Sweet Grass (Cree chief) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sweet Grass
Cree chief
Wikaskokiséyin
Born	c. 1815
Died	on or shortly before January 11, 1877 near Brosseau, Alberta, Canada

Sweet Grass (also known as Wikaskokiseyin) was an important leader of the Cree people in western Canada during the 1860s and 1870s. He worked with other chiefs to help his community. Sweet Grass saw that the Cree were facing hard times and not enough food.

This made him work with the Canadian government. He eventually signed Treaty Six. Sweet Grass believed that working with the government was a good way to solve the daily problems the Cree faced. A place called the Sweet Grass Reserve, west of Battleford, Saskatchewan, is named after him. It is still an active community today.

Sweet Grass's Life Story

Early Years and New Name

Sweet Grass, or Wikaskokiseyin, was born around 1815. He was born in a Cree camp near Fort Pitt, Saskatchewan. His exact birth date and place are not known. His mother was from another tribe, possibly the Crow, and joined the Cree.

Sweet Grass was first named Okimasis, which means "He-who-has-no-name" or "Little Chief." This name was given because of his small size. Other warriors sometimes made fun of him for being small.

He earned the name "Sweet Grass" after a very brave act as a young man. He went alone into Blackfoot territory to capture horses. He hid and, when a man came near, he took his bow and killed him. Then, he took about forty horses back to his tribe. People cheered "Sweet Grass!" and this became his name when he became a Chief in 1870.

Later that year, Sweet Grass became a Roman Catholic. He was baptized by Father Albert Lacombe and given the Christian name Abraham.

Growing Up Cree

Cree children often had a free and adventurous childhood. They spent a lot of time with their grandparents, not just their parents. Young boys often didn't wear much clothing until they were about five years old.

Young men would often follow a hunter or warrior they looked up to. They would learn by watching and helping them. Sweet Grass's brave act of taking horses from the Blackfoot might have been his way of showing his worth. He wanted to gain acceptance from his tribe.

The Cree People

The Cree lived in the plains of Canada. They were divided into different groups across Saskatchewan and Alberta. The name "Cree" covers many different tribes. These groups were often named for the area they lived in.

It was common for different Cree groups to hunt and perform ceremonies together. Sweet Grass often worked with another chief named Big Bear. Families could also leave one group and join another. Cree society had different roles, like the Chief, village elders, and warriors. Warriors were highly respected.

The Cree believed in a powerful creator spirit. This spirit was in every living thing. People would gain a "spiritual helper" after seeing it in a vision. This helper would offer guidance. Sweet Grass believed his spiritual helper was the mosquito. He felt the mosquito guided him to become a chief.

Becoming a Chief

A chief's role among the Cree could vary. Chiefs were chosen by the people in their group. While a chief's son might sometimes take over, an unfit person would not be chosen. A chief needed to be a strong leader in both peace and war.

To become a chief, a person had to show bravery in war, be a good provider, and be generous. One of the most important jobs of a chief was to keep peace. They would settle arguments among their people. Sweet Grass understood that the group's needs came before his own. For example, during a buffalo hunt, his horse was too restless. Even though it was a valuable horse, he traded it for a calmer one. He knew the hunt was more important than his personal horse.

Sweet Grass was one of the most respected Plains Cree chiefs. He played a very important role in the treaty talks.

Working with Chief Big Bear

Sweet Grass and another Cree chief, Big Bear, often worked closely. They hunted and camped in the same areas. Sweet Grass was about ten years older, and Big Bear respected him as a senior chief. Both chiefs were known for being small but strong warriors. They also shared the experience of not being fully Cree by birth.

Big Bear admired Sweet Grass's bravery and the guidance he got from his spiritual helper. Both chiefs worked together on raids against the Blackfoot. For example, Sweet Grass and Big Bear once led 18 Cree warriors to raid Blackfoot hunting grounds. They faced a snowstorm and nearly stumbled upon the main Blackfoot camp. Days of fighting followed, but both chiefs survived.

Buffalo Hunting and Fur Trade

Hunting buffalo and trading furs were vital for the Cree to survive. Cree groups moved with the buffalo herds. In the early 1870s, there were huge numbers of buffalo on the plains. The Cree had so many resources that they could choose only the best parts of the buffalo.

However, as European settlers moved in, the buffalo numbers dropped sharply. By 1881, only a few hundred buffalo were left. The Cree relied so much on buffalo that they faced starvation.

The fur trade also brought important income and goods. But too much trapping forced tribes to move west to find new hunting areas. The lack of trapping land and the vanishing buffalo left the Cree in a very difficult situation. These problems became key topics in the treaty talks that Sweet Grass was involved in.

Cree Religious Changes

The Cree had their own stories and traditions passed down through generations. When Europeans came to North America, missionaries tried to spread Christianity. While Cree traditions remained important, many Cree became open to different Christian faiths.

In 1852, Father Albert Lacombe moved to the Red River Colony. He wanted to live with the Métis and Cree and spread the Roman Catholic faith. He learned the Cree language and culture, even writing a Cree dictionary. In the 1860s, he met Sweet Grass and his group.

Diseases and famine were common in the Cree community. This made them more open to new religious ideas. Father Lacombe's understanding of Cree culture and the Cree's growing struggles led many to convert to Roman Catholicism. Sweet Grass was kind to the priest and often discussed religion. In 1870, Sweet Grass was baptized and given the name Abraham.

Working with the Canadian Government

During the 1800s, the Canadian government in Ottawa tried to make Indigenous peoples more dependent on them. The government wanted tribes to govern themselves more like a democracy. They wanted them to rely less on their traditional chiefs. This often made many Indigenous communities angry.

Sweet Grass, however, was one of the chiefs willing to work with the government. He asked the government to teach the Cree better farming methods. He also asked them to stop giving weapons to the Blackfoot, who were his tribe's enemies. Sweet Grass hoped to end the conflicts that had troubled the Plains Cree for years. Other Cree leaders did not always agree with his approach.

The Canadian government often had fixed ideas about Indigenous communities. This hurt these communities, as they were self-governing and changed over time, just like any other culture. Sweet Grass and three other chiefs tried to get ahead of government control. They met with Lieutenant Governor Archibald, a government representative. They wanted to discuss the Hudson's Bay Company's (HBC) sale of land to the government. This land was not truly the HBC's to sell. This problem happened many times across Canada.

They also wanted the government to help with the lack of food in Indigenous territories. Sweet Grass asked the government to provide supplies when traditional hunting was not possible. However, many of these requests were not met when they were most needed.

Treaty Six: A Big Agreement

Treaty 6 was a major agreement between Plains Cree leaders and the government. It was signed in 1876. This treaty was between the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples in parts of modern-day Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Sweet Grass's ideas were different from Big Bear's. Big Bear believed that all Indigenous groups should unite to get the best terms. Big Bear was worried about the government's promises.

Treaty 6 led to more separation between European settlers and Indigenous people. Indigenous people had to choose between living on reserves and getting a fixed amount of money each year. Or they could try to fit into settler society and lose their Indigenous status. The government's language for those who did not settle on reserves, calling them "stragglers," showed a lack of understanding. Sweet Grass strongly believed that signing this treaty was the best way to help Indigenous culture survive.

Conflicts Between Tribes

The signing of Treaty 6 was not the only reason for conflict. When Sweet Grass became chief, his tribe had an uneasy peace with the Blackfoot. Sweet Grass tried to keep this peace, even though many of his people did not like it.

Younger Cree members sometimes disagreed with older leaders. This led to renewed conflict between Sweet Grass's tribe and the Blackfoot. In 1861, the Blackfoot threatened to kill any Cree, Métis, or white person they found. Sweet Grass and Big Bear formed a war party for hunting, being very careful in Blackfoot territory. Sweet Grass himself killed a Blackfoot chief during these conflicts.

The Plains Cree were not always the victims. In 1860, a Plains Cree member killed a Blackfoot chief, starting a war. Some Plains Cree simply could not accept peace with the Blackfoot. In one case, Sweet Grass invited the Blackfoot to his camp to try and make lasting peace. But his own people harassed the Blackfoot guests.

In 1862, Sweet Grass went with Broken Arm, a known peacemaker, and fifty escorts to try and make peace with the Blackfoot again. However, peace between the Blackfoot and Plains Cree often did not last long. Even after Treaty 6 was signed, they continued to argue over hunting as the number of buffalo kept decreasing.

Sweet Grass's Death

On January 11, 1877, Sweet Grass had an argument with his brother. His brother believed they had given too much to the government in Treaty 6. His brother tried to take Sweet Grass's pistol, and it accidentally went off. Sweet Grass died from the injury.

Sweet Grass's Lasting Impact

Sweet Grass had a lasting impact on the Plains Cree through his actions and decisions. As a respected Cree leader during a difficult time, he tried his best to guide his people. By 1870, Chief Sweet Grass began to connect more with Canadian society.

With missionaries moving into the area, there was pressure to convert to European religions. Many Cree did, including Sweet Grass, who converted to Catholicism in 1870. With settlers moving in, traditional hunting declining, and diseases spreading, Sweet Grass and his group desperately needed support.

When Treaty 6 was offered by the Canadian government in 1876, Sweet Grass was very important in getting the Plains Cree to agree to it. This was his last major influence on his people, as he died shortly after signing the Treaty. While signing the treaty can be seen as giving up some Indigenous rights, it did bring much-needed medicine and food to the Cree when they had few other options.

Treaty Six: Short-Term Effects

The signing of Treaty 6 greatly changed Cree life for everyone. Those who signed began to move onto reserve lands and live under the treaty's agreements. Not all Plains Cree signed at first, and many became unhappy later.

Big Bear resisted signing the treaty. He hoped to get a better deal from the Canadian government. But the Canadian government could wait longer than the Cree groups, who were suffering from starvation and disease. Even though Big Bear spoke against signing treaties, he eventually signed Treaty 6 in 1882 because his people were starving.

After signing, some Cree were still unhappy. Chief Wandering Spirit gathered support for more aggressive actions against settlers. During the North-West Rebellion in 1885, Wandering Spirit led a group of Cree to raid the Frog Lake Settlement. Their main goal was to get supplies. After some resistance from settlers, the situation became violent. The group then captured Fort Pitt, which had many supplies. They returned to the reserve with the captured goods. Those involved in the violence were later arrested and faced serious consequences in 1885.

Debates About the Treaty

The legacy of Treaty 6 still affects the Cree today. Problems come from different ways Indigenous groups and the government understand the treaty. This agreement was the first legal one between these Indigenous groups and the new Canadian government. It continues to shape their interactions.

Disagreements about Treaty 6 come from three main issues: language differences, verbal promises made during talks, and whether chiefs had the full right to sign for everyone. In Cree culture, chiefs do not always have the legal power to make choices for the whole group. Women were also not included in the discussions, which ignored an important part of Cree culture.

Many Cree who took part in the treaty could not fully understand legal English. While there was a Cree translation, the official treaty was in English. Another big problem was that verbal agreements were not always followed. For the Canadian government, only what was written in the treaty was legally binding. But in Cree culture, verbal agreements are just as important. Those who signed Treaty Six argue that the treaty can only be understood by looking at the discussions that happened during its making.

The meaning of land and giving it up was not fully understood by those signing. They had limited knowledge of how much Canadian settlement would happen. They also didn't fully know how Indigenous people would be restricted from their land.

Sweet Grass's Community

When Sweet Grass died in 1877, his son, Young Sweet Grass, tried to keep his father's group together. But the group began to break apart due to internal conflicts. Young Sweet Grass then led a part of the group to join other Cree who had signed Treaty 6.

Young Sweet Grass eventually became chief. He named the new group the Sweetgrass First Nation, honoring his father. The Sweetgrass Nation settled on land west of Battleford, Saskatchewan, in 1884. Here, they earned money from farming and selling lumber. They also continued traditional practices as much as possible.

In the years after settlement, the Sweetgrass reserve continued to suffer from famine and disease. Many people left the reserve because of government policies that limited food rations. This led to high death rates in the community. On the Sweetgrass reserve, death rates increased after 1885. The Canadian government sometimes withheld food from reserves to force cooperation. For example, the Cree on the reserve received no food rations until they agreed to send their children to Canadian schools.

In 2010, the Sweetgrass Nation had over 1,500 registered members. Most of them live outside the Sweetgrass Reserve today.

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  Wikaskokiséyin