The Anishiinaabe and Mushkegowuk People's view of Treaty No. Nine

Kashechewan Elder James Wesley remembered through stories that one of the Commissioners, "held up a bible in his hand to show the seriousness of their intentions" (Long 1989: 37). He went on to say our peoples were promised, "a sawmill, housing, schooling, medical services, doctors, gardening tools, vegetable seeds, and livestock" (ibid). Another Kashechewan Elder Hosea Wynne recalled what he had been told:

"According to our grandfathers, in 1867, they went to see the native people to ask them for their land. Their names were David Solomon, David Wynne, John Faries and James Sackaney. I’ll repeat what the old man (David Solomon) said they said when they asked for the land. The Indian Agent and his assistant said they were representing the government and were sent by the government. There was also a doctor and a police officer. He said that’s how many people had come to see them. But there were other people present there. The Indian Agent introduced himself and the other people that were there with him. He said the government came to ask for the land, to be the custodian of the land for the native people. The government would have control, and would take care of the land. This was the first thing he told the native people. The government is asking for your land” (Hosea Wynne in Long 1993: 3-4). Elder Hosea Wynne continued, “Then he stated the terms. The first thing he mentioned is, the government will build you a house, just like the manager’s house. But first, a sawmill where you will make flat wood and a horse to pull boards. This is what the old man (David Solomon) said" (ibid).

But Elder Hosea Wynne stated there was a problem concerning the verbal promises and especially the written treaty, “But there is no agreement in there. Everything that was promised should have been written there. This is not a true treaty, what you see there. These promises are missing. Until you see these (promises) in there, and we see them written – then we will believe in it. We will not believe what is written in there, not until we see what was promised (to us verbally) in writing" (ibid: 5-6)

Elder Hosea Wynne also spoke passionately about what his Elders were faced with:

"This is what we regret on behalf of our grandfathers and we also feel for them. We can’t forget them because they didn’t understand what they were asked when they were asked for their land. They didn’t know about the natural resources that are under the ground, and they didn’t know that there was profit to be made from the trees. Our grandfathers didn’t know that there were these kinds of resources under the ground. But this one, who got rich from these resources, he was positive that there were such resources. Our grandfathers didn’t fully understand what they were asked for. We remember and feel for our grandfathers, when we see how the government has benefited from our grandfathers' land" (ibid: 6-7)

Anishiinaabe Elders from Bear Skin Lake and Muskrat Dam also remembered and viewed the treaty as a relationship of sharing with the governments, and not land surrender or government regulation:

"I can clearly remember when the treaty was signed. We were promised assistance and protection from the government for as long as the sun shines and rivers flow. We were promised that our traditional activities would not be regulated from us" (Elder Jimmy McKay, interviewed 1974 at Bear Skin Lake) (Hookimaw-Witt 1997: 62-63).