A rare copy of Treaty 6 is on display at Wanuskewin Heritage Park. The historic document is on loan from Flying Dust First Nation. “This is such an important document, a historic document,” Wanuskewin curator Marcel Robitaille told CTV News. Treaty 6 was first signed between the Crown and First Nations leaders at Fort Carlton, Sask. on Aug. 23, 1876. The treaty outlines the relationship between the Crown and Indigenous groups and how to move forward together. The Crown promised land, education, hunting rights, agricultural benefits and health care to the Indigenous leaders and their people. Robitaille said the document isn’t just a window into the past, it’s a reminder of a relationship that continues today. “Yes, it is important for 1876, but also explains how we interact with each other today and it’s going to explain how we interact with each other 100 years from now, 200 years from now,” Robitaille said. “It’s a living agreement.” Chief Tyson Bear said the document had previously been kept in a safety deposit box before former Flying Dust leaders decided the artifact should be made available to the public. “I’m grateful that Wanuskewin has taken good care of it, displaying it and showcasing it — using it as an educational piece,” Bear said. “I feel so connected because my great-great grandfather had signed the documents.” The 150th anniversary of Treaty 6 was commemorated in Fort Carlton over the weekend. For the first time since 1876, the original Treaty 6 manuscript returned to where it was initially negotiated and signed. With files from Allison Bamford
