Mistahimaskwa, also known as "Big Bear" (c.1825-1888), had the idea to unite all the
Cree bands. He was half Ojibwa, half Cree, and led the largest band of Cree that lived on the Plains at that particular time, which was about 2,000 people. He advocated for pan-Amerindianism, which urged all these native bands in the region to unite against white settlement. In addition, Big Bear did not like the terms of
Treaty 6
Treaty 6 is the sixth of the numbered treaties that were signed by the Canadian Crown and various First Nations between 1871 and 1877. It is one of a total of 11 numbered treaties signed between the Canadian Crown and First Nations. Specif ...
, especially the provision stating that Canadian law would become the law of the land. He thought that the treaty would give up his people's autonomy. Despite his objections, he was eventually forced to sign the treaty in 1882 in Fort Walsh in order to get rations for his people. With now only having 247 followers, he moved to a remote reserve at Fort Pitt in the north. Overall, Big Bear's effort to unite Amerindians alarmed Ottawa officials, so they urgently sought to find chiefs. One of these chiefs that was willing to negotiate was Minahikosis, or "Little Pine". He was the half-
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...
, half-Cree brother-in-law of
Piapot who had a reputation similar to that of Big Bear. Little Pine held out for three years in hopes of joining a unified Amerindian state, but eventually negotiated and signed the treaty because of his starving people.
In contrast to Big Bear, a Plains Chief who got along very well with the white settlers was Cree chief
Pitikwahanapiwiyin
Pîhtokahanapiwiyin ( – 4 July 1886), also known as Poundmaker, was a Plains Cree chief known as a peacemaker and defender of his people, the Poundmaker Cree Nation. His name denotes his special craft at leading buffalo into buffalo pound ...
, also known as "Poundmaker", the leading Blackfoot chief. He also became one of those who signed Treaty 6 in 1876. Poundmaker also accepted a reserve in 1879, which was about forty miles west of
Battleford.
At this point, all the groups who resided in the Treaty 6 area had embraced the inevitable, much to Big Bear's dismay. In the final count, those who signed Treaty 6 ended up faring much better than those who signed Treaty 4. With this treaty, the bands won some concessions such as the "medicine chest" clause and also the promise of relief in the event of famine or pestilence. But the price they paid was great, due to the fact that with the signing of the treaty, there went about 315,000 square miles of land. One of these groups that had to move as a result of this treaty was Little Pine.
Settlement and foundation
Cree Chief Minahikosis (c. 1830-1885), also known as Little Pine, signed an adhesion to Treaty 6 in

and moved from the Cypress Hills region to the foot of Bluehill along the Battle River. From 1883-1884, Little Pine and Lucky Man camped near Poundmaker's reserve. Although Big Bear, Little Pine,
Lucky Man
Lucky may refer to:
*An adjective of luck
Lucky may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' Lucky: No Time for Love'', a 2005 Hindi-language romance starring Salman Khan, Sneha Ullal, and Mithun Chakraborty
* ''Lucky'', a 2005 short film by Av ...
, and Poundmaker all wished for adjoining reserves, they were refused.
Early disputes
When it came to helping these relocated bands accustom to their new ways of life in the reservations, the government's aid was abysmal. When buffalo began to migrate over in 1877 and the Amerindians wanted to hunt them, their requests for that needed equipment were deliberately ignored by the government. This competition over the buffalo sparked old hostilities as the
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...
, Plains Cree, and
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...
consulted over measures to regulate the hunt. In 1880, Big Bear and Little Pine headed south to the remaining buffalo range on the
Milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulati ...
and
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
rivers, where they met with Riel. The Metis leader was instrumental in persuading the Montana Amerindians---these included the southern
Assiniboine
The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakoda ...
, the
Blackfeet, the
Crow
A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term " raven" is not pinned scientifica ...
, and the
Gros Ventre
The Gros Ventre ( , ; meaning "big belly"), also known as the Aaniiih, A'aninin, Haaninin, Atsina, and White Clay, are a historically Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe located in north central Montana. Today the Gros Ventre people are ...
---to allow the Northerners to hunt on their reservations. This alliance was eventually broken when the Canadian Amerindian groups raided the horses of the American Indian groups. After all, they were traditional enemies. With this raid, the U.S. government set out military expeditions to confiscate the horses and equipment from the Canadian Amerindians and heavily restricted border crossings from that point on.
Following these events as well as escalating tensions from the
Metis Resistance, both Poundmaker and Little Pine's people left their reserves and headed for Battleford, which was the headquarters for distributing supplies. Settlers saw this and fled into the fort in fright, two of them having been killed by Assiniboines. During the last two days of March, the Cree plundered these abandoned settler houses and stores. Chief Little Pine died shortly afterwards.
Little Pine died in 1885 and his people were scattered along the various bands. As a part of government's policy to keep all Indians on their respective reserves, a reserve was surveyed for those who remained of the Little Pine and Lucky Man bands in 1887. The allotted acres that they received through survey did not correspond to what was entitled to them through treaty. The Little Pine First Nation spent a century of injustice in these allotted acres. By May 29, 1997, the band has been able to purchase land and participate in other economic endeavors. The Little Pine first nation continues to define its right to self-government through its Government Act, which allows for basic structure within the band and offers provisions for the Lands and Resources Management Act and the Election Act. (Christian Thompson, University of Saskatchewan)
Developments and projects today
Developmental projects include the Little Pine First Nation Racetrack, the Little Pine First Nation Cattle Venture, and a gas and convenience store. The band’s facilities include the Little Pine Health Clinic and Medical Taxis, the Elders’ Hall, the Chief Little Pine School, a band office, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment (two constables working and residing on the reserve), and the Little Pine Daycare.
Governance
Elected in 2021, the current Chief of the Little Pine First Nation is Donald Ironchild. The governing body or the councilors, consists of Russell Bearsears, Matthew Frank, Lawrence Kennedy, Roland Pete, and Lisa Sapp. The membership authority is the Section 11 Band, and the Election System is a custom
electoral system
An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections m ...
.
This electoral system used to select a Chief and councillors can be done either under the Indian Act election system, the First Nations Elections Act, a custom system, or under the provisions of a self governing agreement. In this case, the Chief and councillors serve four year terms, from 2021 to 2025. Precisely, they were elected on November 27, 2021 and their expiry date is November 26, 2025.
Education
Chief Little Pine School
Chief Little Pine School is a K-12 school located in the village of
Paynton
Paynton ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Paynton No. 470 and Census Division No. 17. It is the administrative centre of the Little Pine Cree First Nation band governme ...
, SK. Besides education, it offers additional services such as pre-kindergarten care, counseling services, and even
Mathletics. According to its official website, its mission is to drive students to "embrace their culture and traditional values as they grow into young men and women."
Treaty Six Education Council
Little Pine is also involved with the Treaty Six Education Council,
an organization that provides second-level education services to its partner Nations. The organization has a centrally located office in
North Battleford
North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The B ...
, Saskatchewan, which is the heart of the Treaty 6 territory. It serves eleven First Nations communities and over 3000 students at the moment.
Their mission statement is: to provide second level support services to member Nations that enhances the education systems at the First Nation level.
Their vision statement is: to create cultural pride through academic achievement and success which instills lifelong learning.
The Chief of Each Nation that is a member of the council serves as the director for the organization and sets the governing rules for the TSEC. In addition, each member nation appoints a Trustee, through Band Council Resolution, to represent their community on the board. For Little Pine, that Trustee is Adele Bear.
See also
*
First Nations in Saskatchewan
First Nations in Saskatchewan constitute many Native Canadian band governments. First Nations ethnicities in the province include the Cree, Assiniboine, Saulteaux, Lakota, Dene and Dakota. Historically, the Atsina
The Gros Ventre ( , ; ...
*
Division No. 13,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...
References
{{authority control
First Nations in Saskatchewan
Cree governments