The Sharphead band was an

Indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

of what is now

central Alberta Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy. Geography Central Alberta is bordered ...

, which was a part of the Stoney (Nakoda) ethno-linguistic group and was party to

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. Specifi ...

(1876) with the Canadian Crown. The Sharphead were devastated by hunger and disease and ceased to exist as a separate people after 1897 when their reserve lands were taken by the Canadian government and the few remaining survivors were dispersed to live with other neighbouring First Nations.

Post-contact history

Following their entry into treaty, the Sharphead people continued to live a traditional nomadic lifestyle until 1885 when the Sharphead Indian Reserve No. 141 was created within the District of Alberta, North-West Territories (later the Province of Alberta) under the terms of the ''

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' () is a Canadian Act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still in force with amendments, it is the primary document that defines how t ...

''. As surveyed in October 1885, the reserve had an area of along the Battle River and Wolf Creek, and included a

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mission. The reserve was west of Ponoka, and the Queen Elizabeth II Highway runs through its former lands. According to Canadian records, between 1886 and 1893 the band was devastated by

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, crop failures, and declining hunting. During that time, more than half of the population is estimated to have died, while the survivors dispersed and moved to other reserves. The band was deemed to be extinct by the federal government and the reserve land was surrendered in 1897 and divided into homesteads for Euro-Canadian settlers. Historical records around the Sharphead are very sparse and it was not until the mid-1970s that researchers were able to trace Sharphead descendants to 15 neighbouring bands. The movement towards securing a surrender of the land seems to have been initiated by Hayter Reed first as Indian Commissioner, then, after 1893, as Deputy Superintendent General of Indian Affairs. As well, outside pressure from Frank Oliver, a prominent Edmonton Liberal, publisher of the '' Edmonton Bulletin'' and future cabinet minister, seems to have played a part, according to a 1998 report by Peggy Martin-McGuire for the

Indian Claims Commission The Indian Claims Commission (ICC) was a judicial relations arbiter between the United States federal government and Native American tribes. It was established under the Indian Claims Act of 1946 by the United States Congress to hear any longstandin ...

Cemetery and memorial

In 1965 workers installing an electrical power line discovered human remains from 26 individuals at a cemetery site on the former reserve. The remains were taken by the University of Alberta's anthropology department for study until 1970 when they were put in storage because the then-owner of the land containing the burial site did not want them reinterred. In 2007 electrical workers discovered more remains on the same site which prompted the provincial government and 14 nearby bands to begin to search for a new burial site for the remains. In the summer of 2013 land was purchased by the provincial government near the town of Ponoka close to the Battle River. Ponoka County objected to the plan, however, and issued a

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to the province in October 2014. Nevertheless, a re-interment ceremony was held in October 2014.

References

{{First Nations in Alberta Indian reserves 1885 establishments in the Northwest Territories 1886 disasters in North America First Nations history in the District of Alberta Nakoda (Stoney) Assimilation of Indigenous peoples of North America Extinct Indigenous peoples of the Americas Ponoka County Genocide of Indigenous peoples of North America Famines * 1897 disestablishments in the Northwest Territories