Treaty 6: Background

In response to the depletion of bison and recurring epidemics Indigenous peoples on the Plains north of the Treaty 4 boundaries entered into a new treaty with the Dominion of Canada. They hoped to ensure future community prosperity. Alexander Morris was the treaty commissioner. In comparison to other treaties, the Treaty 6 negotiations focused more specifically on medical assistance and famine relief. On 23 August multiple Indigenous leaders agreed to the terms of Treaty 6, which provided signatories with reserves for farming, annual annuities, annual chief salaries, farming implements, education, hunting, fishing and trapping rights, and aid (most notably in times of famine or epidemic), in exchange for sharing 120,000 acres of land in western Canada. Additional signings occurred on 28 August.