Key points on the legacy of Treaty 6, first signed 150 years ago

DUCK LAKE — Treaty 6, primarily covering most of what’s now central Alberta and central Saskatchewan, was signed 150 years ago by the Crown and First Nations chiefs.

Festivities honouring the anniversary have been underway across the region, from celebratory pow wows in Edmonton to viewings of the original treaty parchment at Fort Carlton Provincial Historic Park, north of Saskatoon.

A commemorative monument is also set to be unveiled Sunday at Fort Carlton, where the document was originally signed.

Here’s some information about the treaty and its history:

What is Treaty 6

It was the sixth of 11 treaties signed by representatives of the Crown and First Nations chiefs in the years following Confederation, or the establishment of Canada, in 1867, when Britain enjoined three separate colonies to form a new self-governing country.

These treaties, also known as the Numbered Treaties, cover most of what is now Ontario, all of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, northeast British Columbia, most of the Northwest Territories and Yukon’s southeast corner.

They set the stage for widespread settlement by non-Indigenous people, while creating reserves for First Nations.

The documents say First Nations who signed “ceded” any claim to certain portions of land. But Indigenous leaders have long said the agreements were more about sharing land than relinquishing title in exchange for promises and commitments from the Crown.

When was it signed and who was involved

Treaty 6 was first signed Aug. 23, 1876, at Fort Carlton, about 100 kilometres north of Saskatoon, between the Crown and certain Plains and Wood Cree bands.

Signatories representing the Crown included Alexander Morris, the lieutenant-governor of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, and commissioners James McKay and W.J. Christie.

The first signing featured nine chiefs, including Chief Mistawasis, Chief Ahtahkakoop and Chief James Smith.

Three translators are also listed.

More First Nations joined the treaty a few days later, and another major signing took place Sept. 9 at Fort Pitt, Sask.

There were a number of additional signings, called adhesions, in the following years, with the latest in 1954 and 1956, when members of the Salteaux First Nation near Cochin, Sask., signed on.

Today, about 50 First Nations are part of the treaty, covering almost 315,000 square kilometres.

What was agreed to

Treaty 6 features several commitments from the Crown absent in earlier treaties.

One is the pestilence or famine clause, which commits the Crown to providing support for First Nations struck by famine.

Food insecurity was a major concern for First Nations during negotiations, especially for the Plains Cree, who were suffering from a rapidly declining buffalo population, says the website for the Treaty Commissioner in Saskatchewan.

There’s also the medicine chest clause, which says the Crown will keep a medicine chest in the home of each federal government agent working on or near a reserve.

The clause is widely understood by First Nations to be a commitment to provide comprehensive health care, and Indigenous leaders have criticized the Crown for failing to live up to the promise.

The treaty includes a Crown promise to maintain schools on reserves.

The Crown also pledges to provide: $5 annually to every First Nations member; $1,500 annually in twine and ammunition, some farming and carpentry equipment; and every three years a “suitable suit of clothing” to every chief, along with an annual salary of $25.

Each band is also promised six cows, four oxen, two female pigs, one bull and one boar. The agricultural settlements are now informally referred to as “Cows and Plows.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2026.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press