Summary
Leaders of Qu’Appelle bands including Loud Voice, Louis O’Soup, Yellow Quill, Kanocees, and Day Star gathered at Fort Qu’Appelle to meet with the Governor General, Marquis of Lorne. These leaders pledged their commitment to farming, but requested more animals and implements for agriculture, as many of their people were starving, and requested that one of them be permitted to visit Ottawa to voice their concerns.
Implications
The Governor General ignored their protests, and the visit to Ottawa they requested did not happen. This behaviour on behalf of the government was not an uncommon occurrence, the government often opting out or refusing to uphold treaty promises to provide agricultural assistance, especially in times of famine. Indigenous leaders expressed a desire to engage in agriculture, something the Canadian Government had also pushed for prior; but the government's refusal to assist showed an express lack of interest or concern, and was used to further subjugate Indigenous peoples as they were weakened by famine and disease.
Sources
: Qu’Appelle Chiefs Address [NA, RG 10, vol. 3768, file 33,642]
Date
1881-00-00
Community
Theme(s)