Maski-pitoon, Cree Chief
Maski-pitoon's arm had an abnormal twist, earning him his name which means 'one whose arm has been broken' in Cree. He won the right to become Chief by being a strong warrior. The Cree and Blackfoot people had a long history of killing each other, but Maski-pitoon believed that they could live peacefully together.
This was foretold after he had a dream in which the Creator told him needless killing was wrong. He proposed peace to his people and they agreed to try. Soon after his first attempts at peace, some Blackfoot were travelling near Wetaskiwin (where Maski-pitoon's people were living) and were captured by the Cree. When presented to Maski-pitoon, he recognized one of the prisoners as the man who had killed his father. Instead of seeking revenge, which was customary, he told the Blackfoot to return to his people and tell them the Cree were seeking peace. Maski-pitoon then went even further and decided to travel with the Blackfoot to speak directly with their Chief. The two leaders smoked a pipe of peace and entered into a pact to end the fighting. This was the first pact of its kind on the prairies and it is said that the name Wetaskiwin comes from this event meaning 'hills of peace'.
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