A view of the general area where the Charteris farm is located, near Tramping Lake. (Submitted photo/Tracey Cholin)

By Angela Brown

Tour planned

Farm family identifies Indigenous historical cultural sites on property

Jul 20, 2022 | 4:32 PM

A farm family near Kerrobert is looking forward to holding a tour of their property after identifying a number of Indigenous historical cultural sites, including Chief Poundmaker’s winter camp and nearby Tramping Lake, a sacred site to Cree people, on their land.

Property owners Wayne and Nancy Charteris plan to host a gathering Aug. 3 to let people see the sites first-hand. During the event Elders and Knowledge Keepers will attend to hold a ceremony and guide the historical tour. As well, many members from area First Nation communities and about 50 people from the Kerrobert area are also expected to attend.

The Charteris family reached out to The Treaty Land Sharing Network (TLSN), of which they are members, with the hope to restore access to these sites to First Nations people. As a result, the network contacted representatives of Poundmaker and Red Pheasant First Nations to begin the process.

TLSN co-founder, Valerie Zink, who is helping co-ordinate the effort, believes the event will be a good way to connect Indigenous families and settlers.

“Although the story settlers were told is that the land was empty, there is evidence of Indigenous presence throughout farms and ranches in Saskatchewan…,” she said. “As treaty people who are invited to share these lands, we have a responsibility to ensure that Indigenous nations have access to these sites throughout their homelands, regardless of where they are.”

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Christina Anderson, daughter of Wayne Charteris, said her family were glad to take steps to let area First Nation peoples visit these sites.

“Because of the relationships we’ve been building with neighbouring First Nations communities, the TLSN and our own journey into understanding the history of this country that formerly wasn’t taught in schools until more recently, our family is seeking to take our obligation as treaty people seriously,” she said in an email.

Anderson noted Wayne’s grandfather emigrated from Scotland in 1914 and settled in Saskatchewan in 1918.

Today the fourth-generation Charteris family hope to begin to rebuild relationships that were severed as a result of policies “that kept us apart at the time when our family arrived here.”

“We always knew there was a long history in the beautiful coulee valley that we’ve called home, economically benefitted from and stewarded for over a hundred years,” Anderson said. “The land is marked by dozens of tipi rings, buffalo jumps and other potential areas of interest that we’ll explore together this summer for the first time.”

Poundmaker Cree Nation band councillor Bryan Tootoosis has already visited the Charteris property and plans to attend the tour. He is excited the Charteris family wants to help First Nation people connect to their history.

“I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “As family members, history is important to them and obviously very important to us. They want to extend the invitation to First Nations people in the area to go there and look at the significance of [these sites.]”

Tootoosis said in history, Chief Poundmaker camped there before treaties, and others after treaties, so the site has great significance to First Nation peoples. He appreciates all the Charteris family’s efforts in this project.

“It’s a good thing what farmers and individuals like this family here is trying to do. To us as a nation, that information is very important for our people. It’s important to our kids. It’s important to the general public across our nation here in Canada.”

Tootoosis would like to see more farm families also share their sites that link back to First Nation history, as an ongoing step towards reconciliation.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow