On June 3rd, 2026 the annual Provincial Heritage Fair, hosted by Heritage Saskatchewan, saw 60 students, grades 4 to 8 who were winners from regional fairs across the province, present the projects they created on Saskatchewan - or Canadian-based heritage topics to judges at Government House. The work of the students was remarkable: they not only showed their research skills and knowledge about their chosen heritage-related topic, but also their artistic and creative talent.
Each year, the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists both contribute $250 towards an Education Bursary for the student who best utilizes archival primary sources in their project.
This year we are pleased to announce the winner of the Archives Award is Denton Daniels, a Grade 5 student who lives in Aberdeen, SK for his presentation on “Mistawasis Nehiy?wak Leadership.”
Mistawasis Nêhiyawak is a Cree First Nation located near the
community of Leask in Saskatchewan. It is about 68 kilometers west of
the city of Prince Albert.
Denton is an exceptional young
representative from his community, who displayed excellent creativity in
his display, effective research and historical thinking skills and
fluid interactive communication in his presentation. The use of primary
sources included items such as:
- Original map of Mistawasis - the main trading route from green lake to Fort Carleton went through Mistawasis
- Snake plain map – because of all the snakes in the area
- Original Treaty 6 medallion given to Chief Mistawasis
- Attestation papers by Frank Dreaver, son of Chief George Dreaver from 1916
- Court case transcripts
- Community history book for Mistawasis
- His father’s headdress regalia
“In
the court case Dreaver et al. v. The King, Chief George Dreaver and
other members of the Mistawasis First Nation argued that the government
had improperly charged their band for medicines and medical
supplies. The case involved the Medicine Chest Clause in Treaty 6. This
clause states that "a medicine chest shall be kept at the house of each
Indian Agent for the use and benefit of the Indians."
The
court decided that this promise meant First Nations covered by Treaty 6
should receive medicines, drugs, and medical supplies free of charge.
The judge ruled that the government could not charge the Mistawasis Band
for these items. This was an important decision because it helped
define the government's responsibilities for providing health care
support under Treaty 6. The outcome of this case was especially
impressive, because at the time, the Indian Act prevented First Nations
peoples from hiring lawyers for civil matters.
The project
also featured an attestation paper signed by Frank Dreaver, son of Chief
George Dreaver, dated March 15, 1916. This demonstrates Mr. Dreaver's
enlistment record for WW1. When veterans returned from the war, they
were entitled to land for serving. However, the government provided
First Nations veterans with land from their own Nation, resulting in
loss of acres for the membership. This is another example where Treaty
was not fulfilled, such as the medicine chest clause in R. v. Dreaver.”
Congratulations Denton, for your initiative and vision; and for building your own future leadership skills!
Comments
Post a Comment