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Canada / Canada’s Great Moments / Drawing 13

Canadian history · Drawing 13 of 37

A promise between nations

1876

Colouring illustration: A promise between nations
A symbolic scene of the 1876 talks: the people are not portraits of the chiefs, the commissioner or the interpreter, and no ceremony is shown.© Atlasmio · All rights reserved

In 1876, near Fort Carlton, Cree and other First Nations made Treaty 6 with representatives of the Queen. A treaty is a promise between nations that still counts today.

Look together

Why is it important to keep a promise?

An idea to try

Make a family promise together, such as sharing a toy or helping with a chore, then draw it. A week later, check together whether it was kept.

For the adult reading along

A little more to discover

Treaty 6 was made near Fort Carlton in August 1876 and at Fort Pitt on September 9, between the Crown and Cree, Assiniboine and Ojibwe leaders; other nations joined through adhesions in later years. At the chiefs’ request, it included a medicine chest and help in times of famine. The written text says the land was surrendered, but Elders’ accounts gathered by First Nations organizations say the signatories agreed to share the land, not give it up. Some leaders, such as Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear), at first refused to sign.

Canada did not keep all its promises: some First Nations did not receive all the reserve land they were owed. Today, Treaty 6 includes about 50 First Nations, and the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations works to have its terms, spirit and intent honoured. Talk with your child about promises: why we make them, and what we can do when one is broken.

Sources and context (3)

These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.

  • Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations — HomeTreaty No. 6 signed on August 23, 1876 at Fort Carlton; territory across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; 50 First Nations; medicine chest and right to education; the Confederacy works to have the terms, spirit and intent of the treaty honoured.
  • The Canadian Encyclopedia — Treaty 6Signed by Crown representatives and Cree, Assiniboine and Ojibwe leaders on 23 August 1876 at Fort Carlton and 9 September at Fort Pitt; medicine chest and famine clause brought forward by the chiefs; Mistahimaskwa and others at first refused; later adhesions; Elders’ view that they agreed to share the land rather than surrender it.
  • Indigenous Services Canada — Treaty Land Entitlement in SaskatchewanSome First Nations did not receive all the reserve land promised under the treaties; TLE Framework Agreement of September 22, 1992.

Source review: 2026-09-24. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.