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With the coming of whites and the tendency to change
residency in order to get jobs, the stability of the
matrimonial environment could change. For example, in
materials drawn from Swan River, Sawridge, and Driftpile in
north Central Alberta, from among the primary group, the
post-Treaty Cree, we find statements indicating flux. Both
interviews were in Cree and translated by Rose Saddleback
The following indicates some of the various approaches to
this situation as recalled by these elders.
| Rose: |
Apparently, a long time ago,
people of this district firmly believed that this
land was one single band. The bands such as Sawridge,
Swan River, Driftpile, Sucker Creek, Grouard was
supposedly one whole reserve – not separate and
distinct. |
| Frank: |
As far as I recall, they were always
separate from each other – and not one whole tract.
But we did only have the one chief for the total
area. Apparently this was the set-up originally. A
person from Driftpile, for instance, can’t transfer
membership unless we consent to it. That also
applies to us. We could go to another reserve
temporarily. If this reserve was a whole tract of
land under one authoritative figure I think we would
be obliged to move about freely to another
neighboring land.
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| Rose: |
Did you parents ever reveal any
stories related to this subject – i.e. moving around
to neighboring bands? |
| Frank: |
No. The Bands are all separate, each retaining
their same members. For instance, Swan River,
Driftpile |
| Rose: |
Do you recall the agreement made
about the transfer of memberships from Sawridge
(Slave Lake) to Swan River. There were a few people
that came into this band.
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| Frank: |
There were many outside members.
Years ago, we did not follow any regulations as long
as a person was a treaty Indian. The Twinn family
were originally from there and came into our band.
This is what they used to say. |
| Frank: |
(Well, there was) Dohane, a nick-name. I
don’t know his real name. Another one was Egbert. He
took land here and made a few improvements but he
eventually left the site. All of them left. There
were other ‘Wards' living in the vicinity. Isabella
Twinn lived with one of them by the name of Sam. Sam
deceased not too long ago. All of the family are
almost gone now. I didn’t see them except the boys.
They died during the flu epidemic. |
| Rose: |
So, the family came to live at
Swan River and were taken into the band? |
| Frank: |
I don’t know if they were legally
transferred or just resided here. I think they just
lived here. |
| Rose: |
Those non-Indian people migrating to the north
known as homesteaders, what are the arrangements? |
| Frank: |
As far as I can recollect the
homesteaders had already farmed even though it was
not a great amount of land covered. All over the
valley and towards the lake – we have private owners
between the reserve lands here. For every section of
land or a reserve status, a quarter of it is
occupied by a private owner. This is quite common.
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| Frank: |
Ups-chi-nese. Felix Giroux. The land
was surveyed for him. He always had a little store
and a stopping place. The animals were fed at the
stopping place. He was given a piece of land.
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| Rose: |
Did he make a formal request? |
| Frank: |
Yes, he was given a quarter section of land. 160
acres. It’s located (next) to the lake. |
| Rose: |
Is it considered part of the
reserve? |
| Frank: |
Yeah, it’s part of the Swan River. |
| Rose: |
What are the Cree names for the
following places? |
| Frank: |
Kissapikkamak, that means end of the shore or
shoreage. I think the correct pronunciation should
have been shoreage and not Sawridge. No one knows
how the place derived its name. A man informed
journalists of this name recently and it was written
down. He writes stories regularly in the papers and
he’s supposed to be the oldest man in Slave Lake. |
| Rose: |
Exactly where does he live? |
| Frank: |
Right in town. He has a house in
town. He’s over 80 years old now. When he wrote this
version of the name Sawridge, he claimed that a man
by the name of Thomson always sawed wood in that
vicinity and hence the place, Sawridge, derived its
name. That is incorrect as far as I’m concerned.
When the Cree name of the place is correctly
translated it would mean a ‘shore’ or ‘shoreage’. |
| Rose: |
Why is it called that? |
| Frank: |
Originally, according to old
stories, this territory was strictly inhabited by
the Slave Indians until the Cree pushed them
northward to where they now reside. I guess they had
inter-tribal fights, i.e. between the Cree and the
Slaves. |
| Rose: |
I wonder what arrangements were made at the time
when the land had a reserve status? |
| Frank: |
This person went there directly just because
he’s a returned soldier.
Interviewee: Frank Sound
Interviewer:
Rose Saddleback
Date: July 13, 1977
Location:
Swan River Band – Kinuso
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Marriage was not the only way that post-treaty movement
took place. Some family members moved onto treaty land if
there was land available, and then they would eventually be
granted reserve status.
| Rose S: |
When the people of Treaty 8 were initially
confined to their reserves or bands, what kind of an
arrangement was made for them? What was the deal?
What was arranged within the bands? |
| St. Germaine: |
Each band retained its own distinct and
separate reserves. Take, for instance, our reserve
here. It is different from the other reserve. Our
reserve is similar to a county. All the land is
split into townships (quarter sections).
(Translator's Note: He is implying that the
reserve is scattered. It is not the whole as other
reserves.)
All the other reserves are whole, like
Driftpile, Sucker Creek, etc. Apparently, our elders
of long ago who took reserves wanted this reserve to
be set up in this manner. They had figured out that
it was more appropriate to scatter and take sections
here and there. There are white people who own their
portions of land between the reserve here.
Our elders who took the treaty wanted it that
way. They took patches of land at various locations
within this vicinity. We have some land at Assineau.
I am not sure how much land we have at that
location. I estimate we have over 1 section of land.
It extends very close to Canyon Creek. |
| Rose S: |
In 1912 roughly, I guess the Swan River Band
held a meeting and agreed to take in five families
from over there? Do you recall any of those names?
(Note:I made this old man puzzled as I didn’t make
myself clear as to the location of this place.
Someone else said "Slave Lake"?)
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| St. Germaine: |
I think they’re probably the Twinn family. They
are the ones.
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| St. Germaine: |
Yeah, I know that. That was another
person – Francis was his name but he lived at
Sawridge. He was in the Council. I think those were
the only two who came to Swan River. You said they
were five families, just Edward and kids and wife.
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| Rose S: |
What were the children’s names? |
| St. Germaine: |
One was Louie, the eldest and another was Frank
known by all of us as Frankie. |
| Rose S: |
I guess after McLean completed the
survey for the Swan River Band, the white people
settled on the land that was set aside for the
Indians. Do you recall any of the white people’s
names? |
| St. Germaine: |
One of them was Coal. |
| Rose S: |
There are a few bands at the
surrounding area. We are not familiar with the local
names for the bands here so if you know the Cree
names for the following places, please tell us:
Take for example: What is the Cree word for Swan
River: |
| St. Germaine: |
Wap so seepee |
| Rose S: |
And Sawridge? |
| St. Germaine: |
Kis si puk ka mak. |
| Rose S: |
Driftpile? |
| St. Germaine: |
Nim taw tak kow Seepee. |
| Rose S: |
Sucker Creek? |
| St. Germaine: |
Na nay pey oo Seepeesis. |
| Rose S: |
Did you believe that they were a
single band? (and not separated)? |
| St. Germaine: |
It was their decision to have all
bands separated and have their own reserve
allotments. |
| Rose S: |
I wonder when the people were prevented from
entering other reserves, i.e. going to live freely
at other reserves to which they don’t belong.
Let
us take for instance, if you wanted to move to
Sawridge (even though you are a member from here)
you were able to make the move without any
restrictions attached. Who abolished this practice? |
| St. Germaine: |
No one is actually responsible for it. On the
other hand, the Chief must have stopped it to a
degree.
Name: Dexerman Courtoreille
(St.
Germaine)
Interviewer: Rose Saddleback
Location:
Kinuso – Swan River Band
Date: August 2, 1977
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