Montreal Lake celebrates return of piece of history

“This is a real big deal for us to bring it home to our community to see this living document,” he said. “Nobody’s seen it, our elders have talked about being there with their grandparents telling them that they were there during the signing. And this document, we actually have it now.”

The adhesion was found in Spafford Books in Regina which was then brought to the attention of the treaty commissioner’s office.

“This document is a very concrete bit of evidence that people can look at and see the actual terms and conditions of what the adhesion was all about,” said George Lafond, treaty commissioner for Saskatchewan.

Henderson said they were notified by the treaty commissioner after he came in contact with the adhesion.

“It took us a little while but we finally got to go see the document, [and] realized what it was,” Henderson said.

There are only two known copies of the adhesion in Canada so its rarity is something to be enjoyed. The only other known copy is in Ottawa, held at Library and Archives Canada.

Tim Hutchinson, archivist at the University of Saskatchewan said he doesn’t know how the document ended up on the market.

“What we know from the document is the person who originally owned it, the commissioner on behalf of the government, gave it to a friend of his in 1909…after that, when it left this person’s hands, it somehow ended up at a book dealer in Ontario and this dealer contacted Spafford books in Regina,” he said.

As part of the ceremony, an agreement was recognized between Montreal Lake and the University of Saskatchewan, who had agreed to preserve the document in their archives.

Vicki Williamson, Dean of the University library said she is proud of the relationship and trust that has been recognized in asking them to keep the document for preservation.

“It’s a very historically important document and we understand and appreciate how much it means to this local community,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to learn from the past, to help to build a better future and to make that resource available not only for today’s community but for the future.”

Hutchinson added its importance as a symbolic document.

“We are all treaty people and there’s been more understanding about that lately, especially in non-aboriginal communities of what it really means so to have such a rare original show up is a pretty special thing,” he said.

Lafond said this document is significant because it gives people an opportunity to better understand their history and to understand the relationship that first nations people have with the federal crown through these treaties.

“The story of our people doesn’t start and end with treaty but in fact goes back centuries, millenniums, and so [the] treaty is a sort of a magical point in the history of our people with the rest of Canada,” he said.

He added the University has an obligation to dissect history so that it can be taken forward to future generations. He said the document will help future researchers understand the relationship between the Crown and first nation’s people, what the relationship meant and where it can go in the future.

“The treaties are forever, so bringing the institution of the University of Saskatchewan forward to participate in this is another great milestone in the histories of our people and the histories of treaty making on the prairies,” he said.

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by Caitlin Brezinski

Montreal Lake celebrates return of piece of history

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