page_title: Ahtahkakoop
section_title: Treaty 6
hierarchical_section_title: Ahtahkakoop / Treaty 6
caption_attribution_description: English: Both sides of a commemorative coin, Indian Chiefs Medal, presented to commemorate Treaty Numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 of en:Queen Victoria.
context_page_description: Ahtahkakoop was a Chief of the House Cree division of the Plains Cree, who led his people through the transition from hunter and warrior to farmer, and from traditional indigenous spiritualism to Christianity during the last third of the 19th century.
  He rose to be a respected and tactical leader of the Cree Nation in the latter part of the 19th century. At the onset of his leadership, the plains buffalo herds were abundant in the northern plains and parklands, providing greatly to the social, environmental, and economical balance vital to the survival of the Cree. By the 1860s, the buffalo were rapidly disappearing and with the arrival of the European settlers this balance became altered. Chief Ahtahkakoop understood that the ways of living that his band was used to needed to change in order for it and its future generations to survive. Together with his friend and fellow Chief, Mistāwasis, he signed the 1876 Treaty 6 as the second signatory chief at Fort Carlton, Saskatchewan. By signing this treaty he agreed to relocate his band to a 67 square miles reserve at Sandy Lake, 45 miles northwest of present-day Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
context_section_description: On August 15, 1876, Ahtahkakoop, along with various other chiefs and officials met at Fort Carlton. On August 18, negotiations began and by August 23 Treaty Six had been signed first by Mistawasis, followed by Ahtahkakoop and 11 other chiefs, overseen by Lieutenant-Governor Alexander Morris. Each chief was presented with a medal and flag, and as head chiefs Ahtahkakoop and Mistawasis were presented with the chief's government uniform which included a gold-trimmed scarlet coat, a felt top hat, pants, a shirt, and a handkerchief. They were told that by accepting this uniform they became representatives on the kingdom and the Queen.
  Ahtahkakoop, aware of the many changes that were taking place in the world around him (especially with the decline of the buffalo and increase of settler populations), saw the need to learn and embrace a new way of life. Ahtahkakoop was concerned not only for his own people, but all future generations to come, and so he saw the signing of the treaty and upholding of treaty terms as vital in the success of his people. Some other chiefs were not so quick to seek help from the government. Chiefs Poundmaker, Badger, and Young Chipewyan spoke out against signing the treaty and the dividing of land that would come along with it. However, after hearing speeches from Ahtahkakoop and Mistawasis were swayed by their opinions on why the treaty was important for the success of their people.
  As a chief, Ahtahkakoop signed on behalf of all of his people who wished to peacefully share the land with settlers and the government. Therefore, Ahtahkakoop and his fellow chiefs bargained hard in order to receive as much help as possible for his people. Despite the fact the Ahtahkakoop and his people had already started to transition into relying on agriculture for food and income, he recognized that there needed to be some sort of safety net in place for his people in case times got tough. Therefore, a key part of the treaty was the inclusion of the famine clause and the medicine chest; resources that would be kept with and Indian Agent on each reserve in the case of famine and medical emergencies such as the outbreak of disease (such as smallpox and tuberculosis). The chiefs also asked for further support as they transitioned to an agricultural based life, such as more supplies and oxen to help ease this transition.
  Despite the best intentions of Ahtahkakoop, there were misunderstandings in regards to the way in which the terms of the treaty would be upheld, due to differences in traditions between the Cree and the European settlers. Ahtahkakoop and the other chiefs understood that everything that was said and promised orally during the negotiations would be legitimate due to the fact that there was a sacred pipe present during the negotiations. However, the government officials understood that only what was written down in the treaty was legitimate, and because of the use of interpreters there was a miscommunication on both sides as to what was and was not included as part of the treaty. It is likely that when Morris arrived at Fort Carlton a significant portion of Treaty 6 was already written out. However, Ahtahkakoop and the other chiefs did successfully persuade Morris to include additional terms to the treaty. This was satisfactory to Ahtahkakoop, who knew that it was not possible to come to an agreement on every single issue that was presented by himself and the other chiefs.
caption: Engraved treaty medal presented to all chiefs that signed Treaty 6.
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop 7.0", "Image DateTime": "2007:10:12 15:53:11", "Image ExifOffset": "156", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "294", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3510", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "796", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "480"}