Chief Poundmaker to be exonerated

It’s been more than 130 years in the making.

The legendary Chief Poundmaker will be exonerated this month, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travels to Saskatchewan to mark the occasion.

Poundmaker was convicted of treason in July 1885 in Regina.

Poundmaker Cree Nation Headman Milton Tootoosis said he was overwhelmed when he found out about the exoneration happening this month.

“Very emotional, because I know past leaders like Blaine Favel, my later father, other leaders and elders have been working very hard and fighting for this day,” Tootoosis said.

Tootoosis said  Chief Poundmaker needs to be remembered as a peacemaker, not a war chief.

He pointed out that Poundmaker saved many lives by stopping his men from attacking retreating Canadian troops in the battle of Cut Knife in 1885.

“There was very little written about the fact that Poundmaker saved a lot of lives by stopping the warriors from counter-attacking the retreating colonel Otter and men, who were in big, big trouble,” Tootoosis said.

He said Chief Poundmaker was tainted in the history books, by journalists and historians, as a traitor.

“And they never did listen to or publish a lot about the First Nations perspective or from the First Nations perspective,” Tootoosis added.

He said Poundmaker needs to go down in history not as a traitor, but as a hero.