Image: Sturgeon Lake Indian Reserve, 1942. SPRA 0294.19 Part of Lee Pooler fonds.
The South Peace Regional Archives initiated a survey of the region’s holdings in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) call to actions to locate records within their holdings related to Indian Residential Schools. We found very few records related to residential schools, but we did find several records related to Indigenous people and communities in our region. We decided to expand the scope of our research to look for any records related to Indigenous peoples within our holdings.
Thanks to the efforts of staff and volunteers, we now have a small database of material to share. While we pursue avenues of access, we are sharing some of these images and documents.
The caption for the photograph above reads: “Copy of an original photograph. Treaty Day at Sturgeon Lake Indian Reserve in the company of Constable Brown of the RCMP.” Treaty 8 is a pivotal document with a profound impact on Indigenous families as well as Indigenous and settler relationships. For such an important document and process, we have remarkably few records that specifically mention the Treaty. These kinds of records are important as they provide documentary evidence of the ongoing relationship between the federal government and local Indigenous communities.
If you have any stories or records you would like to share about the history of Treaty 8 in the South Peace region, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us at info@southpeacearchives.org or 780-830-5105.