Battlefords, Saskatchewan

A committed group of students, teachers and artists - both First Nations and non-First Nations - gathered over two days at Fort Battleford to collaboratively explore the BIG idea, "What does it mean for us ALL to be Treaty people?"  The project, known as Our Voice, Our Land, was as much about restoring a community as it was about applying the ArtsSmarts model to meet new provincial treaty curriculum requirements.

Fort Battleford: A History That Shapes the Present
The legacy of the Town of Battleford, current day population 3,685, can be traced back to Fort Battleford, which presided over some of the most pivotal events in Canadian history and was built to support the settlement of Western Canada.  Fort Battleford was established in 1876 to house the North-West Mounted Police, who were charged with working with First Nations people to support the creation and implementation of treaties that the federal government believed were required before settlement could commence.

Over time, the relationship between the North West Mounted Police and First Nations gradually deteriorated.  Treaty promises of food, medicine, livestock and clothing were repeatedly broken and requests to the government about the ongoing mistreatment of First Nations peoples went unanswered.   These tensions led to the North-West Rebellion in 1885.  Most significantly, the North-West Rebellion is marked by the Frog Lake massacre, where nine white men were killed by Cree, as well as by the public hanging of eight First Nations peoples at Fort Battleford for their role in the rebellion.  This event remains the largest mass hanging in Canadian history.

As Carol Greyeyes, former Indigenous Arts Advisor at the Saskatchewan Arts Board, explains, this storied history touches today's residents of Battleford.  "Underpinned by this legacy, these tensions have not gone away.  This anger has carried through to the 21st century.  The youth don't understand where the hatred comes from.  It is something they inherit."

Bringing Treaties to Life: Curriculum Change
In the fall of 2007, the Ministry of Education declared treaty education mandatory in the Saskatchewan provincial school system from kindergarten to grade 12, and the rollout began in 2008.   The idea was that people in Saskatchewan would need to be aware of their shared treaty histories were relations between First Nations and other residents of Saskatchewan to be harmonious.  In order to realize mutual respect, Treaty First Nations and Saskatchewan people need to be more informed about one another's values, customs, traditions, institutions, and laws.  

Until recently, many Canadians viewed treaties as part of Canada's distant memory, with many still holding the view that treaties were complicated "real estate transactions."  In fact, many non-Aboriginal Canadians forget or don't realize that they, too, gained rights through treaties - rights to land and rich resources in our provinces.  Treaties were meant to be mutual, assisting both parties.

The intense focus of exploration in each arts area allowed for student growth at a level not normally attainable in such a short period of time. "It made me think in a new way," says one of the students. "It definitely impacted my confidence about myself as an artist, and I wasn't shy about working with other people in my field of creativity."

Model Innovation:  Introducing Treaty Smarts
While the idea for Our Voice, Our Land was already in progress, the project's success paved the way to a new, focused application of the ArtsSmarts model in a broader context.  

In the fall of 2009, the Saskatchewan Arts Board - the lead partner for ArtsSmarts Saskatchewan - introduced a new funding program specifically tied to the outcomes of treaty education using the ArtsSmarts approach.  Treaty Smarts is a new program that helps students explore treaty topics, concepts and understandings through inquiry-based arts experiences and partnerships with professional artists.

"Teachers saw the funding provided through Treaty Smarts as a way to help implement treaty outcomes in the classroom," says Dianne Warren, Multidisciplinary Arts/Education Consultant with the Saskatchewan Arts Board.

Viewing Our Voice, Our Land
Our Voice, Our Land was a collaborative project between the Living Sky School Division (North Battleford Comprehensive High School, St Vital Catholic School, Spiritwood High School and Cando Community School), Saskatchewan Arts Board, Office of the Treaty Commission and Fort Battleford.  

A 14-minute documentary has been created about this project (not available at time of publication) which will be available through the Saskatchewan Arts Board.

Find out more about the process of exploring how we are ALL treaty people by viewing the project gallery and clicking on the images to read the captions.