By Andrew Shepherd

PHOTOS: Treaty 4 medal from 1874 returned to SK

Sep 30, 2014 | 7:36 AM

After mysteriously disappearing for generations, the only Treaty 4 medal to be found has returned home to Saskatchewan.

The Government of Canada handed out 21 of these medals to First Nations chiefs who signed the treaty for the area covering southern Saskatchewan in 1874.

This particular medal suddenly resurfaced at an auction in London, Ont. and Paula Acoose and her husband Ray McCallum soon found themselves in a bidding war, one of a series of lucky events leading to the medal returning home.

“Going once, going twice, sold for $40,000, and that's how we got it. We left the room about five minutes after that and cried and hugged each other in the hallway,” said Acoose.

The bidding started at $6,000 and rose fast. Acoose placed her first bid at $37,000, which was quickly beat by which she believes may have been a museum.

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“But during that time my husband put his hand on my hand and said 'Put your card back up' and so I did,” she said.

They spent $40,000 dollars out of their own pockets. That may sound like a lot of money for a medal, but to the First Nations in southern Saskatchewan, it's priceless.

“Out of all of the ones that were given out at the original treaty signings, this is apparently the only one still known to exist,” said Royce Pettyjohn.

Pettyjohn is a volunteer at a museum in Maple Creek. He has done extensive research on the Treaty 4 medals and this one wouldn't have returned to its rightful owners if he didn't spot the medal in the auction catalog.

“I knew right away that it was of tremendous historical significance as well as great spiritual significance for the First Nations people,” he explained.

The medal was discovered in the estate of a man named Robert D.W. Band. There were no documents with it or any sign of where it's been all these years, or how Band inherited it.

Watching such a rare piece flow through her auction house, Wendy Hoare, from Jeffrey Hoare Auctions, decided to personally deliver it to the Treaty 4 First Nations. She hopped on a flight to Regina on Monday evening and presented the medal to First Nations members in a similar fashion as it was in 1874.

“Safely, from my hands to their hands,” she said.

“Our prayers were answered, and when I touched it – very emotional,” said Noel Starblanket while holding the medal his great, great-grandfather once held.

Generations have gone by with many First Nations members not getting the chance to see such an importance piece in Saskatchewan's history. Now that it has resurfaced, Noel's grandson Collin Starblanket hopes it will inspire indigenous youth for years to come.

“This medal here represents unity and the strength of our people.”

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