Mistawasis was a Chief of the Sak-kaw-wen-o-wak Plains Cree, notable for his role as the leader of his people during the signing of Treaty 6 in 1876, to which he was the first signatory. Due to the dwindling buffalo population caused by excessive hunting, he was forced to look for new strategies to ensure the survival of his people and their culture. He believed the only way to save his people was to negotiate with the Canadian Government. As a result of his strong influence over the Cree people, he and his close ally Ahtahkakoop were able to argue successfully for the adoption of Treaty 6 by his fellow Cree. After the treaty was signed he remained an ally of the Canadian government until his death.
Cree chiefs and an interpreter in 1886, with Mistawasis seated at the bottom right. His ally, Ahtahkakoop, is seated at the bottom left.
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. Specifically, Treaty 6 is an agreement between the Crown and the Plains and Woods Cree, Assiniboine, and other band governments at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt. Key figures, representing the Crown, involved in the negotiations were Alexander Morris, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and The North-West Territories; James McKay, The Minister of Agriculture for Manitoba; and William J. Christie, a chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company. Chief Mistawasis and Chief Ahtahkakoop represented the Carlton Cree.
Treaty 6 Flag, which has been flown in cities throughout the treaty territory since 2012, including Edmonton, Saskatoon, Morinville, and Lloydminster.
A pile of bison skulls in 1892 in Detroit
A presentation copy of the original Treaty No. 6 (1876 August 23). Printed on parchment. Text in black and red; blue and red border. Sourced from the University of Alberta Library's Bruce Peel Special Collections.
Pipe ceremony at Waterhen River, northern Saskatchewan
