History comes alive! Montreal Lake Cree Nation celebrates the return of the ORIGINAL Treaty 6 Adhesion Documents signed on February 11th, 1889 at Montreal Lake to the terms of Western Treaty No 6 (1876) between the Queen and the Plain and Wood Cree Indians. Photo description: Three sheets of 17” x 11” paper hand-lined in red, folded twice, joined at the top left corner by pinkish ribbon. Sheets are written in ink on rectos only, making a total of three pages. The final page is signed by A.G. Irvine, Lt.-Colonel, Commissioner, and six others on behalf of the Queen, as well as nine First Nations representatives with an ‘x’ with James Roberts’ signature. In the Parliamentary Sessional Papers, 23 Victoria, 1890, No. 12, it is noted by both Irvine and McNeill in their official reports on the treaty councils that only Chief James Roberts actually signs his name on the treaty. In addition, the outside fold of the document is inscribed in blue ink: Presented to Edmund Morris/by Col. Irvine/ Stony Mountain/1909, in a hand that is believed to be Morris’ own. Morris, who probably knew Irvine earlier through his father Alexander Morris, consulted with Irvine in 1907-8 to locate prominent signers of the western treaties, in order to paint them at the request of various governments. Morris exhibited 55 paintings of Indian leaders at Toronto in 1909, and in 1910-1911 published two articles in Canadian Magazine on Irvine and his career with the NWMP and the treaty process. Irvine, furthermore, had been Superintendent at Stony Mountain Penitentiary for many years by 1909. It has been concluded that Irvine gave his copy of the Wood Cree treaty to Morris, perhaps as a memento of their friendship and collaboration in locating subjects for Morris. This authentic treaty was retained by A.G. Irvine, as Commissioner authorized to treat with the Wood Cree for his own records. It is believed that A.G. Irvine in turn gave it to Morris as a result of the association between Irvine, Morris, and the signers of the treaty. Montreal Lake Cree Nation has permanently loaned these precious documents to the Archives and Special Collections department at the U of S. A signing ceremony was held on October 22nd, 2014 in the community of Montreal Lake.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 15:22:22 +0000
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