PA Grand Council honours Sask. Treaty Commissioner who ‘labored tirelessly’ throughout 6 years on the job

The outgoing Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan was honoured with a star blanket in Prince Albert on Monday.

Mary Musqua-Culbertson is the primary lady to be appointed to the function, which incorporates facilitating conferences between the Crown and First Nations to debate Treaty points and fascinating the general public in Treaty rights.

After six years, Musqua-Culbertson is leaving the place on the finish of January.

“I used to be very grateful and really honoured to be acknowledged by our largest tribal council for the quantity of labor that we now have performed,” she mentioned.

This consists of making a chief’s governance committee, an elder’s council and the one Treaty archives in North America, she mentioned. Throughout her time because the Treaty commissioner, the workplace has additionally come out with a Treaty Studying Journey designed to construct on in-classroom assets by bringing Treaty consciousness to the general public.

The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) introduced Musqua-Culbertson with a star blanket through the opening ceremonies of its three-day Gathering of the Nations. 

Like their bonnets, the chiefs defined, the star blanket represents excessive recognition amongst Indigenous individuals.

“We weren’t given the entire guarantees. There was shortfall,” mentioned PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte.

“This lady labored tirelessly.”

“I’m actually excited to maneuver on. You possibly can solely be someplace so lengthy, and I really feel like I used a very good quantity of my vitality and lives on this job,” added Musqua-Culbertson.

Rising up, her mother’s facet of the household at all times spoke about politics.

“I’m very lucky to know as I obtained older, not everyone obtained to develop up in homes like that due to residential colleges, due to the 60s scoop, due to the move and allow system, due to the Indian Act,” she mentioned.

“As I went by college and college, it was simply increasingly more clear that there was a variety of inequity and injustice.”

Treaties are formal agreements between the Crown and First Nations, in response to the Workplace of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC). 

Eleven numbered Treaties had been negotiated after Confederation, stretching from current day Ontario to Alberta, together with components of British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. Saskatchewan comprises six Treaties.

Musqua-Culbertson is a member of Keeseekoose First Nation in Treaty 4, the primary to earn a Juris Physician from College of Saskatchewan Regulation and to observe legislation within the province.

“My ardour for it’s primary human rights,” she mentioned.

“It’s our inherent proper to train our Treaty rights once we’re born and we now have a lot work to do in fixing these issues, a lot work, as a result of even immediately you see the inequities.”

Musqua-Culbertson gave the instance of language. Not many Indigenous individuals can communicate their language fluently, she mentioned, together with herself.

However Indigenous gatherings like this one return to the core of conventional methods of life.

“To listen to everybody speaking their languages, listening to the caribou drums, it’s so lovely and whenever you hear that heartbeat, that’s our interconnectedness.”

Gathering of the Nations on till Wednesday

The PAGC’s Gathering of the Nations runs from Monday to Wednesday on the Chief Joseph Custer Reserve throughout from the Victoria Hospital.

The PAGC has organized a wide range of actions to study First Nations tradition, each for adults and youth.

Monday included leisure from the Northern Prairie Dancers, musicians equivalent to Dillon Gazandlare and Violet and Lilly Naytowhow and grownup and youth expertise reveals. The youth tent was arrange with video games like potato sack racing, a pie consuming contest, bingo and a scavenger hunt.

The occasion is about to proceed on Tuesday with a mini pow wow, spherical dances, trapper occasion and a hypnotist. Wednesday’s lineup features a youth sweat and jigging contests.

“Let’s collect, let’s share the tales. Let’s share how life was in our nations again within the day,” mentioned Hardlotte.

He inspired youth, particularly, to benefit from the educational alternatives and join with elders.

“I problem you, younger individuals, go there, make your personal dried meat and go cling it up. Look forward to it to dry up and go feed it to an elder, that’s what this gathering is for.”

Some actions, equivalent to a Texas Maintain Em match, are happening off reserve on the PAGC City Companies constructing, previously the Margo Fournier Centre.