Treaty 8 Adhesion

In 1899 the Clearwater River nation signed onto Treaty 8. Much like earlier numbered treaties, Treaty 8 promised reserves, annuities, funding for school teachers, and a guarantee of hunting, trapping and fishing rights. Treaty 8 negotiations also included verbal promises of medical aid, that the government would appoint persons to be in charge of free medical service distribution to all who required such service. The government official recording the treaty did not include these verbal promises in the final "legal"/written document. ------------------ Christine Smillie writes in her thesis "The People Left Out of Treaty 8": "Today there are three First Nations Bands in Saskatchewan which are covered by Treaty 8 : the Fond du Lac Denesuline Nation, the Black Lake Denesuline Nation, and the Clearwater River Denesuline Nation . At some point Maurice's Band became known as the Fond du Lac Band . The Black Lake Band, formerly known as the Stony Rapids Band, was formed in 1949/50 when 258 members broke away from Fond du Lac Band.[12] Members of the Clearwater River Dene Nation, formerly known as the Portage La Loche Band, signed Treaty 8 at Fort McMurray on August 4, 1899. The Treaty Commissioners' report of September 22, 1899 said that Commissioner McKenna "secured the adhesion of the Chipewyan and Cree Indians" at Fort McMurray on August 4 . While McKenna likely met with members of different Cree and Chipewyan bands on that day, government reports refer to this group as the "free, Chipewyan Band"' . The people who signed Treaty 8 at Fort McMurray who were not from the "Fort McMurray Band" were referred to in government reports as "stragglers" of the "Fort McMurray Band". A document obtained from DIAND files entitled "Historical Notes - Portage La Loche Band" said -------------- "The Portage la Loche Band originally formed part of the "Cree, Chipewyan Band" which signed Treaty 8 under Headmen Seapotakinum and Adam Boucher on August 4, 1899 at Fort McMurray. By 1908 two groups of stragglers of Fort McMurray Band had been paid their annuity at Buffalo River . In 1909 the Annuity Paylists listed 44 members paid at Portage La Loche, and in 1926 both groups of stragglers were combined and listed as Portage la Loche Band (66 members).[13 ]" ------------------ As with the Indian people who signed Treaty 8 in northern Alberta, the main concern of the Indian people living in Saskatchewan who signed Treaty 8 was to ensure "the survival and well-being of their children, grandchildren and future generations of First Nations people ."[14] They asked for assurances from the treaty commissioners that they would be as free to hunt, trap, and fish over their land after signing the treaty as before. The Commissioners' report stated ------------------ "Our chief difficulty was the apprehension that the hunting and fishing privileges were to be curtailed . The provision in the treaty under which ammunition and twine is to be furnished went far in the direction of quieting the fears of the Indians, for they admitted that it would be unreasonable to furnish the means of hunting and fishing if laws were to be enacted which would make hunting and fishing so restricted as to render it impossible to make a livelihood by such pursuits . But over and above the provision, we had to solemnly assure them that only such laws as to hunting and fishing as were in the interests of the Indians and were found necessary in order to protect the fish and fur-bearing animals would be made, and that they would be as free to hunt and fish after the treaty as they would be if they never entered into it ." Pg 80-81.