How Blackfoot and Cree nations achieved peace on the plains
June is Indigenous history month; June 21 is also Indigenous Peoples Day. So, at this auspicious time we should look at some of the history of the Indigenous people in North America.
For more than 200 years before European settlement, our people across the great plains of Turtle Island enjoyed the freedom and prosperity of the horse culture. The horse gave our people mobility and protection and combined with the hunters in buffalo hunting. Our people enjoyed the fruits of the buffalo, and they established a balanced and spiritual relationship with the great herds.
In the middle of the 19th century, American hunters began to eradicate the great herds. They also burned the prairie so the herds would not escape to the north. This left our people suddenly vulnerable and without their main food source as well as the trading value of the robes and pemmican.
The pressure was on, and the hunters began to roam into the territory of other tribes. Eventually war broke out between the Cree and Blackfoot as each nation sought to protect their hunting grounds. The Blackfoot confederacy consisted of the Kainai, Siksika and Piegan nations. The Cree were joined by their allies the Nakota and Saulteaux.
The war continued for several years until it took a terrible turn. In October 1870, a large force of Cree warriors attacked a Kainai camp on the banks of the Old Man River in what is now the city of Lethbridge. At first the Cree had the upper hand, but word got to a Piegan camp close by, and their warriors attacked. The Piegan had recently acquired repeating rifles from American traders. The mussel loaders of the Cree were no match, and the result was about 300 Cree casualties compared to 40 Blackfoot.
This was the last battle between the two groups. The Cree knew that they were outgunned by the Blackfoot and the Blackfoot knew that soon the Cree would get repeating rifles and seek revenge. In fact, the opposite happened. They faced the dilemma of mutually assured destruction.
Emissaries from both sides met and exchanged tobacco, requesting a peace meeting. The two nations met at the Bear Hills north of the Red Deer River in the summer of 1871.
The chiefs sat in council and negotiated an agreeable settlement: First, all hostilities would cease; the Red Deer River would form the boundary between the two nations from the Rocky Mountains to the Bull's Forehead, a butte that is a landmark at the confluence of the South Saskatchewan and the Red Deer rivers. The Cypress Hills would be open to all who wanted to winter camp there.
The chiefs sealed the deal with a pipe ceremony pledging their word to the treaty. Next, the warriors of both nations mounted their horses and formed two long lines across the prairie about a kilometre apart. Someone gave the war whoop and the two groups galloped toward each other. When they met, they dismounted and shook hands. In that manner they pledged to end the war and not fight again.
My great-grandfather was one of the warriors, and his story is a part of our oral history.
The third event was made to seal the deal. Children from both sides were exchanged. Families met and agreed to an exchange of children, assuring that their camp would never be attacked, nor would they attack the others' camp.
Over the years, the families would meet and visit. Sometimes the children would return, and in other cases they would grow to adulthood and join their adopted nation. The practice continued through the years. Chief Crowfoot, for example, adopted Poundmaker as his son. In the 1930s, my grandfather and a man from Siksika adopted each other as brothers. We still maintain the family connection to the present day.
When we lived in southern Alberta, my father was made an honorary member of the Kainai headdress society.
Last year was the 150th anniversary of the creation of the treaty. It has never been breached and is still in effect. The treaty brought peace to the plains, and we were able to move on to the uncertain future.