawasis later allowed a Presbyterian Mission (a type of church and school) to be built on his reserve. Mistawasis maintained a good relationship with the Canadian Government during the 1885 Riel Rebellion. He even offered to help defend the city of Prince Albert from any attacks by Riel's forces.
In 1886, Mistawasis attended the unveiling of the Joseph Brant Memorial. During this visit to Ontario, he met Prime Minister John A. MacDonald. He became very interested in Canada's culture and technology.
Death of Chief Mistawasis
Like his birth date, the exact date of Mistawasis's death is not known. However, he is buried in the cemetery of the Presbyterian church built on his reserve. Some possible death dates are 1886, 1896, and 1903.
After his death, George Dreaver became chief and remained so until 1938. George was then followed by his son, Joe Dreaver, who was Mistawasis's grandson. Joe Dreaver served as Chief of Mistawasis First Nation for 25 years.
Honours
On June 21, 2018, the City of Saskatoon named its newest bridge for vehicles the Chief Mistawasis Bridge in his honour.
See also
- Mistawasis First Nation, the community named after him, located in Leask, Saskatchewan.
- Poundmaker, his nephew and another important Cree Chief.
- Ahtahkakoop, his close friend and ally in the creation of Treaty 6.
