Hundreds gather to mark 150th anniversary of Treaty 4 signing in Fort Qu'Appelle

It was the 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 4 – an occasion that saw hundreds gather in Fort Qu’Appelle.

"It's a time I think to renew our strengths, selling the promise of treaty fulfill through treaty implementation and the honouring of the spirit and intent of the treaty,” said Chief Lynn Acoose of the Zagime Anishinabek First Nation.

Dignitaries, elders and all those from across Treaty 4 territory came together for the event.

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"It feels so spiritual. I can just feel the spirit of our negotiators that were talking about the treaties and how it was affecting us in that day,” said Elder Lorna Standingready.

The treaty was signed on September 15th, 1874. It was established by Queen Victoria and the Cree and Saulteaux peoples.

The treaty covers 195,000 km between Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

"This is where Treaty 4 was negotiated. Treaty Commissioner Alexander Morris and David Laird, the treaty commissioners for the Crown attempted to go to the HBC [Hudson's Bay Company] for it to negotiate the treaty but the chiefs would not agree to that,” said Sheldon Krasowski, the Director of Research for the Office of the Treaty Commissioner.

Officials hope all those within Treaty 4 will continue to reflect and celebrate what the historic signing meant to the land and its people and what it continues to be today.

"We have an obligation to create good partnerships, to take care of the land together, to build a future for our children and so going forward, that's what we celebrate,” said Acoose.

Traditional powwows also took place on Saturday and Sunday to mark the historic event.