Our History
Our long-term vision is to revitalize our indigenous languages and cultural practices, honouring our history and Elders. We aim to capture historical events, sites, gatherings, stories, family history, cultural and ceremonial traditions, as well as family value systems.
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Okanese First Nation is a Cree-speaking Indigenous community located in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The community is named after Chief Okanese, who was a prominent leader during the early days of the fur trade. The history of the Okanese First Nation dates back centuries and is steeped in a rich cultural heritage.
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The early history of the Okanese First Nation is difficult to trace, as much of it has been lost or destroyed. It is believed that the Okanese people were part of a larger group of Cree-speaking Indigenous peoples that inhabited the area around what is now known as the province of Saskatchewan. The Cree people were nomadic, following the herds of bison that roamed the plains, and relied on the land and its resources to sustain their way of life.
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In the early 18th century, the fur trade began to have a significant impact on the lives of the Okanese people and other Indigenous groups in the region. The fur trade brought new goods and technologies to the region, such as firearms, which had a profound effect on the balance of power among the Indigenous nations. The Okanese people played an important role in the fur trade as middlemen between the fur traders and other Indigenous nations.
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In the late 19th century, the Canadian government began to assert its authority over the Indigenous peoples of Saskatchewan, through policies such as the Indian Act and the residential school system. The Indian Act was a piece of legislation that governed the lives of Indigenous peoples in Canada, and the residential school system was a network of boarding schools that were designed to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture. These policies had a devastating impact on the Okanese people and other Indigenous communities in the region, leading to the loss of language, culture, and identity.
Despite these challenges, the Okanese people have continued to maintain their cultural heritage and traditions. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in Indigenous cultures and traditions, and the Okanese First Nation has been at the forefront of this movement. The community has taken steps to revitalize their language and culture, through initiatives such as language classes and cultural events.
The history of the Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan is a complex and multifaceted story that is intertwined with the history of the region and the Indigenous peoples who have lived there for centuries. From their early days as nomadic hunters and traders to their struggles against the colonial policies of the Canadian government, the Okanese people have demonstrated resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Today, they continue to be an important part of the fabric of Saskatchewan and Canada.
From the memory of Elder, John Stonechild:
At the time of the interview, John was 80 years old.
John remembers that community members did not have much in terms of material wealth, but always maintained their spiritual and cultural strength. The state of material deprivation was caused by the local Indian agent and the system of laws in place. "There were men who had 40 or 50 cattle. All those cattle belonged to the department of Indian Affairs. If you killed one, you'd go to jail. That happened to guys whose families were hungry."
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Combined with other legislation and policies, like residential schools, government and society attempted to strip the community of its strengths and offered nothing but discrimination and poverty in their place.
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"They would take away everything in your heart and mind. Meaning our tradition, protocol, and ceremony. All that. And that's when the Indian Act was introduced. You couldn't have sweats nothing like that. You had to have permission to go to Star Blanket's [reserve]. You had to have a permit to sell a load of wood."
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But ceremonies forbidden by the local Indian agent were still held in secret, and the Indian agent would attempt to bribe certain men in order to find out where ceremonies were being held. John tells the story of one such incident: "We used to have rats, guys who'd tell on you. He'd get a big bunch of rations for doing that. He brought the Indian agent to the Sundance grounds. People scattered. He began to tear that Sundance ground down, tried to, played himself out. He come there in a little car, a Model A or T Ford. When he was leaving the ground, lightning struck. Killed him right there. They wondered what happened. 'Oh,' the Indians said, 'we found him, making his rounds.' They didn't say he come to the Sundance, they just found him on a road."
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"Consequently, with all this discipline from the government, we did lose our language, we lost our customs, our protocols, our ceremonies, or so they thought. But the Elders used to go and practice it way our in the big bush. They'd have their sweats and Sundances out there."
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He also recalls a long history of military service, with many of the men conscripted into the army by the Indian agent: "We had a lot of veterans from the First World War, the Second World War...I was looking at that sign at the band office, all those soldiers. All the men and women. That's why they call File Hills the home of the warriors."
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Throughout its history, the community continued to practice the Sundance until 1961 with Bill Creeley as the last Sundance maker. The community also held giveaway ceremonies and a pow wow during treaty day.
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Today, John sees much strength in our community—unity, strong leadership, and a commitment to revitalizing our language and culture. All these elements are encapsulated in the nehiyaw word, wakohtowin. He says about Okanese, "the people here understand the Indian word: wakohtowin. Wakohtowin means we're related. You have to respect that family, and that family, because we're a community doing our best to get along in life. And it still stands true today."
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He believes that since Okanese brought the Sundance back to the community in the last decade—a movement in which he was instrumental, that violence towards women has lessoned and young people have a more positive sense of who they are. He would like to see Okanese build on its cultural strengths by teaching more language and culture, such as conversational Cree lessons so that young people can at least understand when Elders speak, and he would like to see regular drumming and singing lessons.
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"I'm a traditional man, I think that we should continue to teach our kids ceremonies. And especially our Sundance...because the hunger for culture is there, it's very deep. People won't tell you, but in their hearts they wish for this and they wish for that. But there's nobody there to help them. I think that Okanese is like a role model for other reserves and communities."
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Although John emphasizes how our spirituality is renewed through the revitalization of our language and ceremonial practices, he also acknowledges that such spiritual goodness can be obtained through Church-based practices, if those who walk this path give proper respect to all of Creation. The Christian belief system also should not undermine recognition of the spiritual strength of our own language and traditional way of life as Nehiyaw, Saulteaux, or Indigenous Peoples.