Cree Nation making progress reclaiming Poundmaker’s legacy
The legacy of Cree Chief Poundmaker, tainted by his conviction for treason, is closer to being restored than ever before according to officials with the Cree Nation that bears his name.
The chief – known by his Cree name Pitikwahanapiwiyin – was found guilty of treason in 1885 when the band attempted to join with Louis Riel following the Cree victory at the Battle of Cutknife Hill. After his surrender at Fort Battleford, Chief Poundmaker was tried, convicted and sentenced to three years in Manitoba’s Stony Mountain penitentiary. He served just one year before poor health led to his release, but leaders with the Poundmaker Cree Nation have spent generations trying to secure a pardon and restore their namesake’s damaged reputation.
Elected Headman/Councillor Milton Tootoosis said the band received a letter this week from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, inviting them to discuss the issue at a meeting next month. The letter also indicated the possibility of a joint statement between Canada and the Poundmaker Nation, Tootoosis said, which he hoped takes the form of a pardon and public apology.
“Certainly [we want] an apology,” Tootoosis told paNOW. “A large public event involving the Prime Minister, I would hope.”