Sask. First Nation continues spirit of reconciliation with Mennonite, Lutheran communities

Sask. First Nation gathers for reconciliation WATCH: CTV Saskatoon's Francois Biber has the story of a First Nation gathering to reconcile its difficult history.

SASKATOON — Three communities gathered on the land once belonging to the Stoney Knoll First Nation northwest of Laird, baking bread and sharing stories in the spirit of reconciliation.

On Aug. 23, 1867, Chief Chipeewayan signed Treaty 6 at Fort Carlton. In 1879, the land known today as Stoney Knoll First Nation was marked off for the band.

Chief Chipeewayan died 10 years later. His son, Young Chipeewayan, took over as hereditary chief – but, as the Young Chipeewayan band’s population dwindled in the coming years, it was no longer considered an individual band.

The land was then sold to Lutheran and Mennonite families settling in Saskatchewan.

"The Mennonites had no idea they were being sold First Nations’ land, so they started farming. And until 1975, a descendant drove up and said they were living on Indian land,” said Stoney Knoll Chief Sylvia Weenie.

“It’s not their fault they’re living on First Nations’ land. They’ve been done wrong by the government and (there’s) no use in trying to displace them.”

Since 1975, reconciliation has been at the forefront of the three communities claiming ownership of the land northwest of Laird.

Since 2006, Stoney Knoll descendants, Mennonites and Lutherans have been gathering on Stoney Knoll land, sharing the history with one another.

On Tuesday, the gathering at Stoney Knoll saw younger Indigenous, Mennonite and Lutheran generations gathering to take part in reconciliation.

Chief Weenie said the effort put forward by the Mennonite and Lutheran communities in preserving the land has been an honour to witness.

“They’ve been practicing reconciliation way before it became the buzzword (of) truth and reconciliation,” Weenie said.

In 2016, the Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan, St. John’s Lutheran Church and Rebel Sky Media produced a documentary film ‘Reserve 107’ delving into the history of Stoney Knoll.

Headman Gary LaPlante has been working with the Mennonite and Lutheran communities for decades, striving for truth and reconciliation of their lands.

“These types of gatherings bring people together and we don’t want to say we’re preaching, but it’s spiritual in nature and we recognize reconciliation is about telling the truth,” LaPlante said.

“It took us 130 years to reconcile that, and since then, every five years we’ve been getting together.”